Summary
In the decade of the 2040s, most people recognize that we are losing the race with climate catastrophe. Runaway climate disruption is no longer only a looming possibility—it is an overwhelming and vividly present reality. As the consequences of climate chaos, financial breakdowns, civic anarchy, species extinction, mass migrations, and widespread famines continue to grow, the entire world moves toward unstoppable collapse. The need for a profound transformation is anchored in the raw experience of humanity. We recognize that we either pull together in common effort or face the functional extinction of our species. We understand that Earth will never go back to the climate patterns of the previous 10,000 years since the end of the last ice age. We accept feelings of shame, guilt, grief, and despair as a ruinous future grows around us.
The biosphere is increasingly impoverished, weakened, and barren. Profound climate disruption, falling agricultural productivity, extreme water scarcity, and great economic inequities create huge areas of devastating famine. This is also a time of “great burning,” as unrelenting droughts dry out the land and fire scorches vast regions of the Earth. And it is a time of “great dying,” too, as millions of people and countless species of animals and plants perish. Humanity confronts a two-fold tragedy of unimaginable proportions that shocks and awakens the soul of our species.
Broken supply chains lead to hoarding, looting, black markets, and hyperinflation. Adaptations are pushed down to the local level of neighborhood and community, and people search for others they can trust and work within rebuilding life from the ground up. Old sources of value (measured in cash, stocks, and bonds) have become nearly worthless. New sources of value reside in strong personal relationships and access to scarce resources such as food, medicine, and fuel that have tangible importance. Despite its great value, an Earth Voice movement struggles to stay alive as the internet is constantly breaking down and being repaired.
The world descends into collective despair. Feeling we have failed to step up to our responsibilities as planetary citizens, many mourn for the lost Earth. The soul of humanity is grievously wounded with moral injury. We face a future of unending bleakness and despair—unless we rise collectively to this time of challenge.