Reflections (continued):
Rather than write a formal article, I have decided to continue with what I started last time which would be a series of reflections. I am hoping this will assist me in producing something more substantial and publishable at some future date. I am hoping also to clarify my own thinking….writing and interactions with others becomes a format for working on this.
I am wondering what it takes to shift man’s focus from relationship problems with his fellow man, near or far, to his relationship with the planet that supports him as well as all the other life forms. It seems that a focus on man’s relationship to the planet that supports him would be more productive as the conflicts with his fellow man may simply be a by-product of the threat presented by the shrinking resources……a fact that is deeply connected to human activity on the planet over time. A broader focus and actions influenced by that focus could alleviate some of society’s symptoms automatically. Much as the focus on the parent’s relationship with each other and the larger extended family can decrease the anxious focus on a child, the focus on man’s relationship to the earth rather than his fellow man, may allow man to learn to live differently with his fellow man in the effort to reverse the consequences of man’s impact on the planet.
The morning news is a good example of what we focus on……..it is far from balanced. It is easy to see how the focus on symptoms intensifies the problem you are trying to correct. So instead of putting our efforts into forcing others into submission, ccould we focus on our relationship with planet earth, something we are all depending on for our basic needs. One cannot overestimate our dependency on the earth…..and yet we have long since ceased to live compatibly with it and the other forms of life that also depend on it. Bowen theory describes man’s functioning within his multigenerational family system but it also speaks to the part of man that he shares with other forms of life. It is this part of the theory that man has more difficulty with…..perhaps. And yet, when I listen to Deborah Gordan or LeAnn Howard, I am so struck by the sensitivity of one organism to another and how (and to what degree) that influences the functioning of the group as well as how the group influences the functioning of the individual organism. It is reciprocal. How far out in my thinking can I go with the influence of the group on all of us and on the future of the planet. Even though the planet will survive, it is not clear that man will if he continues on his present course.
I have been reading books by Bill McKibbens (activist), Lester Brown, (environmentalist), and Dr. James Hansen, (earth scientist) which got me thinking about theory and what it can offer the world. The piece that people tend to miss in talking about the environmental issue is that it is driven by the emotional system. Man has used his intellect for so many advances in society……some that have had huge advantages and some that have fostered greater and greater levels of irresponsibility. In speaking with Joanne Bowen recently she noted that man can see the relationship problem with each other more easily than he can see his relationship with the earth. (my take on our discussion). That is because we have become disconnected with this life supporting planet, earth itself. When the earth cannot support 7 billion people, estimated to be 8 billion by mid century, where will we look for guidance. Each of us may respond to this in our own way but what we now see is an increase in aggression (be it toward the planet or the inhabitants of the planet) in order to preserve basic resources for ourselves. Food and water are essential ingredients to sustain life. And yet, it is clear that in some parts of the world this is not an available resource and likely to be a shrinking resource world wide. How did this happen?
Let me cite some facts that will help to bring this problem into better focus……World grain prices tripled historical levels by the spring of 2008. Brown, pg. 11 The economic downturn and a record world grain harvest in 2008 reduced the rising cost somewhat but as of 2010 grain prices were nearly double historical levels. In this environment, hunger spread….In 1996 there were 788 million hungry and malnourished people world wide. Then it began to rise and in 2008 it passed 900 million and in 2009, there were more than a billion hungry and malnourished people. One factor influencing this is the massive amount of grain produced to make ethanol for our cars. Weather was another factor, such as the Russian heat wave in 2012 and the subsequent rise in grain prices. Just imagine the impact if the heat wave – 14 degrees above normal- had been in the Midwest. The impact on world grain prices would have been huge. A 40% drop in US grain harvest of over 400 million tons would have meant 160 million tons of lost grain. (L. Brown) The automatic response to reduced resources is to preserve what is available for oneself. Hence, exports would have been restricted significantly. Food price stability at this time depends on a record or near record grain crop each year. P.13 (L. Brown). Climate change threatens food security as does spreading water shortages. There is clear evidence that irrigation based harvests are shrinking.
In Saudi Arabia, for example, the depletion of its fossil aquifer (which cannot be replenished with rain water) is eliminating their 3 million ton wheat harvest. Growing food insecurity in Saudi Arabia has led to buying or leasing land in other countries, including Ethiopia and Sudan who already suffer from significant to severe food shortages. So here we see one country using the resources of another country for its own gain as the environment becomes more threatening. The grain produced by over-pumping in India feeds 175 million people, according to the World Bank (p.14). For China, it would be 130 million people. In other words, over-pumping provides a false sense of security, as temporary as that may be. It is not sustainable.
Yemen’s replenishable aquifers are being pumped beyond the rate of recharge and their deeper fosil aquifers are depleting rapidly. So water tables in this country are falling and the grain harvest has shrunk by one third in the last forty years while its population continues to rise. (L. Brown). The country must import 80% of its grain. Sixty percent of the children in this country are stunted and chronically malnourished. With the depletion of its aquifers, Yemen is moving toward social collapse.
70% of world water use is for irrigation, so water shortages automatically translate to food shortages.
As world irrigation water use peaks, one can expect huge competition for this resource. In fact, the Arab Spring and its aftermath may have been spawned, at a very basic level, by the lack of resources to meet basic needs.
Further complicating our future, the world may be reaching peak water at more or less the same time that it hits peak oil. p.14. Faith Birol, a chief economist with the International Energy Agency has said, “ We should leave oil before it leaves us.” (L. Brown p. ) Ethanol production ties the price of grain to that of oil. The cost of oil influences the cost of food.
We live in a time when there is enormous focus on security, which usually translates to protective actions from physical harm for ones people which is seen as a military or police responsibility. We have misread the real threat and our actions reflect this. The real threat is climate change. As William Hague, Britain’s newly appointed Foreign Secretary said, “ You cannot have food, water, or energy security without climate security.” P.15
In California, a combination of aquifer depletion and the diversion of irrigation water to cities has reduced irrigated area from close to 9 million acres in 1997 to an estimated 7.5 acres in 2010. In Texas, the irrigated area peaked in 1978 at 7 million acres, and fell to 5 million acres as the Ogallala aquifer was depleted. P.25 Arizona, Colorado and Florida have also experienced losses in their irrigated acres due to the depletion of their aquifers and the diversion of water to the cities.
It appears that diminishing resources is a major factor in loss of functioning , so apparent in a growing number of “failing states.” Failing states is a new term, introduced in the last decade or so. It means that a government has lost the capacity to provide for the basic needs of their citizenry, which would include food, water, housing, health care, education and protection from harm.
There are a growing number of failing states, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Haiti, Pakistan, Yemen to name a few. As the resources dry up, inequality and other polarizations, ethnic, religious, and financial, intensify. This creates an emotionally charged environment that is ripe for extreme unregulated behaviors. As conflicts ensue, with each camp pursuing control of the other, all semblance of order is lost and the country falls into a state of total dysfunction, a psychosis on a national and international level.
Disruption of our ecosystems has and will continue to influence the incidence of viral pandemics as we now see with EBOLA. David Quammen in his book Spillover, Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic states: Mankind’s activities are causing the disintegration of natural ecosystems at a cataclysmic rate. P.40 Within these ecosystems live millions of creatures unknown to science or barely identified and poorly understood. These creatures include, bacteria, fungi, protists and other organisms many of which are parasitic. When we disrupt the ecosystem where they reside within their hosts, these tiny microbes must find a new host or die. Since humans are so abundant in number, we become a likely host. Viruses, especially those whose genomes consist of RNA rather than DNA, are highly and rapidly adaptive (p. Quammen).
I find myself somewhat excited by these dire conditions as odd as that may sound. For it seems to be a perfect time to offer a different way of thinking regarding human behavior. Bowen theory has much to offer to assist man in knowing himself more realistically and recognizing the instinctive behaviors that can lead to the destruction of the planet and potentially the end of man’s residency on planet earth.
My excitement stems from the clarity of science regarding the facts of climate change and also the opportunity man has to make use of Dr. Bowen’s gift to the world. For our biggest problem may be ourselves and our inability to regulate our instinctive and automatic behaviors that serve to undermine our own survival as well as the future of the planet on which we depend. Regulation of self can be learned and Bowen theory will guide that effort. If there were more people who could control their automatic responsiveness to threat, better regulated leadership would emerge. An unregulated environment is not likely to spawn well regulated leadership (with some exceptions). Hence, it becomes our responsibility to work toward better regulation of self which will foster greater respect for one’s fellow man, other species and the planet itself. We are not only facing a significant threat but a tremendous opportunity to make a difference for the benefit of all.
( A section on Bowen theory and its application to climate change…..a way of connecting the dots….will be developed. I hope to be able to write this so that those not knowledgable about theory can get something out of this)
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