Zugunruhe is a German word that describes the unsettling feeling birds have that makes them want to migrate. They can sense change and they want to move ahead of it.
This is a feeling that clearly the human species does not share with our avian brother. We live in places that have started to see storms beyond our imagining, drought, heat, extreme cold,etc. And yet we do not move. We dig in our feet and our oil wells and continue to 'prosper'
International panels of scientists have overwhelmingly agreed that humans are affecting climate change. So, lets STOP arguing about whether it's real or not because it was cold this winter and START discussing solutions.
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| This sculpture is called "Politicians Discussing Climate Change". |
The 2 FEET of sea level rise expected to occur by 2050 can likely not be halted. So how can we create healthy, resilient places to live, now that we know?
I love the idea of green building and living infrastructure because it offers solutions, not just the 'Inconvenient Truths' of Global Climate Change. McLennan says,
" While sounding far fetched only a few years ago, it is now entirely possible to reduce energy within every single one of our communities by 60 to 80 percent within our lifetime with off-the-shelf technologies and knowledge that exists today. With such significant reductions in energy demand, it is also possible to make a complete switch to renewable energy (solar and wind) for the remaining energy we require. The world we seek could become the significant work of our generation, if only there were sufficient poilitical and business will to do so-if only people awoke and began their own Zugunruhe"
We are all guilty of it- patting ourselves on the backs for recycling a water bottle and driving a Prius. But the fact remains that enormous energy is expended to make that water bottle, ship it to you, ship it to a recycling center, process it, ship it (to most likely China), and make it into something new. Just like a Prius still uses gas, and has similar embodied energies to almost any other car in manufacturing.
In his book, Zugunruhe, Jason McLennan suggests simply constant improvements of our existing behaviors. How can I remain self aware and self-motivated?
Jason encourages readers to teach what they know to those who do not- a common flaw among our society is that we feel we have no right to discuss something if we don't know everything. Meanwhile, those who know little to nothing share what they are feeling.
He also talks about why it is so difficult to actually stick with a sustainable lifestyle. He believes that society is designed to consume, which any capitalist or liberal will agree with. That makes it pretty much impossible to do everything better- so some people give up and decide not to tackle the changes at all. Positive efforts should not be criticized, particularly in our own community, for not being enough. It's a step in the right direction- let's celebrate that and study the impact!
"To be pleased with one's limits is a wretched state" -Goethe
To understand the full length, width, and depth of the book you'll have to pick it up for yourself; but I will tell you that as a result of this book I have set a new goal to become a polymath. A polymath is a person with wide-ranging knowledge ( as opposed to someone who is an expert in one specific area).
There is a great argument about the power of critical thinking and research combined with the availability of information. But what will be most valuable moving forward in my selected industry, and most likely yours, is to understand the connections between the trades. When you can do that, you can empathize and problem solve in a whole new way.
Sources:
Climate Reality Project
Zugunruhe by Jason McLennan
IPCC
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