This winter has been very stressful. So many wars and fascist leaning regimes, even elected in  “democracies” where the citizens have a choice. This is happening alongside all the wonderful, inventive grassroots organizations in those same countries that are working for peace and regenerating farming, energy sourcing, fishing and community building.

We humans are certainly at a point of crisis/opportunity in our journey on Moma Earth. Stories that introduce themes of joyous, creative cultures we could co-create together with the other-than-human beings with whom we share our planetary home are scarce. Dystopia and Doom porn are trending.

So I decided to write a short vignette and share it here. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Middle Earth Minus Mordor – The Climate Cost of War

“Do you like it?” I turn slowly, breathing in the fresh seaweed scent of algae as it integrates into my skin cells.  “Ah, the first tingle of photosynthesis –  It’s working” I admire the sheen of my deep bluegreen skin. “I should test this symbiosis for any thermal properties”.

Terry nods dislodging a hummingbird sipping from a small blossom in his bushy moss beard. “Are you going to test it in the water?” 

I scan the  horizon “There’s a pod of pacific white-sides at Mace Point now.”

“A dolphin might be too wild a ride for a new algal partner. There’s a grey whale over there” Terry points to a tangle of bull kelp with a few sea otters wrapped up in the fronds.

I step deeper into the Salish Sea, carefully skirting a huge orange sunflower star and spotting a favourite basking shark friend “Hmmm.. maybe Bella might be interested”. A rock full of feeding barnacles agrees and a passing octopus offers to help me hold on to her.

Terry waves at us from the shore as an earnest looking 10 year old approaches.
“Hi Grandpaw, can you help me? I have to go to Every Persons’ Best Landfill  to pick up some materials. 

“What are you building?”  

“It’s a sensory translator for some of the worms in the Lund Regeneration Community Farm. They’re giving a demonstration to the Tri-Galactic conference on wormhole technology next month”

Obviously this is a fantasy. But why not? Why not Avatar without the invasion of mega-metal war machines? Hobbits, Lothlórien elves and Ent forests – Middle Earth without Mordor? Why can’t humans create a future of shared prosperity and partnership with the myriad amazing life-forms with whom we share Mama Gaia?

But what has this got to do with the Climate Cost of War? Well, that was one fantasy of a world we might create if we didn’t consume so much of our Earth to feed Mordor – the military machine. Imagine (reference intended) the human energy, skill and creativity, the immense supply of materials it would free up that we could use to enhance local ecosystems, regenerate our soils, invent truly green technologies available to everyone, build homes, communities, heal the ancient wounds that war and human brutality created.  Is that reason enough to give up war?

How about some basic statistics? In simple terms of GHGs the worlds’ military operations, manufacture and transportation of arms emits around 5.5% of the total global greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. But we can only estimate that percentage because the military won’t give us all the information. Add to that the emissions caused by deployment of bombs and obliteration of infrastructure. Then there is destruction of ecosystems, animals, croplands, forests. And how can we even measure the loss of the brilliant minds, creativity and energy of murdered humans and traumatized children? 

So are humans ready to give up War and repurpose the military? It would mean acknowledging that we have all been damaged by the physical and psychological violence of war even if we were on the “winning” side. It would mean searching our hearts for the intergenerational wounds still festering from millennia of violent oppression and exploitation. It would mean giving up Hate and Demonizing others in order to project our fears onto an “inhuman” Enemy. 

Can we do that? Can we choose compassion and healing – for ourselves and others. Take a deep breath – take another – and another. This isn’t easy – And it’s a practise. And it’s a practise we can’t impose on anyone – certainly not on anyone suffering in crisis in a war zone. But those of us lucky enough to live in Canada, a relatively safe place – we’re the ones who can speak to each other – not to condemn and pile our “righteous” anger onto the “other” side but to listen to each other with compassion and the goal of ending war and saving lives. 

What if Canadians on both sides of a conflict call for an end to the war – together. We can stand united in demanding that our political and business leaders stop the flow of money and arms from our country and allies that enables deranged leaders to destroy their part of the world. We can use those repurposed military resources to support people inside those war zones working for peaceful solutions and get food and medical aid delivered safely to people who desperately need it. 
We can stop feeding the psychological Climate of War with blaming and shaming energy. Then we can work together to start healing.  

Are we ready?