Adaptability Project : The Premise
It is increasingly obvious that our world is going through radical changes, unprecedented in the history of our species, and that the future holds even more dramatic shifts. It has become a national pastime to deal with the fear this invokes with a variety of avoidance strategies, including outright denial, but also with earnest attempts at going "green". We are often told that if we consume "environmentally friendly" products, then we can continue "sustainable development" and indefinitely live an affluent lifestyle like we did in the 20th century. This is likely to be a tragic misconception.
However, the premise of this project – supported by Dumanoski's integrated perspective – is that humanity must take a large step back and look objectively at the cultural maps that underpin our collective decision making. Further, it acknowledges that climate change is a problem, but it is not the problem. Along with all environmental problems, it is, Dumanoski asserts, merely a symptom of the real problem: the serious, on-going degradation of Earth's planetary metabolism. To "fix" climate change - were that possible - would be treating the symptom and not the disease. The real problem lies in how we understand what it means to be Homo sapiens, and our beliefs about our relationship to the planetary systems which support and sustain us.
There are numerous forces of change converging at this point in history. Economically, socially, politically and environmentally, modern culture has evolved as a tangled mess of failed systems. We believe it is far better to approach this with solid information, preparedness, established community, and with realistic hope based on action than to cling to the promises of governments and corporations to find solutions which develop too slowly and are often dangerously full of hubris and short-sightedness.
Read more about our Gaian perspective that guides this project, or if you're ready to dive in, check out the Introductory class.