Current Climate Challenges

This year, we are witnessing increasingly severe manifestations of climate change. Additionally, we anticipate the arrival of El Niño, a periodic warming event expected to impact us later this year.

Currently, over 400 wildfires rage across Canada, stretching from coast to coast. The thick smoke from these blazes has enveloped skies in the Northeast, Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Mid-Atlantic, leading to hazardous air quality warnings affecting millions.

Moreover, record-breaking heatwaves are sweeping across the globe, with temperatures in Puerto Rico soaring to a staggering 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Asia is enduring an extended, record-setting heatwave with catastrophic consequences, and experts predict that within the next decade, we may experience an ice-free summer in the Arctic. These are merely a few of the environmental crises confronting us.

El Niño's Arrival

All these challenges arise before El Niño makes its presence felt. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) forecasts a 60% likelihood of its arrival by the end of July, increasing to 80% by the end of September. However, the full impact of El Niño will not be felt until 2024.

The WMO recently reported a 98% chance that at least one of the next five years will surpass the global temperature record established in 2016, during a particularly intense El Niño event. Furthermore, the likelihood that the average temperature for 2023-2027 will be the hottest on record stands at 98%.

The critical threshold of a 1.5 degrees Celsius increase, as warned at the 2015 Paris Climate Summit, is at risk of being crossed in the next five years, although not permanently—yet. A recent UN report indicates that exceeding this limit would lead to severe and dangerous consequences for our planet, resulting in increased death, destruction, and damage to ecosystems.

Expert Insights on the Crisis

Professor Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at the UK Met Office, stated, “It’s very likely that the next significant El Niño could push us over the 1.5C threshold. The chance of experiencing a year at 1.5C within the next five years is now about 50:50.” He added, “With climate change, the impacts of El Niño events are expected to intensify, compounded by the ongoing effects of climate change itself.”

Professor James Hansen from Columbia University warned, “We anticipate that 2024 could potentially be the warmest year on record.” Should we be alarmed? Absolutely! Will it finally prompt action? Uncertain.

Addressing the Real Challenge

The fundamental issue isn’t merely climate change; it’s the emotions it evokes within us—feelings of helplessness and despair. The pressing question becomes: how do we address these feelings?

No one wants to confront feelings of powerlessness in the face of catastrophe, but ignoring these emotions is not a viable solution. Climate change ought to be a top priority in future elections, yet the media often overlooks it, leading to a similar neglect among the populace.

A new approach is essential. We can start by recalling Einstein’s famous assertion: “You cannot solve a problem from the same mind that created it.”

Watts’ Insight on Emotion Management

In other words, we cannot tackle the issue of climate change with the same mentality that led us here. If the core issue lies in how we manage our emotional responses to climate change, then the insights of philosopher Alan Watts can provide guidance. He suggested that we can address our feelings in two ways:

“We can use our reason to control them, mastering them like riding a horse, or we can submit to them and become their puppet.”

Watts emphasizes that both methods hinge on a sense of separation from our feelings. He illustrated this point through an analogy about controlling our limbs: “To close your right hand around something, you don’t use your left hand. Instead, you engage your right hand from within.”

Recognizing Our Emotional State

Regrettably, we often approach our feelings externally. As Watts noted, “We don’t fully recognize that we are our feelings. We experience them, but we don’t believe we are them.”

Moreover, Watts points out that this separation extends beyond our feelings to our inner lives, bodies, and desires: “A human being feels distinct from his inner life, his body, his unconscious mental mechanisms, and his passions; he perceives himself as an isolated ego.”

This disconnection leaves us feeling lonely and frightened. German psychologist Erich Fromm remarked on this troubling isolation, stating, “What is startling to the psychiatrist is not so much that people go insane, but that they don’t, given the lonely, powerless condition of this ego.”

Why Insanity Isn’t More Common

So why don’t more individuals succumb to insanity? Fromm suggested, “Various compensatory mechanisms, such as the pursuit of power, wealth, or various fanatical behaviors, serve to distract this troubled ego.”

Unfortunately, this fearful and isolated ego is not only grappling with its own pain but is also at the helm of our current world. Overcoming this ego-centric perspective is crucial for our survival on this planet.

Watts Advocates for a Shift from Ego to Reality

Watts argues that we require “a fundamental transformation not just of human theory, but in how it feels to be a human being.”

In essence, we need a shift in consciousness, moving beyond our egos to connect with a deeper sense of being—Ultimate Reality. This state of awareness allows us to perceive the world not as separate entities but as interconnected. Thus, when we recognize that something is wrong in the world, we instinctively understand it as a reflection of our own state.

From Isolation to Connection

Watts articulates this new paradigm: “This does not feel like our ego is in control of everything. It represents a completely new sense of self. You would no longer perceive yourself as merely your ego, but as part of a larger whole.”

He further explains, “As we transcend our egos, we experience a reduction in hostility towards the outside world, diminishing our instinct for self-preservation.”

To ensure our survival on this planet, we must confront our uncomfortable emotions, allowing us to reconnect with our surroundings. A collective commitment to this transformation could spark a significant evolution in human consciousness, ensuring our continued existence.

The Next Five Years: A Pivotal Period

I titled this piece “The Next Five Years” because I believe that if El Niño manifests as some scientists predict, our lives will undergo profound changes over the next five years. Regardless of El Niño’s severity, the conclusion of this period will merely serve as a precursor to what lies ahead. The outlook is unlikely to improve.

As the cartoon character Pogo famously said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

For further exploration of the Intelligence and Magic of the Universe: [The Magical Universe](link)

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