Actions to be taken to achieve a sustainable civilization
Various organizations dedicated to influencing the here and now in one way or another already exist, and have for some time. Progress on some fronts has not brought us significantly closer to achieving a sustainable civilization and it seems that threats such as global warming, extinction of species and consumption of resources close in on us while we are not able to change our ways significantly despite ample warning. That may have to do with a lack of clear and attractive alternatives.
If you want to act, it helps to know where you want to go. This site is about where to go and why. Contributing to milliongenerations.org, however, should not excuse from attempting to be a good ancestor, even before truly sustainable solutions are found. Actions that provide for more time to find sustainable solutions are certainly worthwhile. That would seem to include
- Reducing consumption of resources to leave more time to find lasting solutions
- Designing and using "cradle to cradle" (if truly cradle to cradle, that would seem a sustainable practice, not just buying more time)
- Making renewable energies cheaper than coal
- Leaving natural resources such as coal, oil, and gas in the ground
- Reducing the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere to below 350ppm
- Taking action to mitigate global climate disruption
- Reducing the probability of or mounting defences against existential risks, such as promoted by the Lifeboat Foundation
- Maintaining natural diversity
- Making people healthier and happier, especially the poorest
- Thinking about humans with a comprehensive and global perspective rather than a regional or group focus
- Incorporating the rights of future generations into our decision making
- Increasing the knowledge of human nature (such as that our brains easily categorize people into groups and think with the same brain cells about ourselves and people in our own group and with different cells about people in other groups)
- Learning from history and science how dangerous (and easy) it is employ group feelings and discriminate on the basis of group membership
- Defusing conflicts and fostering peace, e.g., by creating a better understanding between individuals from different groups (e.g., cultures, convictions, languages, nations, organizations, sexes, maybe even soccer club fans...)
- Sharing information about reducing consumption of resources (e.g. on Appropedia, Greenpartyca and Ekopedia) and maintaining a low carbon footprint- and implementing such information
- Changing the overall aspect of politics and, possibly, impacting the nowadays individualism (explaining how to...)
Many organizations, governmental, commercial or not-for-profit, work on these issues.
Milliongenerations started in the hope that viable visions or inspiring ideas will emerge and that we may hope for beneficial feedback to current affairs. Until, however, someone can come up with clear, convincing and attractive alternatives, the focus of milliongenerations.org should firmly remain in the long term, no matter how (or if) we believe it can or should be reached. One should be rather cautious about lobbying for actions. Attractive solutions should sell themselves. Meanwhile, other worthy organizations are better equipped to lobby the public or institutions for improvements. milliongenerations.org should help by trying to find conditions of truly sustainable civilizations. The focus on the steady state and the value of future generations may help many different efforts by providing a frame of reference and should help towards achieving a sustainable civilization. Thinking about it does not need to prevent work for other worthy causes. This site, however, should remain true to its purpose.