Reckonings: a journal of justice, hope and history

A letter about Martin Buber, from the Schumacher Center for a New Economics

Martin Buber in the “He-Atid” bookstore in Jerusalem, 1946 (Martin Buber Archives).

Dear John Boettiger, While reviewing early Schumacher Center newsletters, we found this April 1985 reminder of Martin Buber’s contribution to new economic/social thinking. Buber On The Social Future We came to trust Martin Buber for his careful record of the human spirit in its process of observing itself in relation to the universe. In his book I And Thou, Buber was able to sustain and explore the simultaneous experiences of observer and observed. Commenting on the languages of “primitive” peoples in which the separation of the “I” and the “thou” was not yet as sharpened, Buber writes: “The Feugian (language) surpasses our analytical wisdom with a sentence-word of seven syllables that literally means: ‘they look at each other, each waiting for the other to offer to do that which both desire but neither wishes to do.'”* We came to love Martin Buber for his wonderful retellings of old Hasidic tales, the world of sense perception and the world of imagination blending, separating and then coloring each other again. Only recently did we discover Buber’s social writings. His Paths in Utopia is a concise history of decentralist-cooperative thinking. He discusses Saint-Simon, Fourier, Owen, Marx, Proudhon, Kropotkin and Landauer among others (see New Economic Thought Timeline) and is quickly able to come to the essence of the writer’s contribution, finding and naming the vision that moved each one. But while describing these other social thinkers, Buber is at the same time tracing his own path, his own vision of a new social order. A recurring theme in the book is that of “Associations” — free associations of producers and consumers who together out of their mutual interest determine production and quantity and distribution. Buber sees these associations as small in scale and regional, or land-based, and so of necessity there is an element of self-sufficiency in their planning. Buber suggests that the limited and vying interests of the producer against the consumer can only shape a limited and vying future. He points again to the simultaneous experience, to our mutual interests as both producers and consumers. It is in this simultaneity that individuals meet at a larger social level and feel their communality. It is a vision of local control of local resources and manufacturing and of participation in decisions by those affected by those decisions. Paraphrasing the school of Fourier, Buber writes: “Only through these voluntary associations will the third and last emancipatory phase of history come about in which the first having made serfs out of slaves, and the second wage earners out of serfs, the third will accomplish the transformation of wage earners into companions or associates.” * Buber’s elaboration of the concept of producer/consumer associations is bold and useful.   Robyn Van En and farm workers distributing the week’s CSA shares. Photo by Clemens Kalischer. It is this same recognition of the transformative power of consumers and producers working together that led Robyn Van En to shape the Community Supported Agriculture movement. It is also this same recognition that led the Schumacher Center staff to coin the term Community Supported Industry that would have consumers and producers co-creating new import-replacement businesses, sharing the risk to ensure the future character of their local economies.  Best wishes, Staff of the Schumacher Center for a New Economics

350.org

I think this is the first occasion on which I've given over an entry in Reckonings wholly to a particular organization or movement, but in this event it's about time.

350.org was founded by Bill McKibben and a group of Middlebury College students in 2007 as a movement "to stand up to the fossil fuel industry to stop all new coal, oil and gas projects and build clean energy for all." It now has members and groups throughout the world, and it's not easy to overstate its growth in those 12 years. The remainder of this piece is drawn from the 350.org website.

To solve the climate crisis, we need to organize for a Fossil Free world. 350 is building a future that's just, prosperous, equitable and safe from the effects of climate change. We're an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.

350's goals are essentially threefold:

1. A Fast & Just Transition to 100% Renewable Energy for All
   Accelerate the transition to a new, just clean energy economy by supporting community-led energy solutions.
2. No New Fossil Fuel Projects Anywhere.
   Stop and ban all oil, coal and gas projects from being built through local resolutions and community resistance.
3. Not a Penny more for Dirty Energy
   Cut off the social license and financing for fossil fuel companies — divest, de-sponsor and defund.

 

 

 

350's values have five essential components:

1. We are bold, creative and strategic.

The climate crisis is immense – we must be daring and courageous in response. We embrace new experiments and solutions, recognizing that this crisis requires new ways of solving problems.

2. We Work for Justice

The fight against climate change is a fight for justice. People all over the world are feeling the impacts, but the people suffering the most are the ones who have done the least to cause the problem. The work we do — and the ways we do it — has to address that injustice. That means listening to the communities who are getting hit the hardest, amplifying the voices that are being silenced, and following the leadership of the people on the frontlines of the crisis.

3. We Care for and Trust One Another

We take care of ourselves and our communities, honor one another in our non-violent approach to this work, and share that spirit and learning with others. No one has all the answers, so we value the experience and knowledge of our partners and our communities. That's why we listen to our communities and our allies to learn and evolve together.

4. We are Stronger When We Collaborate

Climate change is not just an environmental issue, or a social justice issue, or an economic issue — it’s all of those things at once. The only way we will be strong enough to put pressure on governments and stand up to the fossil fuel industry is if we all work together.

That means bringing people together and building diverse coalitions — from students, to labor unions, human rights and social justice groups; from marginalized communities and faith groups, to universities, business owners and all those who believe in the need for transformational change.

5. We are Transparent and Accountable

To ensure the integrity of our work, we strive to be transparent and open, while respecting everyone's right to privacy and ensuring people's safety. We are accountable to each other, to the people and groups we collaborate with, and to those impacted by our work. We strive to honor the relationships we build with each other.

 

History

350.org was founded in 2008 by a group of university friends in the United States along with author Bill McKibben, who wrote one of the first books on global warming for the general public, with the goal of building a global climate movement. 350 was named after 350 parts per million — the safe concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Our first actions were global days of action that linked activists and organizations around the world, including the International Day of Climate Action in 2009, the Global Work Party in 2010, Moving Planet in 2011. 350 quickly became a planet-wide collaboration of organizers, community groups and regular people fighting for the future.

Today 350 works on grassroots campaigns across the globe: from opposing coal plants and mega-pipelines, to supporting renewable energy solutions and cutting financial ties of the fossil fuel industry. All of our work leverages people power to dismantle the influence and infrastructure of the fossil fuel industry.

Some of our proudest moments of recent years include campaigns against Keystone XL and Dakota Access in the United States, stopping fracking in hundreds of cities in Brazil and Argentina, joining historic grassroots mobilizations before and after the Paris Climate Agreement was signed, and pushing hundreds of universities, foundations, cities and churches to divest from fossil fuels.

 

Climate Science Basics:

It’s warming.
It’s us.
We’re sure.
It’s bad.
We can fix it.

 

1. It's warming.

Right now, annual global average temperature is about 1° Celsius* hotter than average. The last cooler-than-average month was in October 1965. One degree Celsius might not sound like a big increase in temperature, but it’s the difference between life and death for thousands of people. Earth has always had natural cycles of warming and cooling, but not like we’re seeing now. The top five hottest years on record are 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2010. And rising temperatures doesn’t only mean it’s getting hotter. The Earth’s climate is complex — even a small increase in average global temperature means big changes, with lots of dangerous side effects.

* For a  Celsius-Fahrenheit conversion table, see here.

2. It's us.

Human beings are causing climate change, largely by burning fossil fuels.

Rising temperatures correlate almost exactly with the release of greenhouse gases.

Before the 18th century, when humans in the industrial west began to burn coal, oil and gas, our atmosphere typically contained about 280 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Those are the conditions “on which civilization developed and to which life on earth is adapted.”

Now, as the use of fossil fuels spreads through the world, the amount of carbon in the atmosphere is skyrocketing — we’re now well over 400 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere. [We just hit 415ppm carbon in the atmosphere for the first time ever in the history of humanity.] At the same time, the rapid growth in demand for animal-based agriculture by wealthier countries has seen other greenhouse gasses like methane and nitrous oxide rapidly rise. The contribution of agriculture causes about 15% of global emissions. Burning fossil fuels remains by far the biggest single contributor to the problem, causing 57% of global emissions. This is compounded by the fact that carbon dioxide stays active in the atmosphere much longer than methane and other greenhouse gasses.

"In 2018," we are reminded by Elizabeth Kolbert, "carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector rose to a new high of thirty-six billion tons. Also in 2018, nearly thirty million acres of tropical forest were lost—an area the size of Pennsylvania. As the website InsideClimate News noted, this destruction occurred 'even as more corporations and countries made commitments to preserve tropical forests.' As long as we continue to tear through the biosphere, expect the losses to continue to mount." 

Fossil fuel companies are taking millions of years worth of carbon, once stored beneath the earth as fossil fuels, and releasing it into the atmosphere. In 2014, CO2 concentrations crossed 400 ppm in the atmosphere for the first time in at least 2.5 million years.

Keeping fossil fuels in the ground is the most important step we can take to prevent further climate change.

3. We're sure.

An overwhelming 97% of scientists agree that climate change is being caused by human greenhouse gas emissions. There is no meaningful debate about the basic science of climate change.

The finding that more CO2 in the atmosphere will warm the climate dates back to the 1890s. Attacks on the credibility of climate science are perpetuated by vested interests, including the fossil fuel industry, which has pumped millions of dollars into creating uncertainty about our understanding of climate change.

The oil company Exxon knew about climate change’s impact in the 1970s, and found out that action would impact their bottom line. As a result, they joined an industry-wide attack on the truth, creating a false debate that prevented action for decades. Now we know that Exxon, and other companies like Shell, have been taking actions to protect their infrastructure from climate change for decades — while fighting action to protect the rest of us.

It’s also important to listen to indigenous, traditional and local knowledge. In many places of the world elders and community leaders are sharing their understandings of how ecosystems are changing.

If we pay attention to what scientists and frontline communities are telling us, instead of fossil fuel industry deceptions, the message is clear: Humans are causing the rapid onset of climate change, which is already bringing costly impacts across the world. The best way to stop it is by keeping fossil fuels in the ground.

4. It's bad.

One degree of warming has already resulted in devastating impacts across the planet.

Global grain yields have declined by 10% from heatwaves and floods connected to climate change, unleashing hunger and displacement. Over 1 million people living near coasts have been forced from their homes due to rising seas and stronger storms, and millions more are expected to flee in the coming years.

Climate change science has evolved rapidly in recent years and it is now possible for scientists to pinpoint the contribution that climate change is making to many extreme weather events or other impacts: extreme heat, ocean warming and acidification, storms, sea-level rise and melting ice, declining habitat [and enormously increased extinction].

5. We can fix it.

The basic facts of climate change are grim: 80% of fossil fuel reserves need to stay in the ground for us to stay below 2°C* of warming and fossil fuel companies aren’t going to do that without a fight.

Here’s the good news:

1. We know exactly what we have to do — keep fossil fuels in the ground and quickly transition to 100% renewable energy.
2. Renewable energy is getting cheaper and more popular every day. In fact, global carbon emissions have already started to slow due to the rapid growth of clean energy.
3. We’re not alone — the worldwide movement to stop climate change and resist the fossil fuel industry is growing stronger every day.

* Even if we do manage to keep 80% of fossil fuels in the ground, a world that’s 2°C warmer is going to be a much different, scarier place. We’re only at +1°C now, and we’re already seeing more storms, flooding, heatwaves, drought, and island nations at risk of going underwater. +2°C is going to mean a lot of human suffering, and tremendous damage to the planet.

Pablo Neruda, "Keeping Quiet"

I read Neruda's "Keeping Quiet" to our meditation group this past Saturday morning.

It is a beautiful reflection on the deeply engaging practice of stillness.

I've been reflecting lately on a collection of related issues, including the differences and similarities of meditating alone and meditating with a group of friends; the contrasting experiences of speaking and listening to another person, in a dyad and in a group; between moving and stillness, walking and running, doing and being, indifference and engagement, coming and going, happiness* and sadness, happiness and joy**; the mysteries of living, dying and death. There is, of course, diversity in each of those variables (the last none of us know), even moment-by-moment changes in short time spans. To string such qualities of experience together as I have done here is bewildering. Counting to twelve helps, as in meditation we may count our breaths, usually one to ten—then we start over again.

 

* See Jonathan Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom (2006)

** See David Brooks, "The Difference Between Happiness and Joy," The New York Times, May 7, 2019.

 

 

Keeping Quiet

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still
for once on the face of the earth,
let's not speak in any language;
let's stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much.

It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would not look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.

Life is what it is about...

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with
death.

Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

 

                        — Pablo Neruda