The Myth of Overshoot

Photo by Andy Bridge on Unsplash

Well-meaning and smart people say “game over.” What they are missing is imagination.

Nobody with any sense of reality thinks everything is fine. We-our entire species, and the biosphere itself-is in deep trouble. Obviously.

Nearly all climate scientists-both the optimists and the pessimists-like Michael E. Mann (optimist) and James Hansen (pessimist) are still calling for immediate, serious climate action. Now Hansen believes we are closer to the end than Mann, but neither says it’s time to throw in the towel.

I listen to the scientists.

There is a contingent, however, that aren’t climate deniers or self-serving fossil fuel profiteers, yet say it’s time to surrender to our fate. They think that the Earth is carrying too many human beings and can’t continue as it is. They believe it’s time to simply prepare for the end, and that there is no denying or delaying it.

Surely they are right about some things. The Earth is supporting more people than ever, and they continue ruining their own habitat at breakneck speed. The human civilization, as it’s constructed, is based on oil-and greed, and elitism with a few taking nearly everything and billions of others producing everything-fighting over scraps.

The people who warn about overshoot are absolutely and completely correct-we cannot continue as we are and survive. The alternative-change or die-doesn’t mean much to “overshooters” because they conclude (not unreasonably) that we show no capability of changing, of meeting the threat.

In fact, even if smart caring sane people who understand science were in control, there are simply too many huge barriers to survival.

Ah, But There IS An Alternative!

If you step back a bit, one can gain a better perspective.

Many people blame capitalism for the problem, and it IS part of the problem, but the situation is bigger than that. Whatever economic system, the situation nearly everywhere is that a small elite (this includes dictators and communist parties) are forcing nearly everyone else to toil endlessly-often until death-producing massive amounts of unneeded stuff (let’s call it “crap”)-in service to those elites, further enriching them and supporting their dominant positions.

So, what this means is that millions of people are literally wasting their lives, producing unneeded crap for undeserving people and, in the process, ruining the Earth and dooming their own children.

What if we stopped? What if just a few of us stopped. And others followed. And suddenly millions and then billions of people refuse to kill our planet and their own children? What if we said: “pump your own oil, build your own yachts and helicopters. We aren’t producing anything unneeded.”

“We reject your authority because you are stupid. Oh, and also powerless. Most of you are impotent old men who’s only power is our obedience-and that’s over.”

We won’t fight the authorities. We will simply end their rule via nonsupport. Going forward, we spend our time doing much less work. We ONLY produce healthy food, medicine and other things of genuine value. We recognize that work takes time, and TIME is LIFE. We won’t waste our life for something that’s merely pleasant or fun. We’d rather play with our children, take a walk in Nature, write a play or sing a song.

Art-not work-is meaningful. Art is human self-expression. Most work (except for producing necessities and sharing them so everyone can live) is mere servitude. It’s deadening.

How Are You Going To Make That Happen?

Well, first of all, I am not going to make this happen. WE are going to make this happen. We are going to do this because it’s doable and because we care. We are going to do this because we love life, love our planet, love our children. We aren’t going to do anything out of hate, out of revenge against our oppressors.

Elites are stupid. But WE were foolish, fooled into serving them for a long time. We (and I include myself in this) were stupid, too.

The carrying cost of a civilization that produces 80% less crap overcomes overshoot. A sane civilization that values life and time can survive and flourish. One that supports the unquenchable greed of an undeserving few dooms itself.

WE can succeed because our predecessors figured out how to use people power for worthy causes. This power, properly harnessed, is pretty much impossible to defeat. There is no scenario that would have allowed the British to remain in Gandhi’s India. There was no survival for many, many “strongmen” dictators who fled in terror as soon as their populations rejected them, and refused to follow their pathetic “authority.”

The strongmen aren’t strong. Their enforcers-soldiers and police-are our spouses, siblings, loved ones. When we do our job right, the enforcers refuse to serve the authorities and side with their loved ones.

This is how it has happened and how it will happen again, if we do our jobs. How many people does it take? Just a few to get started. That’s how all great movements start. In Serbia, five pretty ordinary college students decided their dictator had to go. They inspired others and within a surprisingly short time, the dictator was gone and Serbia had a representative government.

The sane, caring people will save us. I will save us. YOU will save us. We are a group that has learned from history how to wield people power for moral causes.

We are The Saners. Read about our group at WeAreSaners.org. Please, PLEASE sign up for (free) membership at WeAreSaners.org/join.

We only have hundreds of members, but we are in about half the states of the United States, and more than 20 countries worldwide. We are in the process of building local Saners communities, and a planet-wide online community.

This is it. This is our chance. All of us. Let’s get going! Our opponents are vulnerable. But our time is short because we are fighting to save Nature, and Nature is being savaged by the people who-for the moment-are still in charge.