Climate change – is Gaia mad at us?

Few topics strike fear in the hearts of green progressives like climate change. But thus alarmed, Greens are frustrated because they can’t seem to convince orange modernists and amber traditionalists of the truth and urgency of the problem. Climate change ranks low on the polls of issues the American people care (and vote) about.

Where’s the disconnect?

Earlier this month, President Obama made a major address on climate change where he announced a series of executive orders aimed at reducing carbon emissions and supporting the development of alternative energy. His agenda, while strong substantively, is most remarkable in that it avoids any attempt at legislation — which is clearly impossible in today’s overheated political environment.

Why has the whole discussion on climate change become such an entrenched feature of the conservative / liberal culture wars? Can evolutionary thinking bring anything positive to the policies and politics of this issue?

In this talk I explore the climate change conundrum from an integral point of view.  Some of the topics I hit on are:

• Why amber traditionalists are hostile to global issues.
• Why orange modernists are resigned or indifferent
• Discerning the science of environmentalism from the religious impulses it contains
• Why Green’s war on corporate influence, consumerism, and a growth economy relegates it to minority status, and what Greens should do instead
• How environmentally sustainable were our ancestors, and what can we learn from them?
• A practical course of thought and action: my thoughts on creating an integrally informed, right relationship with the global environment