As we wrote in our last newsletter, one of the hallmarks of our time is climate instability.
Living in an unstable world is wearying. In the cold of the last 4 weeks we found ourselves clenched and tight—moving quickly when outdoors, barely able to appreciate the sun on our face or the crisp white of the snow.
We’re glad for the recent shift in the polar vortex, and the accompanying chance to exhale deeply. (And race model boats! Joy matters.)
An Unstable Climate Future
Climate stability is what climatologists and historians have said made it possible for our civilization to thrive, starting about 10,000 years ago. As related in MIT’s Climate Portal:
For 10,000 years leading up to the 20th century, our climate was remarkably stable. The Earth’s average temperature never changed by more than about 1°C, and only in slow, steady shifts over thousands of years.1,2,3 All human history as we would recognize it, with farms and cities and complex societies, falls in this era of stability.
Wiping out regulations designed to stabilize our chaotic climate—laws that limit burning of coal and other fossil fuels, as well as the rule that identified greenhouse gas emissions as dangerous—will lead to further instability, both in increased global temperatures (and the accompanying droughts, wildfires, water shortages, and floods) as well as societal interactions. (For a comprehensive look at the relationship between climate and civilization turmoil, read Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse/Luke Kemp.)
As we’ve mentioned, living with instability is wearying, akin to life on a bongo board, teetering from one end to the other, incessantly.
Local Efforts Will Lead Us Out of This
This is no way to live, and we citizens should be doing all we can to hold the course, refusing to allow our local governments, schools, businesses, and ourselves to fall back to high-emissions behavior.
In fact our role now is to double down with questions: how have our towns reduced greenhouse gas emissions? What are our towns’ plans for living in alignment with the Earth’s constraints?
And it’s budget time, so a good time to ask about Earth-friendly investments for our towns: how are we doing on adding solar panels to our municipal buildings? Heat pumps?
In its 2017 Comprehensive Plan, Camden wrote:
During the next 10 years, Camden should actively promote renewable energy (such as solar and wind power), and increasingly meet municipal energy needs with renewable energy sources. Camden should seek to acquire electric vehicles for town and school use; conduct energy audits and retrofits on municipal buildings to reduce fossil fuel use; encourage use of local food and energy systems that foster self-sufficiency; and plan for climate adaptation in regards to sea-level rise, heat waves and climate impacts on the local economy. (Select Board, Conservation Commission, Energy Committee).
Can we put aside some money to do a greenhouse gas inventory before the next comprehensive plan is drafted (2027)? We could then establish emissions reduction goals, for the Snow Bowl, the schools, etc. We don’t have those goals now.
We need to be the leaders here, instead of relying on people in power and elected officials.
As the aforementioned Goliath’s Curse makes clear, humanity’s future depends on our conviction and ability to upend the current leadership structures that are ignoring—and making worse—the threats to our planet, including climate change, nuclear arms races, AI competition, etc.
It’s up to us. But not as lone operators—we’ll solve this together. (For inspiration, see Institute for Local Self-Reliance.)
Upcoming Events
2/20/26, Friday, 5 – 8 pm, The Commons, 15 Main St., Belfast. The Work That Reconnects: A Workshop on How to Face These Times We Live in Together. (Includes a shared meal that will be vegan and gluten free.) Participants are invited to join Work that Reconnects facilitator Kyla Windbloom for a community workshop on bringing our whole selves to our activism. The Work That Reconnects is meant for anyone who longs to serve the healing of our world. This interactive process was developed by Joanna Macy in cooperation with many colleagues. It draws on Systems Thinking, Deep Ecology, and diverse practices working to undo oppression. FMI: hunterhughes127@gmail.com.
2/24/26, Tuesday, 4 -5 pm, Camden Public Library, Picker Room. Resilient Reading Group Discussion. Bring any article or book you’re reading on resilience, sustainability, climate change, or the like. The ultimate goal of these discussions is to inform as well as expand one another’s understandings of the moment we are living in. One of the greatest actions to take to improve our current situation is to talk about it, as well as forge new alliances and build community. Come join us—let’s see what we can do to thrive in these challenging times. For more information, see here.
2/26/26, Thursday, 6 – 7:45 pm, Camden Public Library, Successful Seed Starting Workshop with Joan Herzog and the Wild Ones. Register now. Join permaculture aficionado and seed starting enthusiast Joan Herzog in the Picker Room. This program is designed to teach you all you need for early garden season success. Joan Herzog will demonstrate 3 different methods: Winter Sowing, Seed Trays, and Soil Blocks. Topics will include the basics of seed selection, growing mediums, temperatures, humidity, light, and nutrients. The goal is to increase your confidence and improve your yields. You will leave with native Camden Butterfly Mix seeds and your individual plan to sow them. The program is free though registration is preferred so we know how many folks to expect. Bring a notebook, your questions, and seeds to share, if you have them. The library has a Seed Library for your extras. Register here.
3/4, 3/11,1 3/18, 3/25, Tuesdays, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. First Congregational Church, Camden. A Reading/Discussion Group facilitated by David J. Wood: Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, by Brian McLaren. Brian McLaren is well known for his books that address the intersection of religious faith and contemporary culture. Books will be available for purchase at a special price. FMI email david@camdenucc.org
Concluding Thoughts
We’re living in challenging times, and yet we humans are resilient, creative, and mostly wise. Let’s encourage one another to focus on the critical paths for human survival.
What’s needed is nothing short of a full rebalancing of status and power. We need to rethink the core drivers of our lives, rethinking ideas of ‘progress,’ and notions of wealth and status.
What if it were high-status to not own a car? And high-status to no longer have an iphone or chatGPT account? What if we measured status by how Earth-friendly we lived?
There’s hope. German leader Merz, speaking at last week’s Munich conference, proudly declared: “We stand by climate agreements.” And listening to this panel from Munich will restore your faith in the global commitment to climate work.
We don’t have a right to ask whether we’re going to succeed or not. The only question we have the right to ask is, “What is the right thing to do? What does this Earth require of us if we want to continue living on it?” —Wendell Berry in an interview with Bill Moyers
P.S. A Note on Our Upcoming Publication Schedule
We’ll be on a diminished publication schedule for the next 4 weeks. You may see an announcement or two, however. Regular publication will resume at the end of March 2026.
