To avert climate disaster, we need resilient societies built on love, not just technology
The Guardian Weekly|November 05, 2021
When things look especially bleak for humankind, it’s worth reminding ourselves who we are – what makes us such a special species.
Gaia Vince
To avert climate disaster, we need resilient societies built on love, not just technology

Beyond our machines and buildings, beyond our fiery conquests, we’re exceptional because we are capable of love. And not just one to one and within families, but on a massive scale.

This is especially pertinent as we face the climate crisis. Our technologies will be vital in solving this crisis : windmills to decarbonise our energy systems , flood defences against rising seas , and air conditioners to survive heatwaves. We will need many more technological fixes, and much faster.

Just as essential to our survival, however, are social fixes. Love is often seen as a charming but irrelevant characteristic in our species’ story , the remit of poets. But love is what draws us together to forge the strong, caring societies that make us so successful as a species . And it is what will, ultimately, save us from this crisis.

The biggest issue will be poverty , and the solution is not technological but social. Take food. Climate change will hit crops around the world – extreme weather will cause harvests to be lost regularly, potentially slashing crop production by a third by 2050.

Esta historia es de la edición November 05, 2021 de The Guardian Weekly.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición November 05, 2021 de The Guardian Weekly.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE THE GUARDIAN WEEKLYVer todo
Starlink's conquest of the Amazon leaves Brazil in a dilemma
The Guardian Weekly

Starlink's conquest of the Amazon leaves Brazil in a dilemma

The helicopter swooped into one of the most inaccessible corners of the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian special forces commandos leaped from it into the caiman-inhabited waters below.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 13, 2024
Dalai Lama's mountain town feels the strain of tourist boom
The Guardian Weekly

Dalai Lama's mountain town feels the strain of tourist boom

SUVs and saloon cars pass slowly along McLeod Ganj's narrow one-way Jogiwara Road, blaring horns at pedestrians and scooter riders and playing loud music.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 13, 2024
'I am all the world' The brutal rule of a West Bank settler
The Guardian Weekly

'I am all the world' The brutal rule of a West Bank settler

Palestinians tell ofblacklisted Yakov's reign across the Jabal Salman valley and heisjust one of many violent bosses

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 13, 2024
Stormy waters New flashpoint emerges in South China Sea dispute
The Guardian Weekly

Stormy waters New flashpoint emerges in South China Sea dispute

Hopes that tensions in the South China Sea might ease have been short lived.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 13, 2024
'Justice delayed' Why trust in public inquiries to bring closure is fading
The Guardian Weekly

'Justice delayed' Why trust in public inquiries to bring closure is fading

After the final report of the Grenfell fire inquiry was published, Hisam Choucair, who lost six family members in the blaze, said: \"We did not ask for this inquiry... It's delayed the justice my family deserves.\"

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 13, 2024
Celeriac soup with almond pangrattato
The Guardian Weekly

Celeriac soup with almond pangrattato

I'm not ashamed to say that as soon as September hits, my stick blender comes out. Just as I embrace salads when the clocks go forward in the UK, I wholeheartedly throw myself into soup season once the summer holidays end. Autumn is approaching in the northern hemisphere and I'm ready with my ladle. Celeriac is one of my favourite soup heroes, because it gives the creamiest, silkiest finish with little effort. You don't have to make the almond pangrattato, but it is a wonderful addition.

time-read
1 min  |
September 13, 2024
Are smoke signals telling me to make an oil change in the kitchen?
The Guardian Weekly

Are smoke signals telling me to make an oil change in the kitchen?

Should you that is, not can you) cook with extra-virgin olive oil? Antonio, Atlanta, Georgia, US

time-read
1 min  |
September 13, 2024
Going underground
The Guardian Weekly

Going underground

A darkly humorous encounter between an American spy-cop and the members ofan eco-commune she is hired to infiltrate

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 13, 2024
All work and no play
The Guardian Weekly

All work and no play

Hard Graft, a powerfulnew London exhibition, focuses onworkers’ exploitation, from the ruined hands ofa washerwoman to mothers forced to sell their bodies

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 13, 2024
What the princess and the shaman tell us about hereditary privilege
The Guardian Weekly

What the princess and the shaman tell us about hereditary privilege

It should have been an Instagram-perfect wedding image, but it turned out to be something more embarrassing.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 13, 2024