Richard Heinberg

AI seems to present a spectacular new slate of opportunities and threats. But, in essence, much of what was true before AI remains so now.

If there are future geologists and archaeologists, they will easily identify strata from our fleeting era by evidence of the rapid growth (and decline) of human numbers and their environmental impact, and by durable materials we have left behind—many of which will be plastics.

Chickens are smart, emotional animals. They can decimate local insect populations, but they are resilient and courageous. They deserve our respect.

As soaring consumer prices, supply chain disruptions, and reductions in government-provided funding and services threaten communities, localists can help bolster local markets and inspire mutual aid efforts, helping mobilize folks to take more responsibility for their own collective resilience and well-being.

The end of Big Solutions is perhaps the end of an illusion. But it is hardly the end of our opportunities to make a difference.

Watch “Trump’s Second Act: Power, Resistance, and the Limits of Governance,” with Richard Heinberg and Ed Saltzberg of Security and Sustainability Forum.