Reply #12: It depends on what you mean by "make a difference" [View All]

[GliderGuider]

It's way too late to prevent it from having massive global effects. It's not too late to help individuals prepare their lives to reduce the personal impact.

I've talked to everyone from 16 year olds like my GFs youngest daughter to work mates to people in their 80's like my parents. They all get it intellectually, though their emotional buy-in varies. The 16yo truly gets it, to the level of understanding why localized agriculture is essential, why it's a good thing that she likes farm animals and country living, to taking the bus instead of the car without a complaint. She's always mentally exploring what it might be like "when the world goes to hell in a handbag", as she puts it.

I do talk about very pessimistic scenarios when I present the topic, but I'm always careful to emphasize that specific effects will vary in different places, and that we just can't predict the details of how it will unfold yet. One key for encouraging acceptance of the idea is giving people a personal action plan that, while it won't save the world, may help them and their loved ones - at least to some degree. My HELP acronym (Humanize, Economize, Localize, Produce) goes over very will in this regard.