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This year of record-breaking climate extremes has a lot of people wondering whether there is somewhere safer to live – a place with better odds of getting through the extremes unscathed. While some parts of our planet will most likely become uninhabitable, for many of us the answer to ‘where is safest’ has little to do with geography.
In one of the best climate pieces I’ve read in a while, biologist, writer and climate educator Spencer R. Scott makes an excellent case for what he calls ‘becoming a person of place’. He first acknowledges the challenges of living in a system that encourages everything but connection:
“One of the larger projects of our modern society and economy is a project of dislocation and disconnection. The more we can untether people into individual units, the easier it is to mobilize them for maximal utility to the market. Most of us are not people of place, we are people of a market. Many move away from our hometowns, we follow opportunity to college or for a job to maximize our economic/career opportunities. Most people do not use their place-based identity as the prism they bend all decisions through, and most people do not integrate into the places they inhabit.
“That’s no one’s fault, it was the logic of the system that pushed us into a stream laid out before us. The untethered, after all, are often the ‘winners’ of our economic system, mobilizing to capture value anywhere it can be found regardless of invisible expense to others or the planet. However, the untethered are the losers of the next system, the system that will emerge from the logic of climate change. This new system will require resilience, which like a spider’s web only claims its strength through an interwoven network of strong relationships.”
The untethered – people without a strong connection to an ecology and community – lack a shared past and see little value in working towards a shared future.
“Becoming a person of place makes long-term investments desirable, because the future becomes more valuable to you. Those who have committed to a place, an ecosystem, a community, feel those as an extension of themselves.
“They cheer for their place like a favorite sports team, they envision its success beyond and after themselves. To the unpracticed this may sound scary, to tether your heart and being to something you can’t fully control. But down that path lies great reward. There are particular joys afforded to being a member of a community, of finding esteem in your peers, of contributing what you can, of seeing wildlife thrive, fruit drip from trees, of being helped by your neighbors when in need, of tangibly witnessing the results of your efforts. ...
“The formation of intimate relationships depends on four elements: proximity, frequency, intensity, and duration. We won’t save places we don’t love. We can’t love places we don’t know. And we don’t know places we haven’t learned.”
I love the concept of ‘becoming a person of place’, and not just because it allows us to rely on neighbours for help when disaster strikes – it is more than just an adaptation strategy. It also offers a coping mechanism for the mental toll of living in an era of climate emergency and as such provides a self-reinforcing framework for climate positive behaviour.
“Join a climate group, run for something, try to improve your neighborhood in one single way, then keep going. Entangle yourself with your community and local ecosystem. They need you, and you’ll need them.”
– Kai
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“What Can I Do?”SPONSOR
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Science for people who give a shit
Want to feel better and help unfuck the world? Get the 6x Webby-nominated weekly newsletter and podcast that’ll help you understand and take action on everything from climate to COVID, hunger to heat, to democracy and data privacy – for free.
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Apps & Sites
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Manage & overcome insomnia
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Using evidence-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia, this free US government-made app gives you a guided, weekly training plan to improve sleep. The built-in sleep diary allows you to keep track of daily changes. An educational section offers a wealth of information on developing good sleep habits.
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Bubbles tries to reduce unnecessary meetings by allowing team members to exchange short video messages instead. You can asynchronously review designs, websites or any other docs, and provide context with text, video, screen and voice annotations.
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A US-only app for a problem that is rather unique to the US: stopping the mountains of paper junk mail. With this app, you simply scan your unwanted mail and catalogues to send opt-out requests to the companies responsible. A neat idea and apparently it works pretty well.
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Where earth becomes uninhabitable
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A nicely done 3D visualisation of climate modelling that shows where the impact of floods, heat and storms on local populations will be felt most severely. (Worth pointing out this bit from their FAQs at the bottom of the page: climate models try to simulate both the past and future. They represent good approximations, but not reality.)
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Worthy Five: Daniel Finlay
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Five recommendations by The Ethic’s Centre’s youth coordinator Daniel Finlay
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A phrase worth knowing:
“No is a complete sentence.” I’m not sure of the origin but I heard it somewhere online last year and it has stuck with me ever since. I think it was in the context of sexual consent. What struck me even more was how applicable it is to lots of social interactions as well. We often feel like we need to overly justify ourselves, but if we’re truly uncomfortable in a situation, saying ‘no’ should be enough.
A video worth watching:
YouTuber F.D Signifier does incredibly detailed video essays on complex political, philosophical and social topics. I particularly liked Dissecting the Manosphere which dives into an increasingly influential online phenomenon bringing disillusioned men together in damaging ways. His insights into how and why this is happening are nuanced but straight to the point.
A book worth reading:
I really enjoyed Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid both from a leisure and from a philosophical perspective. The novel explores complex issues, like different sorts of racism and prejudice, through the lens of a babysitter’s experience, without it being so on-the-nose that it doesn’t feel like a novel anymore.
A piece of advice worth passing on:
Make regular time with the people you care about to talk specifically about the issues that you care about. Since finishing university, I noticed I was severely missing the weekly conversations I’d have in our seminars. I think talking to people you’re close with about the values and social issues and general thoughts you have had throughout the week is an important part of maintaining meaningful relationships.
An Instagram account worth following:
I’ve been trying to find people who make Australian politics a bit more interesting and engaging. Cheek is an awesome, opinionated resource for challenging perspectives on social issues and Australian politics.
(Did you know? Friends of DD can respond to and engage with guest contributors like Daniel Finlay in one click.)
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Books & Accessories
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The power of communities during disasters
I’m a big fan of Rebecca Solnit’s writing on the climate emergency and this book of hers fits perfectly in today’s DD issue about becoming a person of place and the social meaning of disasters. “A Paradise Built in Hell is an investigation of the moments of altruism, resourcefulness, and generosity that arise amid disaster’s grief and disruption and considers their implications for everyday life. It points to a new vision of what society could become – one that is less authoritarian and fearful, more collaborative and local.”
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A cultural revolution to unite
Balancing spiritual, entrepreneurial and environmental guidance, author Dax Dasilva speaks to the inherent leader in every one of us to stop the polarisation and find a new connectedness, fit for our age. “There is a greater need for unity than ever before. Dax Dasilva presents a guide to take simple measures to promote our collective well-being and union. Grounded in four pillars – leadership, culture, spirituality, and nature – the book advocates that the time for change is now and that our choices are the catalyst.” The publisher also offers a beautiful limited edition of this book and Friends of DD get a 10% discount.
Become a Friend to access specials like this.
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Overheard on Twitter
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It’s great to see more people talking about holistic ambition – a broader understanding of ambition that includes quality of life, not just career success. To live a good life, contribute good ideas, and nurture good relationships... that’s ambitious too.
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Food for Thought
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As I discuss in my intro, this is a great essay for understanding how climate action fits into our own lives and how it directly relates to the communities we’re a part of. “If the climate emergency framework only brings you unhappiness or social isolation, it will wither. In order for it to be sustained, you need to somehow bring your entire social circle with you (psychologists would call this a social tipping point), or you need to adopt a second framework (and then a third etc.) that positively reinforces climate-aligned behavior until it is intrinsically enjoyable, rewarding, and socially encouraged.”
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Ironically and tragically, as the planet heats up, the need for air conditioning will skyrocket, which, in turn, further exacerbates a worsening climate. Finding a greener, less energy-hungry way for cooling the air poses a major challenge. “Because these appliances are critical to keeping people cool – and protecting them from dangerously hot weather – the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that there may be more than 5 billion air conditioners across the planet by 2050. ... The race to redesign the AC is already on. The IEA predicts that within the next three decades, two-thirds of the world’s homes could have air conditioners. About half of these units will be installed in just three countries: India, China, and Indonesia.”
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If you enjoyed the critique on travelling I shared in last week’s issue, this piece will introduce you to a new phenomenon the author calls ‘vibe tourism’ – an attitudinal shift in how we travel that can be observed on social media. “Enjoying aperitifs at the trattorias of Rome and dining at the pizzerias of Sicily is not just about the cuisine, or service, but must now also feel like a scene from a movie, an opportunity to unlock a meaningful chapter in your personal narrative. In TikTok terminology, the ideal holiday is a week of building core memories, where the vibe tourist feels like the main character. The kind of effortlessly dreamlike story-weaving quality that professional travel content creators are able to so vividly capture.”
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Aesthetically Pleasing
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Another great example of residential architecture that thinks outside the box to solve issues around housing availability: Block Party is a co-housing project in Wellington, New Zealand, featuring four terrace houses for six friends, neatly occupying a tight 600sqm site, positioned to maximise sun and views. More about how the project came about here.
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Dutch visual artist and designer Jerry-Lee Bosmans creates graphic art characterised by vibrant colours – some of it is available as limited art prints and wallpapers.
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Ohno Retail is a humanist sans that has a playful character, but remains relatively neutral without the pitfalls of Helvetica-ish-seen-it-a-thousand-times typography.
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Notable Numbers
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‘Soothing sounds’ podcasts – falling rain, tropical birds, radio static, or even the whirs of fans and airplanes – account for around 3 million listening hours on Spotify every day.
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Slowing consumer spending, reduced availability of credit and rising penetration of e-commerce may contribute to the closure of 50,000 retail stores in the US by 2027, a UBS analysts said in a recent report.
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The owner of OnlyFans, the online platform used by sex workers, musicians, celebrities and others, said more than $5.5bn was spent on their platform in the year to the end of November 2022.
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Classifieds
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The Week in a GIF
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Reply or tweet at DD with your favourite GIF and it might get featured here in a future issue.
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