The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis

This chapter discusses the mindset of “stubborn optimism.” It begins with an overview of optimism—what it is and is not. Most importantly, the authors argue that optimism comes before, not after, action and that it requires a willingness to proceed without an assured outcome. Many people give up in the face of what they see as overwhelming odds; they feel lost or that they lack agency. This is precisely the time to be optimistic, as optimism “means recognizing that another future is possible, not promised” and “is the force that enables you to create a new reality” (46). In other words, optimism is an “input”—not a result. In the face of despair, optimism can remind us of prior successes, the rewards of effort, and the difference that every small action makes.

The authors describe how optimism influenced two rounds of climate talks: Copenhagen in 2009 and Paris in 2015. The former was a failure by most measures, with talks devolving into clashes. Several months afterward, the United Nations asked Figueres to take the lead in negotiations. At a press conference, she was asked if an agreement could ever be reached. She answered with what first came to mind: “Not in my lifetime” (49). It was then that she realized she needed to change her mindset: She would never get the world’s nations on board if she herself projected negativity and despair.

After that, Figueres changed her approach, remaining positive and open-minded. As the next round of negotiations began, she adopted an approach that was less about control and more about curating potential. Solutions could only come through give and take. Still, there was one more thing that was required: stubbornness. For an issue as large and as urgent as climate change, plain optimism wasn’t enough to wade through the setbacks and inevitable bad news. One needed to be resolute in knowing that an agreement could be reached if all the representatives stuck with it. Finally, in Paris in 2015, a breakthrough occurred and an agreement was adopted unanimously. Everyone felt optimistic, but Figueres recognized that optimism had actually been “the starting point of the journey” (51). That, the authors argue, is what society needs going forward.

Here the authors explain their second proposed mindset: endless abundance. In essence, humanity needs to move away from the zero-sum, hypercompetitive approach that many societies accept as the norm. The perception of scarcity, which may or may not be accurate, often exacerbates this attitude. For example, Tucson, Arizona, is a desert area that receives just 28 centimeters of rain each year. Water levels of local rivers have fallen considerably, leading the residents to feel an urgency about the water scarcity. As a result, the city pumped more and more water from the ground, ultimately reducing water table levels by 91 meters. This frenzy of activity was unnecessary since the community actually uses less water than the 28 centimeters that fall annually.

Faced with actual rather than perceived scarcity, people must react differently—and often do. In the wake of natural disasters and other catastrophic events, people around the world frequently act with cooperation and magnanimity. Humans’ competitive drive falls away as they instead help each other find a way forward. According to the authors, this is what is needed to address the challenges of climate change. Unlike other natural disasters, which affect localized areas, climate change affects every corner of the world, making cooperation that much more necessary.

Greenhouse gases are increasing to a point that exceeds the planet’s ability to deal with them. In 1992, the UN Climate Change Convention concluded that the prolonged use of fossil fuels in developed countries during their industrialization had contributed disproportionately to the problem; thus, these nations should bear more responsibility for reducing emissions. They balked at the proposal, arguing that it would harm their economies and that developing countries, which today put out a large share of emissions, should do more as well. Those nations objected on the grounds that their contributions were very recent compared to those of developed nations. For years, the groups were at a standstill.

During 2014 negotiations in Lima, Peru, the issue arose once again. This time, a Chinese envoy named Xie Zhenhua helped reach a compromise that took a different approach. Instead of litigating who did what in the past, Xie proposed that countries look to a recent agreement between China and the United States that had shifted the paradigm. Rather than approach climate action as a zero-sum issue, the agreement approached it from a win-win mindset in which everyone would benefit from reducing emissions. This was the catalyst that was needed for collaboration instead of competition.

Based on the model of ecosystems, this approach draws on the idea of endless abundance—not abundance in the old sense of wastefully using up resources, but in ensuring that resources are well managed and sustainable. Certain inputs, like the sun’s energy and human ingenuity, are endless, and if societies put them to the right use, everyone can reap the benefits.

The third mindset the authors highlight is radical regeneration. Its emphasis is on sustainability, both on the personal level of spiritual strength and optimism and in terms of the world’s resources. Individuals need to care for themselves before they can care for the planet. A personal grounding in environmental goals is necessary to keep going in an uphill battle and prevent burnout. The need to take an occasional break to rest and recharge spiritually is something the authors have seen in others and experienced themselves.

In nature, regeneration involves things like increasing populations of animals on the brink of extinction or even rejuvenating entire ecosystems. This can happen on its own but doesn’t always, especially when human activity adds to the pressure on natural systems. The first step, then, is to stop doing harm to the environment. Beyond that, people can proactively assist the process of regeneration—for example, by reintroducing native flora and fauna to an area that human activity has damaged.

To create a regenerative mindset, humanity should remember that its very existence—from air to water to food—comes from nature. Beyond that, research has shown that interacting with nature has a beneficial effect on people’s physical and emotional health, lowering stress levels and decreasing mortality. In Japan, people have begun to practice shinrin-yoku, a term that translates as “forest bath.” It’s not a bath that involves water but rather immersion in the mindful experience of being in the woods to address a host of issues affecting well-being. In short, the authors argue that a regenerative mindset is needed to sustain both humans and the natural world.