Generation [A]daptation: the new collaborative blog wants you

 

Confession time.

While I have been waging open warfare on the denial movement, secretly I have been plotting with a couple of others a new blog dealing with the variety of challenges our civilisation faces:

• climate change
• peak oil
• food and water security issues
• energy

We have called it Generation [A]daption because those alive today and those born over the next 100 years will be living on a different planet.

To quote a great writer:

“…I apologize. I said I would apologize; I apologize now. I apologize because of the terrible mess the planet is in. But it has always been a mess. There have never been any ”Good Old Days,” there have just been days. And as I say to my grandchildren, ”Don’t look at me. I just got here myself.”

So you know what I’m going to do? I declare everybody here a member of Generation A. Tomorrow is another day for all of us….”

– Kurt Vonnegut Commencement address Syracuse University 1994

None of us asked for this, and our children certainly didn’t.

But we share a responsibility to do something about it.

Because the values we hold dear – compassion, pragmaticism, reason and justice – are worth preserving.

Who we are: Tim, Mike and Megan

Three of us have been discussing this since November last year, and working on the concept over the last three months.

• Tim runs the brilliant blog Moth Incarnate.
• Megan is a researcher at Queensland Uni.
• And I’m well… Mike from WtD.

It was Tim who first suggested the idea on his blog. He sparked a small revolution, and I have him to thank for inspiring me.

But we want to extend the conversation.

Instead of shaking our heads in frustration, we can begin the process of adaptation.

We are not debating the science: discussion and community

Tim, Megan and I have all felt frustrated with the current level of discussion. The science is clear: the climate is changing, food security is of growing concern and we cannot rely on fossil fuels.

So we need to start debating the alternatives, discussing how we can adapt and sharing information.

We need to work together at the grass roots level.

We want to build a network of interested persons and organisations who are just as frustrated as us, and want to begin the process of adaptation.

We don’t want to preach.

We want you to contribute, share your ideas and stories about what you have done to make a difference.

We want to act.

We want to work with you.

It’s about building networks from the ground up.

Not another blog about climate science: no debate, just practical solutions

We will NOT be debating the science.

We will not get stuck in the endless, and now pointless discussion of whether or not climate change is real.

The debate is over.

We have looked at the floods, cyclones and fires that have swept across Australia and other parts of the world these past six months and have decided enough, is enough.

It is time to act.

There are other places where people can debate the science.

All those internet trolls that infest the web will have no place on GenAdapt. Those demons will be cast into the darkness.

Let them stew in their willed ignorance.

We have more important things to do.

And yes, WtD will continue in one form or another 🙂

What we aim to achieve

GenAdapt is:

Gen[A] is a group already convinced by the overwhelming scientific evidence behind our changing climate, growing food, water and energy insecurities and biodiversity loss. For this reason, debate over the reality of these problems will not be permitted on this site. No big loss really – for the blogosphere seems overpopulated with places willing to accommodate such discussion. The debate we crave regards our next steps;

• How best can we meet these challenges so future generations are provided a world as wonderful, if not more so than that which we are familiar with?
• How can we ensure that our children, our grandchildren and those that follow can have a standard of living that we would expect for them?
• How can we maintain diversity of lifestyle, ecology, food and culture under increasing resource and environmental stress?

These questions and many more will be the focus of our discussions and we encourage constructive debate to help enrich innovative thinking. We will not, however, allow pointless and irrelevant debate, nor will we tolerate ad hominem attacks aimed at contributors. Such comments will be removed to allow constructive discussions to propagate unrestricted.

We hope you enjoy being part of Generation Adaptation!

I’d like to thank Tim for expressing our intent so well.

“They” have failed us; “they” will continue to fail us

Mainstream politicians and political parties are failing us. They know the science, but are reluctant to act. Either caught in the thrall of economic rationalism or deep in the pockets of big oil/coal, “they” are failing us.

If anyone has to roll up their sleeves and get to work it has to be us.

We can lead by example. 

We can shape the debate

We can be the ones pushing the mainstream.

Going live in March: call for contributions

The blog is still under construction; however we are actively seeking contributions from interested persons.

How to contact and follow us: email, blog, Twitter and more!

You can email us at genadapt@gmail.com

Alternatively you contact us at the blog here.

Note the blog is a work in progress!

We have also set up a Twitter feed at GenAdapt.

The Gen [A] manifesto!

A fuller document will be posted soon discussing the project in depth, the resources available and how you can help.

Mike @ WtD