If you are currently trying to make better sense of societal disruptions and your future in a climate-disturbed world, then I believe ‘Deep Adaptation’ to be of use to you. It is the ethos and framework for a movement of people who consider the collapse of industrial consumer societies to be either probable, inevitable or already unfolding. We are seeking to reduce harm, save more of the natural world, and learn in the process. We tend to be agnostic about what might occur after any societal collapse.
This post in my blog links to a selection of introductory videos.
If interested, you could begin by watching my introductory lecture on Deep Adaptation. It is a bit academic but provides the basics of where I am coming from when I talk about societal collapse risk and readiness. Then a 40 minute interview is where I go into a range of issues arising and explain some of my personal journey on this stuff. My lecture in Glasgow in 2019 was part of my contribution to making #ClimateJustice a key issue within climate policy, especially regarding ongoing loss, damage and the need for adaptation. My lecture to undergraduate students at Groningen University will be of more interest to young people and as well as people who are wondering how to engage them on such topics. The Q&A with members of the Deep Adaptation Forum helps give insight into the myriad issues and life choices that are arising for people. My talk at the professional UK association of psychologists and psychotherapists is where I explore matters of hope, motivation and emotional wellbeing. I also described what I have learned about leadership and change during my most recent years of activism on climate during a panel the International Leadership Association. Finally there is the short film I released in 2019 on how I was coping with my growing awareness of our global predicament.
These videos only scratch the surface. I recommend visiting the Deep Adaptation Forum to discover a plurality of people who are seeking to promote positive change. I also recommend the coaches listed here, if you would like some guidance. To stay up-to-date on this topic, I recommend the free Quarterly newsletter. Want to listen to something instead? There’s a free audio introduction to my latest book. Prefer more videos? Then see my channel with dozens of Q&As, with guests including Joanna Macy and Charles Eisenstein. Or if you prefer reading, then here is a list of some of my non-academic writings on the topic.
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Lecture for Bath University, UK, providing an introduction to Deep Adaptation
Interview for Facing Future TV, which provides some personal background
Speech in Glasgow on climate justice aspects of climate adaptation
Lecture to undergrads at the Groningen University conference on climate adaptation.
Q&A with participants in the Deep Adaptation Forum.
Keynote at the UKCP on questions of hope, motivation and emotional wellbeing
Panel with a member of the UNFCCC at the International Leadership Association.
My short film on my initial processing of the situation
In the lecture for undergraduate students, I made the following points about a heartfelt approach to climate adaptation:
– The science tells us adaptation to climate change is essential
– That adaptation must be collective in ethos and policy
– It must involve a break with past mistakes, oppression and ideology
– This kind of adaptation is going to require activism to make it scale quickly
– However, it is likely that you will be told to conform to authority and to ignore or scorn those who -say otherwise
– You might postpone but not avoid making your own choice of what path to take in a world becoming more unstable
– So consider updating yourselves on the topic and then join an activist group, political party or any civil society group, where you can advocate or take action on adaptation – or just what you think is right
– Know that you can find positivity in living truthfully and lovingly, rather than expecting a specific outcome.
Find Emotional Support / Receive Jem’s Biannual Bulletin / Receive the Deep Adaptation Quarterly / Read the Scholars’ Warning to humanity.
Professor Jem Bendell 