Can We End the Climate Crisis in One Generation?

John Bos

There is a growing body of scientists that believe that we the people have passed the tipping point with respect to mitigating global warming, much less turning it around.

Paul Hawken is not one of them. Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and bestselling author of eight books that have been published in thirty languages in more than fifty countries and have sold more than two million copies. Hawken is a renowned lecturer who has keynoted conferences and led workshops on the impact of commerce upon the environment and has consulted with governments and corporations throughout the world.

In the December issue of Green Energy Times, I introduced Hawken’s (and others’) current conception of how to end the climate crisis in one generation. Not just meeting the slippery goals set for 2030 and 2050. And noting that ending the crisis does not complete the challenge of global warming. That is a century-long commitment. Ending the crisis means that by 2030, an important majority of humanity will come to realize the breadth and depth of the crisis and the possibilities it offers for human and ecological transformation.

To this end, Hawken and fellow environmentalists have created “Re generation,” a radically new approach to the climate crisis, one that weaves justice, climate, biodiversity, and human dignity into a seamless tapestry of action, policy, and transformation that can end the climate crisis in one generation. They are a team endeavoring to create a comprehensive list of solutions and challenges about how to address the climate emergency and how to regenerate planetary ecosystems. These are more than just descriptions. On the Re-generation web site is an information option called Nexus (https://regeneration.org/nexus). I urge you, no matter what you know and want to know, to check out Nexus. Each entry explores what can be done on all levels of agency, including individual, community, classroom, city, company, and government. For each topic, the team curate organizations that are actively engaged, describes actions that can be taken, links to educational opportunities, and provide examples of transformation. Hawken and friends work collectively and collaboratively with the goal of sharing their research and discoveries with you.

The following is a list of Re-generation topics, each consistingof action items for individuals, groups, researchers, landowners, companies and governments. In each category is a list of key players, reading materials and an invitation for you, the reader, to share your knowledge. It is to my eyes and sensibilities, a mind- boggling and more than welcome environmental resource.

There is also a weekly offering entitled “The Waggle,” that offers compelling and inspiring stories about the regeneration and restoration of life on Earth, solutions to the climate crisis curated and authored by writers and researchers at Project Regeneration. The newsletter is named for the waggle dance, what honeybee scouts do to show the hive where to find the nectar.

Finally, there is Hawken’s book Re-generation: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation available on a half dozen web sites.

Nowhere else in my research have I discovered such an enormous treasure trove of environmental information. You may not agree with some of Re-generation’s findings and recommendations, but I think you would be challenged to make a compelling rebuttal in response to their research.

In addition to serving as a contributing columnist for Green Energy Times, John Bos is a long-time columnist for the Greenfield Recorder with his bi-weekly “Connecting the Dots” columns. His columns may be accessed by Googling “muckrack articles by John Bos.” Comments and questions are invited at john01370@gmail.com.

To see this article in a pdf file, as it appears in print, please click HERE.