Can We Speak to Everyone?
Humanity stands, once again, at a crossroads. This is not a metaphor. It is the reality of our time.
We can continue to deny the scale of the planetary crisis, as some governments and institutions still do—insisting that things are fine, that growth will continue, that nature will adapt to our needs. But pretending has never made the truth disappear. As the film Don’t Look Up reminded us through dark satire, ignoring science and mocking those who raise the alarm does not change the trajectory of an unfolding catastrophe. If we wait too long to act—or if we choose paralysis out of fear of failure—we may lose the only real chance we have.
The consequences of our inaction are not distant. They are already here. Collapsing ecosystems, deepening inequality, forced migration, record-breaking temperatures, political extremism, and growing despair—these are all signals. The Earth is out of balance. Our social systems are faltering. And our cultural narratives no longer align with reality.
The future, if we do not change course, may be even more brutal. In The Ministry for the Future, Kim Stanley Robinson imagines a climate disaster so extreme it catalyzes radical transformation. Twenty million die in a single heat event. That once seemed speculative. It no longer does. Scientists now warn of accelerating tipping points—melting permafrost, a stalling Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), Amazon rainforest dieback—that could push the biosphere into irreversible decline. These are not just events; they are thresholds. If crossed, they could set in motion centuries of chaos and collapse.
And yet, we are not helpless. We are not without knowledge, or tools, or visions of a better path.
We know how to build resilient communities, how to restore degraded ecosystems, how to decarbonize our economies, how to live with less and care more. What we have not yet mastered is the art of collective action at the scale and speed required—and with the humility needed to hold the whole system in view.
Perhaps the deepest challenge we face is not technological, but moral and spiritual. We must ask: What kind of species do we want to be? Shall we be the destroyers of the biosphere, or its conscious stewards? Shall we double down on domination, or awaken to reciprocity?
We must recognize that our inaction is a form of action—that failing to change is itself a decision. And that geoengineering, or any other form of large-scale intervention, must be guided not just by cleverness, but by wisdom.
David Grinspoon has said that humanity has entered a new phase: we are no longer passengers on Earth, but pilots—whether we like it or not. This means we must move beyond short-term thinking, beyond tribalism, beyond the illusion of separateness. We are part of one Earth system. We rise or fall together.
So how should we proceed?
We offer, not solutions, but a compass—guiding principles that might serve us all:
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Do no harm. Minimize the damage we cause, especially when we don’t fully understand the consequences.
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Regenerate what has been broken. Move from extraction to restoration in every domain—soil, water, culture, governance.
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Listen deeply. To science, to frontline communities, to Indigenous knowledge, to the living Earth.
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Act with humility and urgency. We will not get everything right, but doing nothing is no longer an option.
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Foster solidarity. Global crises require global empathy. Justice is not optional—it is essential for resilience.
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Remember the sacred. Whether through religion, science, or art, find what connects us to awe, to beauty, to meaning beyond consumption.
This is our planetary moment. Not everyone will agree. Not everyone will come along. But the invitation is open to all: to reimagine what it means to be human, to become a life-affirming species, and to walk a path that could still lead to a habitable, flourishing future—for everyone.
The time is short. The stakes are high. And the choice is still ours.
Let us choose wisely.