On August 19th, Army Colonel Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS announced that the US Forces will remain in Iraq as long as necessary.
“We’ll keep troops there as long as we think they’re needed,” he said in a press conference in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “The main reason, after ISIS (Daesh) is defeated militarily, is the stabilization efforts and we still need to be there for that, so that’s one of the reasons we’ll maintain a presence,” he added.
Initially the US announced a partial withdrawal from Iraq in February 2018, two months after the Iraqi authorities announced the defeat of ISIS. “The American forces have begun reducing their numbers as victory has been achieved over Daesh,” a spokesman said on February 5th. “Coordination continues, to maintain (US) assistance to the Iraqi forces in accordance with their requirements,” he continued.
However, US Army 1st Lt William John Raymond based at Al-Asad was cited by AP: “We’ve had a recent change of mission and soon we’ll be supporting a different theater of operations in the coming month.” Furthermore, a US-led coalition spokesman declined to confirm or deny that the withdrawal had begun. “It is our intent to publish a release whenever we have forces moving out of the theater,” the spokesman, US Army Col Ryan Dillon said, cited by Reuters.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has numerous times said that Iraq wishes for fewer US forces on its territory after the defeat of ISIS.
However, no notable withdrawal has been performed as of August 20th, 2018.
Regarding Syria, on March 29th, 2018, US President Donald Trump said that the US would withdraw from Syria “very soon.” His words were: “We’re knocking the hell out of Isis. We’ll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon. Let the other people take care of it now.” Despite Trump’s words, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that she was “unaware” about any plans for withdrawal. As of March 2018, The Pentagon had acknowledged about 2,000 troops in Syria, many of them who were working closely with the Kurdish militia the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against ISIS.
Despite Trump’s promise to withdraw, no such thing happened. Furthermore, in April 2018, the US ordered missile strikes against Syria in response to an alleged poison gas attack in Douma.
On May 19th, Reuters cited the Pentagon which had reported that ISIS had lost 98% of its territory in Iraq and Syria.
According to an article by Vox from June 29th, prior to the July 16th Trump-Putin meeting in Helsinki, the US President still wished for withdrawal of forces from Syria, however his national security team has been strongly against it.
Furthermore, on July 16th, National Security Advisor John Bolton linked the continued presence of U.S. troops in Syria with the “menace” posed by Iran in the region. Ahead of the meeting between Trump and Putin, which reached no conclusive agreements between the leaders, Bolton commented “I think the president’s made it clear that we are there until the ISIS territorial caliphate is removed, and as long as the Iranian menace continues throughout the Middle East.”
Almost 5 months after Trump initially claimed that US troops would withdraw from Syria and almost 7 months since US troops supposedly began withdrawing from Iraq no such thing has been achieved. There is a clear discrepancy between what the US President claims regarding US presence in the two countries and what is actually being realized.
Not surprised. I guess Trump will be a one-term President.
Like always that depends on his domestic success. If he survives the onslaught of the media and the investigations while the economy performs well, anything is possible. Usually no US president has lost an election while the economy did well.
Foreign policy? It hardly matters to the US electorate.
If I recall correctly, one of Trump’s election “platforms” was non-interventionism, although Trump says a lot of things, and I’m not sure how much that contributed to his election. Interestingly, the US “left”, and much of the world, was freaking out that the election of Trump would mean WW3. Now the “left” are attacking him for not being hawkish enough with Russia and N. Korea. The investigations will continue throughout Trump’s term I suspect, because there’s nothing significant there, they only serve the purpose of trying to discredit him.
Trumps big draw was getting out of Syria, making nice with Russia and building a feel-good wall. None has happened and won’t. He can run with the wall issue and claim he was stopped by whoever and idiots will fall for it. His stance on Syria is floundering all over the place. He turned on Russia and at least according to Trump, he still wants to be friends. Reality is much different. Trump is a gutless POS who wouldn’t face anyone except on twitter. His childish crap is only for diversion(as is his whole administration), while his co-horts continue to backslide on everything he claimed he would do. Had he said he would move the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognize it as Israels capitol and continue to attack Syria, he would have never been elected. Weren’t these the reasons Killery was supposed lose over? That Jerusalem ‘decision’ destroyed any chances of his other goals being met, as if there was any intention of that in the first place. In the US your record of achievement does not matter, only the BS matters. How much you can blame on others and continue to pull the wool (willingly) over their eyes and continue to promise feel-good BS is the only thing that matters to US voters.
I don’t think that guts has anything to do with it. He’s doing what he needs to do to stay in office in the face of an entrenched Jew machine that doesn’t want him there.
If you think those that are causing trouble for Trumps admin are liberals, then there must be a new definition. The biggest trouble makers are PompASS, Bolton and Mad Dog. Everything they do enables Russiagate. These are neocons from GW and the farthest things from liberals. The ‘liberal’ designation being used today is a joke. At least the public is fooled. Ex-CIA director William Casey was right and the program is working well. The closest politician to being a liberal is Ron Paul…the rest are liars and pseudolibs.
Its pretty much establisment versus trump, mind trump is a dick, but trying to bring jobs back is a noble venture, of course doing that will hurt corporations profits so it will never happen. Shows you who runs the show…
Yes, this is the game we are shown. Are you absolutely certain it is for real? I’m not. Is it not strange how MSM is slowly giving Trump some credit? The economy is improving, employment is down…does anyone really believe this? I haven’t seen anything to support these claims.
Non interventionalism was one of his things. But so was halting illegal immigration and bringing back outsourced jobs. And if you’re living in one of the rust belt states you probably couldn’t be arsed about foreign interventions and Russia either way, but those jobs that got outsourced and whose absence were destroying your local community then Trump looked mighty more appealing then that shrill Clinton harpy who only blabbed on how she deserved to be president for being a woman. And which is why Trump is STILL more appealing then the Democrats who are still more interested in minorities and obsessing over Russia.
Who do you think fights those interventions? Harvard graduates.
Seriously? As far as I can tell they’re more busy with SJW nonsense like naughty words, safe spaces, minority victimhood and basically blaming white men for everything that is wrong in the world.
Who’s sons and daughters fight in our armies? The poor and former middle class. Couldn’t be arsed about foreign intervention?
People that believe that Mexican illegals ruined the US economy/employment were extreme idiots in the first place. Yes, illegals took some jobs, low paying (for the most part), manual labor, menial work. What about high paying hi-tech jobs? Production jobs? They went to Mexico(production), then screwed them and went to China. High paying jobs went to H1b visa holders, Indians brought in(by the thousands) by the likes of Gates to destroy high wages. Agri companies(pickers), were the main employers of Illegals. Some illegals went into the building trade..rock work, construction, concrete work and did take some good jobs. Anyone who seriously thinks Mexican illegals are responsible for massive job losses (that destroyed our employment) is mentally challenged or has taken the blue pill way too many times. Why did Reagan renege on his wall? Because he knew what it would do to the agri companies. IF they build a wall, wait and see how many jobs will come of it…only those building the wall. What did Trump do about the H1B visas he said he would go after? He increased them! When has he ever done anything to corporations that took their jobs to China? Never…and never will. When it came to getting Ford, Carrier and Whirlpool to bring some production to US, Trump failed to push it and nothing came of it(Ford has been building cars there for at least 50 years). When did he ever go after companies that hire illegals? At least Obama tried to. When people realize what a farce this admin is, it’ll be wayyy too late. To say that Trump is more appealing than dems is exactly the result they want…more (so-called)left-right BS. Many said the same thing when we got Reagan…38 years later and we now know it was the beginning of the big slide and the rottenest, most traitorous admin so far. It also led to all our ‘terrorist’ problems today…not to mention it set precedents for illegal invasions. At this point in time, after all Trumps BS has hit the fan, to think he is any better than the other gang is ridiculous. Besides, does anyone have an inkling as to whether Killery would have pulled the Jerusalem crap? What has that started and where will it end?
If he is impeached and replaced the US government will fall. For the citizens who voted for him he is their last hope. They will not be happy. With good reason.
We will see. Personally I think they are far more likely to give up on politics and stop voting then take up arms and start a new civil war. This is probably what US politicians are banking on.
Historically the US has faced armed insurrections from non-Indians before. None has ever amounted to anything as the US government was always able to squash them using military force. Because grass roots movements lacked the coordination to take on state and/or federal government. The only time actual civil war came about was when it was states themselves, who controlled large armed forces through their militia, organized themselves against the federal government.
As for modern protest movements, both the Tea Party and Occupy Wallstreet were crushed, the first by being co-opted into the Republican party and the latter by ignoring and letting it run its course. In that sense the Tea Party was more successful, but the political class is very good in absorbing and changing newcomers into its own ranks. In the end they all become whores to big money interests.
Good “economy” for the rich? Sure whatever the stats say. Don’t believe everything you see.
Who says I believe it. A little less soap box speeches and a lot more reading and actual debating please.
Are you kidding? The US ALWAYS re-elects the worst. The only exception was GHWB. GW was re-elected, Obama, re-elected. Trump will be a shoo-in because he’s fighting the good fight. Yeah, US voters=stupidest creature on planet earth. 38 continuous years of criminal government and this one is no different, possibly worse. Unless they decide to go with Pence early, Trump will be back, because US voters are stupid. How many times has McCain and his half-sister Graham been re-elected? How many people fell for the TeaParty BS and still do? I would not be too optimistic about dumping Trump.
Where are the alternative candidates to provide better government? The only ostensibly antiwar candidate beside Trump was Rand Paul and he folded after the first primary when he ran out of money. People elected Trump because of America First and he was the only non Jew world order option. And the Jews went after him with a vengeance when he won the election and haven’t let up. The solution is dejudification. By outlawing Judaism and closing the synagogues and yeshivas so that there are no more American Jews.
The voters were tricked. There never was a non-Jew World order option. Kushner, Mnuchin, Bolton, etc…
I was one of them, it was the first time in 30 years that I voted. I wouldn’t hire most of these people for the same job, why would I vote for them? I made an exception with Trump because of America First and his ability to prevent an economic collapse. I was painfully aware of his Jew connection and probable closet skeletons. So no I wasn’t tricked, and neither were many or most voters.
Trump was talking out of both sides of his mouth telling everybody what they wanted to hear on a number of issues. You don’t know where he’s going to deliver until he gets in office and starts making choices.
– Trump admin considering demanding Israel give back key US military aid –
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/09/08/trump-admin-considering-demanding-israel-give-back-key-us-military-aid.html
“at the Republican Jewish Coalition when he was booed for refusing to say definitively that he would move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem”
– Trump booed at RJC –
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2015/12/03/trump-booed-at-rjc/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.471b8df28d36
– Trump to Republican Jewish Coalition: ‘I don’t want your money’ –
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1234154/Trump-Repub-Jewish-Coalition-don-t-want-money.html
No doubts Trump will keep the Evangelical vote. However, Trump is in serious danger of losing the silent majority, who voted for no more wars, non-interventionism, economy and immigration. If he continues to leave troops in Afghanistan and Syria by 2020 then he’s toast; another Carter.
It depends who he runs against. He was the only one besides Rand Paul talking sense in the last election, and Paul dropped out after the first primary due to a lack of money. With Trump the billionaire as his competition, he probably would have lost due to people’s perception that Trump was more capable of preventing an economic collapse.
Really? The so-called press is saying that his popularity is rising(50+%)…the population IS NOT 50% evangelical. For what reason? What the hell has he done for that to happen? Surely nothing related to his accomplishments. It’s his phony fight with ‘deep state’. Believe me, US voters will re-elect him. They are also saying the economy is improving. This is the build up I knew would come. Trumps base is far wider than the evangelicals. Practically every TPer is a Trumpet. What has the TP done for the US, besides furthering the corporate privatization BS? Practically every state that went TP is in ruins and still going downhill…and the people still re-elect these corporate stooges. Hell, our VP is one. Drive through his state of Indiana, it’s trashed. US politics is rife with examples of saying one thing and delivering another. Then the people re-elect them.
Just another in a long line of promises made to the American people broken. Another lying wealthy disappointment. I don’t think the “deplorables” are going to be happy after Billy Bob,George and Barack. Anything for a buck…right Donnie!
Of course they will withdraw, willingly or unwillingly, alive or in bodybags.
Better in body bags
Some maybe but theyll leave a mountain of bodies behind if forced out. So far their ignoring their presidents guidance.
Yes the puppet began to realize that been the president of a colony, does not put you in position of power, just make you an errand boy, for your controllers.
The US Deep State Speaks lol. Yesterday there was a report on Al Masdar News about John Bolton saying that Russia wanted to get out of Syria and was betraying the Iranian government.
Bolton is an inveterate liar ( Iraq WMD’s etc ) and is doubtless twisting the words of President Putin who has always expressed a desire for active Russian counter (US) terrorism to end, BUT after Syria is free of the Wahabi scourge we see today. Russia , unlike the long history of the UK and recent ( in historical terms ) history of the US , is loyal to her allies.
Bolton intimates that this was discussed in the private meeting between Trump and President Putin and I would suggest that it was Trump who expressed a desire for the US to leave ( as he has oft said publicly ) but Bolton has used the well worn Zionist ploy of accusing opponents of what the Zionist factions actually do. It is the very effective form of manipulation that is used by spoilt children against their parents. Divide and rule.
What is Iran menace ? Did they support terrorist ? i dont understand , they keep babbling about iran menace, presence , influence and so on
Israel covets Lebanon’s water supply and Hezbollah is in the way. So, the Hezzies are then labeled as terrorists to garner support from the West. But, Hezbollah is supported by Iran and Syria.
It is the US menace that will have to be removed from the region, by force of Syrian-Iraqi arms if necessary.
There should be negotiation on US ICBM and nukes that after America, Japan, Vietnam etc what countries they want to target by these nuclear weapons. Living in this world like evils is not allowed.
Any nation that does not obey the USA, is a menace to the USA.
…and there you have it.
jewSA more like it.
It’s the tactic of accusing those that are innocent of your crimes. This is a long standing US tactic. It’s akin to ‘the big lie’. You know, tell it enough times…
Thank you for the info guys , god bless
Upsetting the balance of power in the oil rich middle easy aiding americas strategic enemies.
Never trust Trump. Trump forces will leave Syria soon. Trump forces defeated in Afghanistan and will be defeated in Syria and Iraq too.
Colonial Derangement Syndrome.
When Iran says “Go” they have to go.
And who is Trump to decide what will happen in Syria and Iran, he is only a puppet
The USA is like AIDS, you can never get rid of them.
It easy to get rid of AIDS. Just stop open your butt.
What a morronic and ignorant response, am im a fucking hillbilly
Hehehe herpies the gift that keeps on giving lol
What the Jews running America want and what they get are two different things. We’ll find out soon enough what the plans and preparations are for removing the US, Mossad, the IDF and their NATO and GCC tag alongs from Syria. Once the Idlib clearing is completed, the only thing left will be the state actors in the NE and on the Jordan border.
The US needs to be dejudified. These corrupt war mongering parasites need to be gotten out of government, the think tanks, media, finance and the rest of the places that they infest to control government and society.
Once the Syrian government regains control of these areas, the Turks will have no reason to stay. And they can help with the clearing operations, as they did with Afrin. They may also be able to help with clearing the Jews out of the Palestinian territories as part of a UN authorised protection force:
“the U.N. could provide armed military or police forces, if given a mandate by the Security Council, “to deter and, if necessary, ensure the safety of the civilian population.” As an alternative, he said a group of “like-minded” countries operating under a U.N. mandate to provide physical protection rather than a U.N. mission.”
– UN chief: 1 option to protect Palestinians is a new force –
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article216921605.html
If the Israeli’s refuse to consent to or fight against a Palestinian protection force, their UN membership should be suspended or revoked and given to Palestine:
“It may mean reviewing or suspending Israel’s privileges as a state member in the United Nations,” he says. “It may mean that countries in the world, particularly those with significant trading or political relationships with Israel, would review their relationships with Israel in the military, political, diplomatic, and economic investment spheres. It may mean that Israel would face some forms of restrictions in its abilities to wind up trading.” …
In a response to Fox News, Lynk stood by his comments and said they speak to “the importance of ensuring that nations obey international law and that effective measures should be available to the international community to curb unlawful behaviour by UN member states.”
He said that Israel is in “direct contravention” of more than 40 U.N. Security Council resolutions, including resolutions condemning the building of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“What should be done with respect to a member state who clearly defies a body of UNSC resolutions, contrary to their responsibilities under the Charter and as an occupying power?” he said. “If this behaviour is ignored, then the offending member-state will surely take that as a license to continue the prohibited act, and the status of international law will be degraded.”
“If it is clear that Israel has no intent to comply with the repeated direction of the international community, then other measures within the remedial menu should be considered and applied,” he said, adding that similar measures had successfully been used against other countries before.”
– Senior UN official blasted for floating Israel’s suspension from world body –
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/07/senior-un-official-blasted-for-floating-israels-suspension-from-world-body.html
told uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu folks sooooooooooooooooooooooo over and over and over and over again.morons.donkeys.THE AGENDA. A One World Government, with jerusalem as its capital under satanic jewish leadership. AND they rae all in it.Russia,USA,UK,China EU,etc… Those countries that do NOT RECOGNIZE the illegal satanic entity named israel are beiing hammered.Syria,iran,jemen,afghanistan,NK,Malaysia Ps. u folks believe the bs stories about the 3 malaysian airlinerss that went down????? that was a message from them satanic jews..”play ball or else”
Stop this nonsense with good russia or good usa or bad russia or bad usa.The Agenda counts. open your fuckin eyes and ears donkeys.
So what’s your solution?
The solution is simple. God made everything beautiful and simple. Jesus said seek the Truth, and it will set you free. The solution is therefore to know the truth. How is that? Because when you know the truth, two things happen psychologically: 1. You stop wasting energy blaming a h… lot of groups and people, because now you know what is going on and who is to blame. 2. You can take the ring out of your nose. You are no more a sheeple but a free man. You can now chose, how you will get around it.
And how is that going to stop Jew crime and evil?
Because all lies collapses in front of the truth. The difference in knowing from not knowing will change your whole life, and when your life is changed there is one less to support the game.
That’s a dodge. People know the truth. How do you specifically suggest stopping Jew crime and evil, what measures do you recommend?
I guess you mean Zio crime and evil.
Look what Putin´s government have done. “An informed population cannot be manipulated”.
Because people and populations were informed, the whole game changed from unipolar to multipolar and the Zio-banker nwo plan of creating chaos and occupy Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Caspian and later Russia and China was disrupted, not only by truth sure, but truth took a major part as tool of this change toward the multipolar world we head, instead of the unipolar evil planned by Zio-crime.
Now, just concentrate on your part and life, while Putin and Xi and Nasrallah are doing their part, and finally our Lord and his appointed King will clean out Zio crime and evil, when they think the time is due. Seek the truth and it will set you free.
So the answer is wait for Jesus to come back, good luck with the loincloth imbecile.
Why are you talking out of both sides of your mouth for and against the evil Jews?
Well they will just be kicked out.These scumbags really believe their own lying BS,they also think they are gods gift to the people of earth..TOTAL IDIOTS.
When stop to consider the US policy against Iraq since 1990 – a partial invasion over Kuwait, followed by over decade of crippling economic sanctions, a fraudulent full regime change invasion, followed by an occupation resulting in chaotic insurgency and sectarian violence, and another round of reoccupation – all non stop – realize there is now an entire generation of mid to late twenty something Iraqi’s whose entire lives have been overshadowed by US policy actions directed against the Iraqi state.
Everytime withdraw of US troops is declared, a new ISIS bomb attack will happen forcing us to stay.
But you were hoping everytime it will be true that US is leaving. You hoped it…………LOL. Why should we leave? When you break it you own it, and today we own both Iraq and Syria…….LMAOL.
Your Jew world order lackeys have lost almost all of what they had west of the river and east of the river is next.
Its opposite…………………LOL. You hope too much.
After we are done with ignorant primitives of your terrorist proxy armies, it will be your turn, you will lose as always, ever get tired of losing?
What’s opposite?
Yeah it’s super hilarious to see American soldiers in Iraqi bodybags and more to come bagged up in Syrian bodybags, isn’t it? lol! We haven’t won a single war since we invaded ‘scary’ Grenada back in 1983 LOL! So funny that we “own” the uranium scented rubble of other nations now hahahaha – that really makes us rich, happy and safe hahahahaha!!!
What I hope is to see scum like you dead and rotting in a sewer. You mothers should leave because you are invaders , looters, rapists and degenerates.
No Tommy Israel owns the US LOL
Most Americans are probably going to support UN mandated clearing operations removing the IDF and Israeli government from the occupied territories, and oppose US intervention on Israel’s behalf.
Why does anyone believe the word of the POTUS or any government official? How many times do you need to be lied to before you get a clue?
not voluntarily they will not.
Trump bombed Syria, said “we’re not going into Syria”, then went in anyway. Then a year later he bombed Syria some more, said “we’ll leave Syria any time now”–and people suddenly believe him? I never got that part. He has seen that his opponents are gullible and cowardly, unwilling to fight back even when they get hit directly; now the Saudis are apparently stepping up to pay for the whole gig, what’s not to like? You want the orcs out of your countries, you have to behead and IED the crap out of them; it’s not pretty but it’s the only language the Yanks understand.
An unelected Colonel is now president, making foreign policy decisions? Ryan has also usurped Congressional powers in matters of war and peace. If Trump doesn’t remove him with immediate effect then the people of America have just experienced a military coup and Trump is an empty suit.
Fuck …. they’re harder to get rid of than nail fungus. What’s next? “We can’t leave cause the check engine light is on in the tank” “We can’t leave cause my cats got a headache and might puke if I try to move her” “We can’t leave cause someone forgot to get snacks for the trip” “We can’t leave cause someone used the only map for toilet paper” “We can’t leave cause I’m alone and can’t tell if the brake lights are working on the tank”
Don’t be so naive… of course US will not retreat from MidEast as long the military-industrial complex exists…
Human Extinction by 2026? A Last Ditch Strategy to Fight for Human Survival
By Robert J. Burrowes, PopularResistance.org
August 18, 2018
Human Extinction by 2026? A Last Ditch Strategy to Fight for Human Survival2018-08-182018-08-18https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/12/popres-shorter.pngPopularResistance.Orghttps://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2018/08/screenshot-2018-08-18-at-9.39.57-am-e1534603481416.png200px200px
Above Photo: ProSession/Flickr
There is almost unanimous agreement among climate scientists and organizations – that is, 97% of over 10,000 climate scientists and the various scientific organizations engaged in climate science research – that human beings have caused a dramatic increase in the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide released into Earth’s atmosphere since the pre-industrial era and that this is driving the climate catastrophe that continues to unfold. For the documentary evidence on this point see, for example, ‘Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the scientific literature’, ‘Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming’ and ‘Scientists Agree: Global Warming is Happening and Humans are the Primary Cause’.
However, there is no consensus regarding the timeframe in which this climate catastrophe will cause human extinction. This lack of consensus is primarily due to the global elite controlling the public perception of this timeframe with frequent talk of ‘the end of the century’ designed to allow ongoing profit maximization through ‘business as usual’ for as long as possible. Why has this happened?
When evidence of the climate catastrophe (including the pivotal role of burning fossil fuels) became incontrovertible, which meant that the fossil fuel industry’s long-standing efforts to prevent action on the climate catastrophe had finally ended, the industry shifted its focus to arguing that the timeframe, which it presented as ‘end of the century’, meant that we could defer action (and thus profit-maximization through business as usual could continue indefinitely). Consequently, like the tobacco, sugar and junk food industries, the fossil fuel industry has employed a range of tactics to deflect attention from their primary responsibility for a problem and to delay action on it.
These well-worn tactics include suggesting that the research is incomplete and more research needs to be done, funding ‘research’ to come up with ‘evidence’ to counter the climate science, employing scholars to present this ‘research’, discrediting honest climate scientists, infiltrating regulatory bodies to water down (or reverse) decisions and recommendations that would adversely impact profits, setting up ‘concerned’ groups to act as ‘fronts’ for the industry, making generous political donations to individuals and political parties as well as employing lobbyists.
As a result of its enormous power too, the global elite has been able to control much of the funding available for climate science research and a great deal of the information about it that is made widely available to the public, particularly through its corporate media. For this reason, the elite wields enormous power to shape the dialogue in relation to both the climate science and the timeframe.
Therefore, and despite the overwhelming consensus noted above, many climate scientists are reluctant to be fully truthful about the state of the world’s climate or they are just conservative in their assessments of the climate catastrophe. For example, eminent climate scientist Professor James Hansen referred to ‘scientific reticence’ in his article ‘Scientific reticence and sea level rise’, scientists might be conservative in their research – for example, dependence upon historical records leads to missing about one-fifth of global warming since the 1860s as explained in ‘Reconciled climate response estimates from climate models and the energy budget of Earth’ – and, in some cases, governments muzzle scientists outright. See‘Scientist silencing continues for federally-funded research’. But many of the forces working against full exposure of the truth are explained in Professor Guy McPherson’s article ‘Climate-Change Summary and Update’.
However, in contrast to the elite-managed mainstream narrative regarding the climate timeframe, there is a group of courageous and prominent climate scientists who offer compelling climate science evidence that human beings, along with millions of other species, will be extinct by 2026 (and perhaps as early as 2021) in response to a projected 10 degree celsius increase in global temperatures above the pre-industrial level by that date. See ‘Will humans be extinct by 2026?’
Before outlining the essence of this article, it is worth noting that the website on which it is posted is‘Arctic News’ and the editors of this site post vital articles on the world’s climate by highly prominent climate scientists, such as Professor Peter Wadhams (Emeritus Professor of Polar Ocean Physics at Cambridge University and author of A Farewell to Ice: A Report from the Arctic), Dr Andrew Glikson (an Earth and paleoclimate scientist who is a visiting fellow at the Australian National University), Professor Guy McPherson who has written extensively and lectures all over the world on the subject, and ‘Sam Carana’, the pseudonym used by a group of climate scientists concerned to avoid too many adverse impacts on their research, careers and funding by declaring themselves publicly but nevertheless committed to making the truth available for those who seek it.
So, in a few brief points, let me summarize the evidence and argument outlined in the article ‘Will humans be extinct by 2026?’
The Climate Science of Destruction of the Biosphere
In the Arctic, there is a vast amount of carbon stored in soils that are now still largely frozen; this frozen soil is called permafrost. But as Arctic temperatures continue to rise and the permafrost thaws, in response to the warming that has occurred already (and is ongoing) by burning fossil fuels and farming animals for human consumption, much of this carbon will be converted into carbon dioxide or methane and released into the atmosphere. There is also a vast amount of methane – in the form of methane hydrates and free gas – stored in sediments under the Arctic Ocean seafloor. As temperatures rise, these sediments are being destabilized and will soon result in massive eruptions of methane from the ocean floor. ‘Due to the abrupt character of such releases and the fact that many seas in the Arctic Ocean are shallow, much of the methane will then enter the atmosphere without getting broken down in the water.’
Adversely impacting this circumstance is that the sea ice continues to retreat as the polar ice cap melts in response to the ongoing temperature increases. Because sea ice reflects sunlight back into Space, as the ice retreats more sunlight hits the (dark-colored) ocean (which absorbs the sunlight) and warms the ocean even more. This causes even more ice melt in what becomes an ongoing self-reinforcing feedback loop that ultimately impacts worldwide, such as triggering huge firestorms in forests and peatlands in North America and Russia.
More importantly, however, without sea ice, storms develop more easily and because they mix warm surface waters with the colder water at the bottom of shallow seas, reaching cracks in sediments filled with ice which acts as a glue holding the sediment together, the ice melt destabilizes the sediments, which are vulnerable to even small differences in temperature and pressure that are triggered by earthquakes, undersea landslides or changes in ocean currents.
As a result, huge amounts of methane can erupt from the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean and once this occurs, it will further raise temperatures, especially over the Arctic, thus acting as another self-reinforcing feedback loop that again makes the situation even worse in the Arctic, with higher temperatures causing even further methane releases, contributing to the vicious cycle that precipitates ‘runaway global warming’.
‘These developments can take place at such a speed that adaptation will be futile. More extreme weather events can hit the same area with a succession of droughts, cold snaps, floods, heat waves and wildfires that follow each other up rapidly. Within just one decade [from 2016], the combined impact of extreme weather, falls in soil quality and air quality, habitat loss and shortages of food, water, shelter and just about all the basic things needed to sustain life can threaten most, if not all life on Earth with extinction.’
The article goes on to outline how the 10 degree increase (above the pre-industrial level) by 2026 is likely to occur. It will involve further carbon dioxide and methane releases from human activity (particularly driving cars and other vehicles, flying in aircraft and eating animal products, as well as military violence), ongoing reduction of snow and ice cover around the world (thus reflecting less sunlight back into Space), an increase in the amount of water vapor (a greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere, a falling away of ‘aerosol masking’ (which has helped reduce the impact of emissions so far) as emissions decline, as well as methane eruptions from the ocean floor. If you would like to read more about this and see the graphs and substantial documentation, you can do so in the article cited above: ‘Will humans be extinct by 2026?’
The Climate Science of Destruction of the Biosphere
In the Arctic, there is a vast amount of carbon stored in soils that are now still largely frozen; this frozen soil is called permafrost. But as Arctic temperatures continue to rise and the permafrost thaws, in response to the warming that has occurred already (and is ongoing) by burning fossil fuels and farming animals for human consumption, much of this carbon will be converted into carbon dioxide or methane and released into the atmosphere. There is also a vast amount of methane – in the form of methane hydrates and free gas – stored in sediments under the Arctic Ocean seafloor. As temperatures rise, these sediments are being destabilized and will soon result in massive eruptions of methane from the ocean floor. ‘Due to the abrupt character of such releases and the fact that many seas in the Arctic Ocean are shallow, much of the methane will then enter the atmosphere without getting broken down in the water.’
Adversely impacting this circumstance is that the sea ice continues to retreat as the polar ice cap melts in response to the ongoing temperature increases. Because sea ice reflects sunlight back into Space, as the ice retreats more sunlight hits the (dark-colored) ocean (which absorbs the sunlight) and warms the ocean even more. This causes even more ice melt in what becomes an ongoing self-reinforcing feedback loop that ultimately impacts worldwide, such as triggering huge firestorms in forests and peatlands in North America and Russia.
More importantly, however, without sea ice, storms develop more easily and because they mix warm surface waters with the colder water at the bottom of shallow seas, reaching cracks in sediments filled with ice which acts as a glue holding the sediment together, the ice melt destabilizes the sediments, which are vulnerable to even small differences in temperature and pressure that are triggered by earthquakes, undersea landslides or changes in ocean currents.
As a result, huge amounts of methane can erupt from the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean and once this occurs, it will further raise temperatures, especially over the Arctic, thus acting as another self-reinforcing feedback loop that again makes the situation even worse in the Arctic, with higher temperatures causing even further methane releases, contributing to the vicious cycle that precipitates ‘runaway global warming’.
‘These developments can take place at such a speed that adaptation will be futile. More extreme weather events can hit the same area with a succession of droughts, cold snaps, floods, heat waves and wildfires that follow each other up rapidly. Within just one decade [from 2016], the combined impact of extreme weather, falls in soil quality and air quality, habitat loss and shortages of food, water, shelter and just about all the basic things needed to sustain life can threaten most, if not all life on Earth with extinction.’
The article goes on to outline how the 10 degree increase (above the pre-industrial level) by 2026 is likely to occur. It will involve further carbon dioxide and methane releases from human activity (particularly driving cars and other vehicles, flying in aircraft and eating animal products, as well as military violence), ongoing reduction of snow and ice cover around the world (thus reflecting less sunlight back into Space), an increase in the amount of water vapor (a greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere, a falling away of ‘aerosol masking’ (which has helped reduce the impact of emissions so far) as emissions decline, as well as methane eruptions from the ocean floor. If you would like to read more about this and see the graphs and substantial documentation, you can do so in the article cited above: ‘Will humans be extinct by 2026?’
The Ecology of Destruction of the Biosphere
Not that these scientists, who focus on the climate, discuss it but there are other human activities adversely impacting Earth’s biosphere which also threaten near-term extinction for humans, particularly given their synergistic impacts.
For example, recent research has drawn attention to the fact that the ‘alarming loss of insects will likely take down humanity before global warming hits maximum velocity…. The worldwide loss of insects is simply staggering with some reports of 75% up to 90%, happening much faster than the paleoclimate record rate of the past five major extinction events’. Without insects ‘burrowing, forming new soil, aerating soil, pollinating food crops…’ and providing food for many bird species, the biosphere simply collapses. See ‘Insect Decimation Upstages Global Warming’.
Moreover, apart from ongoing destruction of other vital components of Earth’s life support system such as the rainforests – currently being destroyed at the rate of 80,000 acres each day: see ‘Measuring the Daily Destruction of the World’s Rainforests’ – and oceans – see ‘The state of our oceans in 2018 (It’s not looking good!)’ – which is generating an extinction rate of 200 species (plants, birds, animals, fish, amphibians, insects and reptiles) each day with another 26,000 species already identified as ‘under threat’ – see ‘Red list research finds 26,000 global species under extinction threat’ – some prominent scholars have explained how even these figures mask a vital component of the rapidly accelerating catastrophe of species extinctions: the demise of local populations of a species. See ‘Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled by vertebrate population losses and declines’.
In addition, relying on our ignorance and our complicity, elites kill vast areas of Earth’s biosphere through war and other military violence – see, for example, the Toxic Remnants of War Project and the film‘Scarred Lands & Wounded Lives’ – subject it to uncontrolled releases of radioactive contamination – see‘Fukushima Radiation Has Contaminated The Entire Pacific Ocean – And It’s Going To Get Worse’ – and use geoengineering to wage war on Earth’s climate, environment and ultimately ourselves. See, for example, ‘Engineered Climate Cataclysm: Hurricane Harvey’ and ‘The Ultimate Weapon of Mass Destruction: “Owning the Weather” for Military Use’.
Separately from all of this, we live under the unending threat of nuclear war.
This is because insane political and corporate elites are still authorizing and manufacturing more of these highly profitable weapons rather than dismantling them all (as well as conventional weapons) and redirecting the vast resources devoted to ongoing military killing (US$1.7 trillion annually: see ‘Global military spending remains high at $1.7 trillion’) to environmental restoration and programs of social uplift.
By the way, if you think the risk of nuclear war can be ignored, you might find this recent observation sobering. In a review of (former US nuclear war planner) Daniel Ellsberg’s recent book The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner, Earth and paleoclimate scientist Dr Andrew Glikson summarized the book as follows: ‘This, then, is the doomsday machine. Not simply the existence of fission weapons or unspeakably destructive hydrogen bombs, but the whole network rigged together: thousands of them on hair-trigger alert, command and control equipment built in the 1970s and ’80s, millions of lines of antique code sitting on reels of magnetic tape or shuffled around on floppy discs even now. An architecture tended by fallible and deeply institutionalized human beings.’ See ‘Two Minutes To Mid-Night: The Global Nuclear Suicide Machine’.
So, irrespective of whether elites or their agents or even we acknowledge it, Earth’s biosphere is under siege on many fronts and, very soon now, Earth will not support life. Any honest news source routinely reports one or another aspect of the way in which humans are destroying the Earth and perhaps suggests courses of action to respond powerfully to it. This, of course, does not include the insane global elite’s corporate media, which functions to distract us from any semblance of the truth.
How did all this happen?
How did human beings end up in a situation that human extinction is likely to occur within eight years (even assuming we can avert nuclear war)? And is there any prospect of doing enough about it now to avert this extinction?
To answer the first question briefly: We arrived at this juncture in our history because of a long sequence of decisions, essentially made by elites to expand their profit, power and privilege, and which they then imposed on us and which we did not resist powerfully enough. For a fuller explanation, see ‘Strategy and Conscience: Subverting Elite Power So We End Human Violence’.
In any case, the key questions now are simply these: Is it too late to avert our own extinction? And, if not, what must we do?
Well, I am not going to dwell on it but some scientists believe it is too late: we have already passed the point of no return. Professor Guy McPherson is one of these scientists, with a comprehensive explanation and a great deal of evidence to support it in his long and heavily documented article ‘Climate-Change Summary and Update’.
So, the fundamental question is this: If we assume (highly problematically I acknowledge) that it is possible to avert our own extinction by 2026, what must we do?
Because we need to address, in a strategic manner, the interrelated underlying causes that are driving the rush to extinction, let me first identify one important symptom of these underlying causes and then the underlying structural and behavioral causes themselves. Finally, let me invite your participation in (one or more aspects of) a comprehensive strategy designed to address all of this.
As in the past, at least initially, the vast bulk of the human population is not going to respond to this crisis in any way. We need to be aware of this but not let it get in our way. There is a straightforward explanation for it.
Fear or, far more accurately, unconscious terror will ensure that the bulk of the human population will not investigate or seriously consider the scientific evidence in relation to the ongoing climate catastrophe, despite its implications for them personally and humanity generally (not to mention other species and the biosphere). Moreover, given that climate science is not an easy subject with which to grapple, elite control of most media in relation to it (including, most of the time, by simply excluding mention of key learning from the climate scientists) ensures that public awareness, while reasonably high, is not matched by knowledge, which is negligible.
As a result, most people will fearfully, unintelligently and powerlessly accept the delusions, distractions and denial that are promulgated by the insane global elite through its various propaganda channels including the corporate media, public relations and entertainment industries, as well as educational institutions. This propaganda always includes the implicit message that people can’t (and shouldn’t) do anything in response to the climate catastrophe (invariably and inaccurately, benignly described as ‘climate change’).
A primary way in which the corporate media reports the issue but frames it for a powerless response is to simply distribute ‘news’ about each climate-related event without connecting it either with other climate-related events or even mentioning it as yet another symptom of the climate catastrophe. Even if they do mention these connections, they reliably mention distant dates for phenomena like ‘heatwaves’ repeating themselves and an overall ‘end of century’ timeframe to preclude the likelihood that any sense of urgency will arise.
The net outcome of all this, as I stated above, is that the bulk of the human population will not respond to the crisis in the short term (as it hasn’t so far) with most of what limited response there is confined to powerlessly lobbying elite-controlled governments.
However, as long as you consider responding – and by responding, I mean responding strategically – and then do respond, you become a powerful agent of change, including by recruiting others through your example.
But before I present the strategy, let me identify the major structural and behavioral causes that are driving the climate catastrophe and destruction of the biosphere, and explain why some key elements of this strategy are focused on tackling these underlying causes.
The Political Economy of Destruction of the Biosphere
The global elite ensures that it has political control of the biosphere as well as Space by using various systems, structures and processes that it largely created (over the past few centuries) and now controls, including the major institutions of governance in the world such as national governments and key international organizations like the United Nations. For further information, see ‘Strategy and Conscience: Subverting Elite Power So We End Human Violence’.
It does this, for example, so that it can economically utilize, via the exploitative mechanisms of capitalism and its corporations (which the elite also created), domains of the biosphere rich in resources, particularly fossil fuels, strategic minerals and fresh water. The elite will use any means – including psychological manipulation, propaganda issued by its corporate media, national educational institutions, legal systems and extraordinary military violence – to achieve this outcome whatever the cost to life on Earth. See‘Profit Maximization Is Easy: Invest In Violence’.
In short, the global elite is so insane that its members believe that killing and exploiting fellow human beings and destroying the biosphere are simply good ways to make a profit. Of course, they do not perceive us as fellow human beings; they perceive and treat us as a great deal less. This is why, for example, the elite routinely uses its military forces to attack impoverished and militarily primitive countries so that they can steal their resources. See ‘The Global Elite is Insane Revisited’.
But they are happy to steal from those of us living in western economies too, with Professor Barbara G. Ellis issuing the latest warning about yet another way this could easily happen. See ‘Depositors – Not Taxpayers – Will Take the Hit for the Next “2008” Crash Because Major Banks May Use the “Bail-In” System’.
Anyway, because of elite control of governments, it is a waste of time lobbying politicians if we want action on virtually all issues that concern us, particularly the ‘big issues’ that threaten extinction, such as the climate catastrophe, environmental destruction and war (especially the threat of nuclear war). While in very limited (and usually social) contexts (such as issues in relation to the right of women to abortions or rights for the LGBTQIA communities), when it doesn’t significantly adversely impact elite priorities, gains are sometimes made (at least temporarily) by mobilizing sufficient people to pressure politicians. This has two beneficial outcomes for elites: it keeps many people busy on ‘secondary issues’ (from the elite perspective) that do not impact elite profit, power and privilege; and it reinforces the delusion that democracy ‘works’.
However, in the contexts that directly impact elite concerns (such as their unbridled exploitation of the biosphere for profit), politicians serve their elite masters, even to the extent that any laws that might appear to have been designed to impede elite excesses (such as pollution generated by their activities) are readily ignored if necessary, with legal penalties too insignificant to deter phenomenally wealthy corporations. See ‘The Rule of Law: Unjust and Violent’.
Of course, if any government does not obey elite directives, it is overthrown. Just ask any independently-minded government over the past century. For a list of governments overthrown by the global elite using its military and ‘intelligence’ agencies since World War II, see William Blum’s book Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II or, for just the list, see ‘Overthrowing other people’s governments: The Master List’.
How does the elite maintain this control over political, economic, military, legal and social structures and processes?
The Sociology of Destruction of the Biosphere
As explained in the literature on the sociology of knowledge, reality is socially constructed. See the classic work The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. That is, if an individual is born or introduced into a society in which particular institutions are in control and behaviors such as chronic over-consumption, unlimited profit-making, rampant exploitation of the environment and grotesque violence against (at least some) people are practiced, then the typical individual will accept the existence of these institutions and adopt the behaviors of the people around them even though the institutions and behaviors are dysfunctional and violent.
But while the sociology of knowledge literature recognizes that children ‘must be “taught to behave” and, once taught, must be “kept in line”’ to maintain the institutional order, this literature clearly has no understanding of the nature and extent of the violence to which each child is actually subjected in order to achieve the desired ‘socialization’. This terrorization, as I label it, is so comprehensive that the typical child quickly becomes incapable of using their own intellectual and emotional capacities, including conscience and courage, to actually evaluate any institution or behavior before accepting/adopting it themselves. Obviously then, they quickly become too terrified to overtly challenge dysfunctional institutions and behaviors as well.
Moreover, as a result of this ongoing terrorization, inflicted by the significant adults (and particularly the parents) in the child’s life, the child soon becomes too (unconsciously) afraid to resist the behavioral violence that is inflicted on them personally in many forms, as outlined briefly in the next section, so that they are ‘taught to behave’ and are ‘kept in line’.
In response to elite-driven imperatives then, such as ‘you are what you own’ to encourage very profitable over-consumption, most people are delusionarily ‘happy’ while utterly trapped behaving exactly as elites manipulate them – they are devoid of the psychological capacity to critique and resist – and the elite-preferred behavior quickly acquires the status of being ‘the only and the right way to behave’, irrespective of its dysfunctionality.
In essence: virtually all humans fearfully adopt dysfunctional social behaviors such as over-consumption and profit-making at the expense of the biosphere, rather than intelligently, conscientiously and courageously analyzing the total situation (including the moral and ecological dimensions of it) and behaving appropriately in the context.
Given the pervasiveness and power of elite institutions, ranging from those mentioned above to the corporate media and psychiatry – see ‘Defeating the Violence of Psychiatry’ – resistance to violent socialization (of both children and adults) requires considerable awareness, not to mention courage.
And so our fear makes virtually all of us succumb to the socialization pressure (that is, violence) to accept existing institutions and participate in widespread social behaviors (such as over-consumption) that are dysfunctional and violent.
The Psychology of Destruction of the Biosphere
This happens because each child, from birth, is terrorized (again: what we like to call ‘socialized’) until they become a slave willing to work and, in industrialized countries at least, to over-consume as directed.
Under an unrelenting regime of ‘visible’, ‘invisible’ and ‘utterly invisible’ violence, each child unconsciously surrenders their search in pursuit of their own unique and powerful destiny and succumbs to the obedience that every adult demands. Why do adults demand this? Because the idea of a powerful child who courageously follows their own Self-will terrifies adults. So how does this happen?
Unfortunately, far too easily and, strange though it may seem, it is not just the ‘visible’ violence (such as hitting, screaming at and sexually abusing) that we normally label ‘violence’ that causes the main damage, although this is extremely damaging. The largest component of damage arises from the ‘invisible’ and ‘utterly invisible’ violence that we adults unconsciously inflict on children during the ordinary course of the day. Tragically, the bulk of this violence occurs in the family home and at school. See ‘Why Violence?’and ‘Fearless Psychology and Fearful Psychology: Principles and Practice’.
So what is ‘invisible’ violence? It is the ‘little things’ we do every day, partly because we are just ‘too busy’. For example, when we do not allow time to listen to, and value, a child’s thoughts and feelings, the child learns to not listen to themSelf thus destroying their internal communication system. When we do not let a child say what they want (or ignore them when they do), the child develops communication and behavioral dysfunctionalities as they keep trying to meet their own needs (which, as a basic survival strategy, they are genetically programmed to do).
When we blame, condemn, insult, mock, embarrass, shame, humiliate, taunt, goad, guilt-trip, deceive, lie to, bribe, blackmail, moralize with and/or judge a child, we both undermine their sense of Self-worth and teach them to blame, condemn, insult, mock, embarrass, shame, humiliate, taunt, goad, guilt-trip, deceive, lie, bribe, blackmail, moralize and/or judge.
The fundamental outcome of being bombarded throughout their childhood by this ‘invisible’ violence is that the child is utterly overwhelmed by feelings of fear, pain, anger and sadness (among many others). However, mothers, fathers, teachers, religious figures and other adults also actively interfere with the expression of these feelings and the behavioral responses that are naturally generated by them and it is this ‘utterly invisible’ violence that explains why the dysfunctional behavioral outcomes actually occur.
For example, by ignoring a child when they express their feelings, by comforting, reassuring or distracting a child when they express their feelings, by laughing at or ridiculing their feelings, by terrorizing a child into not expressing their feelings (for instance, by screaming at them when they cry or get angry), and/or by violently controlling a behavior that is generated by their feelings (for example, by hitting them, restraining them or locking them into a room), the child has no choice but to unconsciously suppress their awareness of these feelings.
However, once a child has been terrorized into suppressing their awareness of their feelings (rather than being allowed to have their feelings and to act on them) the child has also unconsciously suppressed their awareness of the reality that caused these feelings. This has many outcomes that are disastrous for the individual, for society and for the biosphere because the individual will now easily suppress their awareness of the feelings that would tell them how to act most functionally in any given circumstance and they will progressively acquire a phenomenal variety of dysfunctional behaviors, including some that are violent towards themself, others and/or the Earth.
Moreover, terrorizing the child has many flow-on effects. For example, once you terrorise a child into accepting certain information about themself, other people or the state of the world, the child becomes unconsciously fearful of dealing with new information, especially if this information is contradictory to what they have been terrorized into believing. As a result, the child will unconsciously dismiss new information out of hand.
In short, the child has been terrorized in such a way that they are no longer capable of learning (or their learning capacity is seriously diminished by excluding any information that is not a simple extension of what they already ‘know’). This is one important explanation why some people are ‘climate deniers’ and most others do nothing in response to the climate catastrophe. See ‘The Psychology of Denial’.
Consequently, under this onslaught of terror and violence, the child surrenders their own unique Self and takes on their socially constructed delusional identity which gives them relief from being terrorized while securing the approval they crave to survive.
So if we want to end violence against the biosphere, we must tackle this fundamental cause. Primarily, this means giving everyone, child and adult alike, all of the space they need to feel, deeply, what they want to do, and to then let them do it (or to have the emotional responses they naturally have if they are prevented from doing so).
For some insight into the critical role that school plays in reducing virtually all children to wage slaves for employment in some menial or ‘professional’ role or as ‘cannon fodder’ for the military, while stripping them of the capacity to ask penetrating questions about the very nature of society and their own role in it, see ‘Do We Want School or Education?’
In summary, given that human society is so dysfunctional, beginning with the fact that human beings do not know how to parent or educate their children to nurture their unique and extraordinary potential, humans face a monumental challenge, in an incredibly short timeframe, to have any chance of survival.
And we are going to have to fix a lot more things than just our destruction of the biosphere if we are to succeed, given that ecologically destructive behavior and institutions have their origin in dysfunctional psychology, societies and political economy.
To reiterate however, it is our (often unconscious) fear that underpins every problem. Whether it is the fear getting in the way of our capacity to intelligently analyze the various structures and behaviors that generate the interrelated crises in which we now find ourselves or the fear undermining our courage to act powerfully in response to these crises, acknowledging and dealing with our fear is the core of any strategy for survival.
So what’s the plan?
Let’s start with you. If you consider the evidence in relation to destruction of our biosphere, essentially one of two things will happen. Either you will be powerful enough, both emotionally and intellectually, to grapple with this evidence and you will take strategic action that has ongoing positive impact on the crisis or your (unconscious) fear will simply use one of its lifelong mechanisms to remove awareness of what you have just read from your mind or otherwise delude you, such as by making you believe you are powerless to act differently or that you are ‘doing enough already’. This immobilizing fear, whether or not you experience it consciously, is a primary outcome of the terrorization to which you were subjected as a child.
So, if you sense that improving your own functionality – so that you can fully access your emotional responses, conscience and courage – is a priority, try ‘Putting Feelings First’.
If you already feel able to act powerfully in response to this multi-faceted crisis, in a way that will have strategic impact, you are invited to consider joining those participating in ‘The Flame Tree Project to Save Life on Earth’, which outlines a simple plan for people to systematically reduce their consumption, by at least 80%, involving both energy and resources of every kind – water, household energy, transport fuels, metals, meat, paper and plastic – while dramatically expanding their individual and community self-reliance in 16 areas, so that all environmental concerns are effectively addressed. You might also consider signing the online pledge of ‘The People’s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World’.
If you are interested in nurturing children to live by their conscience and to gain the courage necessary to resist elite violence fearlessly, while living sustainably despite the entreaties of capitalism to over-consume, then you are welcome to make ‘My Promise to Children’. To reiterate: capitalism and other dysfunctional political, economic, military, legal and social structures only thrive because our dysfunctional parenting robs children of their conscience and courage, among many other qualities, while actively teaching them to over-consume as compensation for having vital emotional needs denied. See‘Love Denied: The Psychology of Materialism, Violence and War’.
If you are interested in conducting or participating in a campaign to halt our destruction of the biosphere (or any other manifestation of violence for that matter) you are welcome to consider acting strategically in the way that the extraordinary activist Mohandas K. Gandhi did. Whether you are engaged in a peace, climate, environment or social justice campaign, the 12-point strategic framework and principles are the same. See Nonviolent Campaign Strategy.
The two strategic aims and a core list of strategic goals to end war and to end the climate catastrophe, for example, are identified in ‘Campaign Strategic Aims’ and, using these examples, it is a straightforward task to identify an appropriate set of strategic goals for your local environment campaign. As an aside, the strategic framework to defend against a foreign invading power or a political/military coup, to liberate your country from a dictatorship or a foreign occupation, or to defeat a genocidal assault is explained in‘Nonviolent Defense/Liberation Strategy’.
If you would like a straightforward explanation of ‘Nonviolent Action: Why and How it Works’ and an introduction to what it means to think strategically, try reading about the difference between ‘The Political Objective and Strategic Goal of Nonviolent Actions’.
If you anticipate violent repression by a ruthless opponent, consider planning and implementing any nonviolent action according to the explanation in ‘Nonviolent Action: Minimizing the Risk of Violent Repression’.
Finally, if you are going to do nothing in response to this crisis, make it a conscious decision to do nothing. This is far preferable to unconsciously and powerlessly doing nothing by never even considering the evidence or by simply deluding yourself. It also allows you to consciously revise your decision at some point in future if you so wish
Conclusion
The evidence in relation to destruction of the Earth’s biosphere, leading to ongoing and rapid degradation of all ecosystems and their services, is readily available and overwhelming. The many and varied forms of destruction are having synergistic impact. An insignificant amount of the vast evidence in relation to this destruction is sampled above.
There is a notable group of prominent climate scientists who present compelling evidence that human extinction will occur by 2026 as a result of a projected 10 degree celsius increase in global temperatures above the pre-industrial level by this date. The primary document for this is noted above and this document, together with the evidence it cites, is readily available to be read and analyzed by anyone.
Largely separately from the climate catastrophe (although now increasingly complicated by it), Earth’s sixth mass extinction is already advancing rapidly as we destroy habitat and, on our current trajectory, all species will soon enter the fossil record.
Why? Because we live in a world in which the political, economic, military, legal and social structures and processes of human society are utterly incapable of producing either functional human beings or governance mechanisms that take into account, and respect, the ecological realities of Earth’s biosphere.
So, to reiterate: We are on the fast-track to extinction. On the current trajectory, assuming we can avert nuclear war, some time between 2021 and 2026 the last human will take their final breath.
Our only prospect of survival, and it still has only a remote chance of succeeding, is that a great number of us respond powerfully now and keep mobilizing more people to do so.
If you do absolutely nothing else, consider rearranging your life to exclude all meat from your diet, stop traveling by car and aircraft, substantially reduce your water consumption by scaling down your ownership of electronic devices (which require massive amounts of water to manufacture), and only eat biodynamically or organically grown whole food.
And tell people why you are doing so.
This might give those of us who fight strategically, which can include you if you so choose, a little more time to overturn the structural and remaining behavioral drivers of extinction which will require a profound change in the very nature of human society, including all of its major political, economic, military, legal and social institutions and processes (most of which will need to be abolished).
If this sounds ‘radical’, remember that they are about to vanish anyway. Our strategy must be to replace them with functional equivalents, all of which are readily available (with some briefly outlined in the various documents mentioned in the plan above).
‘It won’t happen’, you might say? And, to be candid, I sincerely believe that you are highly probably right. I have spent a lifetime observing, analyzing, writing about and acting to heal dysfunctional and violent human behavior and, for that reason, I am not going to delude myself that anything less than what I have outlined above will achieve the outcome that I seek: to avert human extinction. But I am realistic.
The insane individuals who control the institutions that are driving extinction will never act to avert it. If they were sane enough to do so, they would have been directing and coordinating these institutions in taking action for the past 40 years. This is why we must resist them strategically. Moreover, I am only too well aware that the bulk of the human population has been terrorized into powerlessness and won’t even act. But our best chance lies in offering them our personal example, and giving them simple and various options for responding effectively.
It is going to be a tough fight for human survival, particularly this late in the ‘game’. Nevertheless, I intend to fight until my last breath. I hope that you will too.
Why is everybody assuming that Trump and the US government are always on the same page, to date they’ve been anything but, it actually seems more like 2 different pages to me. Trump may have the loyalty of the rank and file US serviceman, but he doesn’t have the same loyalty from the samurai warriors that command them, they follow someone else’s orders. Nobody was suspicious when Obama sacked all those high ranking US military commanders for womanizing and whatever other bullsh-t reasons he could find, cleverly leaving only those commanders that were actively pro TQI in charge, but I do now, it was in case someone like Trump ever got into power. When Trump finally realizes just who in the military is genuinely for or against him, heads will definitely role again, but this time it’ll be the right heads being lopped off. Maybe some of those womanizing colonels and generals Obama wrongfully sacked, will be reinstated to their former roles, that they should’ve never have been sacked from in the first place. Drain the military swamp so you can see the samurai warriors more clearly, then put them all to the sword, Obama as well.