DISCUSSION GROUPS
Earlier meetings of HCW at the local Library:
The last meeting was Monday 1/12/2026, 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. at Twin Oaks Library continuing discussion of meeting of 10/21/2025 (see below). Book we will shortly review the classic book on solution addressing the climate crisis: Drawdown, the Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming edited by Paul Hawken
If you have been attending or believe our efforts to be important even though you could not attend – please spread the word about Humane Civilization Worldwide (humanecivilization.org) and our broad perspective on the problem; and/or please give me feedback (hae.hcw@gmail.com).
Please let me know if you are interested in attending future presentation-discussion groups, as announced, and if yes, are other times or places than what announced, would be better for you?
Please remember:
– The world IS sliding rapidly towards ‘climate hell.’ Even if accomplished, the ‘energy transition to all-electric’ will not halt global warming.
This is the worst crisis in human history, requiring actions that are as decisive as the response to World War II.
Who will help move public opinion towards demanding needed responses to this crisis?
– I cannot find any proposals from NGOs, activists, scientists, and authors describing the comprehensive emergency actions that are needed, and an acknowledgment that only governments can enact actions that may save modern civilizations, “the world as we know it.”
Is anybody, other than we, creating a thought-through draft of a blueprint for action?.
These are a few key issues:.
– The world needs to move from using most agricultural land for beef production to planting much more trees, etc. reverse the loss of much vegetation, improving local climates and bringing atmospheric greenhouse gases far down.
– More efforts are needed to slow or prevent the decomposing (rotting) of dead plants and other organic material.
– Save resources and energy: efficient transportation (particularly dense networks of narrow-track light rail lines, and ultra-light slow commuter vehicles), NOT 1.5 billion electric steel cars; building mostly with wood and bamboo, not concrete and steel; moving to mostly plant-based diets; use of extreme-white paint instead of more air conditioning; rein in data centers and misguided, dangerous A.I. developments, etc.
– People must also learn, living more simply, ethically, ecologically, we will be healthier and happier.
Do you care about the future of our young people and the most affected poor?
If so, please learn about the severity of the climate crisis and outlines of actions that can reverse global warming. Talk about it with everybody you know. Please explain: the people must demand radical, broad actions from the government. – More explanations in this website (humanecivilization.org)
Meeting: Tuesday 10/21 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. at Twin Oaks Library
Is there another way to reverse global warming and save the world as we know it?
There will be classical piano music at the beginning and during a short break;
We are also glad to meet with individuals or small groups in other places / times – please write to hae.hcw@gmail.com.
The main problem is the high atmospheric greenhouse gas levels, not the greenhouse gases we are releasing now.
The high CO2 levels and feedback loops will worsen weather catastrophes and the destabilization of the climates. The benefits of ‘net zero’ or ‘carbon neutrality’ are minimal.
Most effective natural ways to decrease atmospheric CO2 – we suggest:
1. Greatly increasing natural vegetation, particularly reforesting much land that is today used for beef production, which covers 75-80% of all agricultural land; and increasing land of natural prairies and wetlands; also planting commercially useful trees and bamboo, and cultivate algae. Lush vegetation improves local climates, cooling areas, promoting clouds, etc.
2. Efforts to prevent the burning and decomposing of dead plants.
3. Saving energy and resources in every way possible, creating energy efficient, healthier transportation system, promote plant-based diets, curb consumerism by restricting consumer credit, addressing data gathering and processing, abuses of AI, bitcoin, etc.
To accomplish needed changes is it not obvious that only the government can enact the major needed actions?
Actions must be as decisive as during WWII. The people must demand the changes, but first, activists and NGOs must get out of their niches and cooperate, participate in educating people regarding the urgency of emergency government actions, and also show how living more simply and ecologically minded will promote health and happiness.
Meeting: Monday September 9, 6:15-7:45 pm at Twin Oaks Library
Addressing the climate crisis: personal, present politics, long-term pursuit of effective comprehensive actions
Addressing the climate crisis on different levels – they include: 1. personal, 2. present politics, 3. long-term pursuit of effective comprehensive actions:
– Working on the long-term pursuit of effective actions is by far most important
– Political actions, lobbying present representatives, are very valuable, but will not reverse global warming.
– Personal actions may set examples and help us better understand the issues of climate and ethics.
We may already think of adapting to the envisioned future: decreasing consumerism and exposure to screens and AI, vegetarian diet, mostly local foods, fewer children and pets, particularly less large dogs, less car and airplane travel, planting trees, etc.
Grassroots efforts may address present politics but it is much more important that there will be broader education and that efforts focus on people and climate activist groups cooperating; we must create a powerful movement, which, when the time is right, demands comprehensive, radical government actions.
Meeting of August 4/2025:
Grassroots efforts must work towards a movement that will, when the time is right, demand radical, comprehensive government actions that will start reversing global warming. People have to discuss the issues and form educated opinions. It appears obvious: business as usual with incentives is not adequate; private enterprises and NGOs cannot halt global warming.
Will you be part of our grassroots organization? (no volunteer work or money involved!).
Please join our grassroots efforts. Please forward this message broadly and encourage friends and acquaintances to join our organization by writing to hae.hcw@gmail.com to get on our mailing list, and maybe make a small donation.
Please write to us if you wish to be removed from our mailing list.
The goal: start to reverse global warming. We must do much more than pursue “Net Zero” or “carbon neutrality,” as is often suggested.
It seems that the field of climate activism and sciences lacks cohesion – many isolated projects, most people appearing narrowly focused(?). Some obviously effective measures are not discussed – this is a main issue we want to address.
For grassroots efforts to grow, people should discuss issues, form educated opinions, and contact news media, authors, and NGO leaders.
We believe grassroots efforts must coalesce to a nation-, later worldwide, movement that, when the time is right, will demand the comprehensive, radical government actions that will start reversing global warming; the government emergency actions have to be as decisive as the response to Japan’s attack of Pearl Harbor and Hitler’s aggression.
To very shortly summarize our findings and proposals: Climate scientists understand that the climate crisis is rapidly worsening. The main culprit are the very high levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases. We suggest that the most effective ways to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels are:
1. Greatly increasing the world’s vegetation. A trillion trees, bamboo, algae and many other fast-growing plants must be cultivated.
2. Preventing the decomposing and burning of plants grown for carbon sequestration and other dead plants. To prevent the decomposing of dead plants and other organic materials, such as most landfill trash, the material must be kept very dry and/or cold, inundated in stagnant water, covered with earth or peat moss, or sunk into deep freshwater lakes, or dead zones or very cold parts of the sea.
3. Saving energy and resources in every way possible.
“Net Zero” or “carbon neutrality” is not the issue – feedback loops or vicious cycles contribute much more to continued global warming than recent and present releases of CO2 and methane. A transition to renewable energy and ending fossil fuel burning is valuable but will take many decades and is not addressing the key issues of the climate crisis. Presently pursued technologies to capture and sequester carbon are too expensive and hard to scale up.
Many other proposals of HCW will help to halt the causes and consequences of global warming:
– Addressing bank lending and consumerism, the abuses of artificial intelligence and of data gathering and analyzing; outlawing the extremely wasteful, ethically questionable crypto currencies, etc.
– Building with wood and bamboo; using white cooling paint and passive solar approaches instead of more air conditioning; mostly plant-based nutrition; much more energy efficient transportation systems; etc.
– Irrigating drought-damaged forests; very widely using wind-powered snow making machines to protect or expand glaciers, Arctic ocean pack ice, and snow fields.
Broad education should address the severity of the climate crisis, by sciences supported responses, and issues of ethics, health and happiness research. With much less consumerism, living more simply, ethically, closer to nature, with more interpersonal connectedness, and with meaningful goals, people will be healthier and happier.
Meetings, June 14 noon and June 30 6:30 pm, 2025
The Climate Crisis – is it a “frog in the pot” problem? Presentation and Discussion.
Are we like the frog in the pot? No response because the pot is heating slowly? Is there no way to prevent “climate hell”?
There is no hope, if there is no emerging mass movement that will, when the time is right, demand a government response that is radical, effective and comprehensive.
There is much false optimism about renewable energy and an ‘energy transition.’ Today’s greenhouse gas releases are not the central problem – the present very high level of atmospheric greenhouse gases is. A little less CO2 will not halt the destruction of ecosystems like rainforests and coral reefs, nor stop the melting of glaciers, sea ice, and permafrost.
Decades of research on climate point to a solution:
While saving energy and resources, we must invest in sequestering huge amounts of carbon, using proven and innovative methods like growing much more vegetation and preventing dead plants from burning or decomposing.
Underneath the activism towards carbon neutrality, we need grassroots activities that promote a nationwide movement that will, in time, demand the needed radical, comprehensive, government response. We must greatly reduce atmospheric CO2 and methane levels, reduce consumerism, and restructure our economy. Otherwise global warming cannot be reversed – modern civilizations will be doomed.
Global warming is a ‘frog in the pot’ problem. But we are not frogs, and people largely ignore what needs to happen because they assume that everybody else behaves like the frog; and some may think “why should I initiate grassroots activities?
The other issue: People trust “middle-of-the-road” projections – that is outrageous. If a new airplane is marketed, some engineers love it, some say little, but some emphasize that the plane is definitely not safe. What airline would buy it? Who would want to fly in it? We must not gamble with the world’s future by trusting optimists. People also must know that there are points of no return: a melted glacier, a destroyed rain-forest or coral reef ecosystem will not recoup when the world will cool some.
Governments must take emergency measures: The world needs efficient transportation systems, use of wood and bamboo for most building needs, largely plant-based diets, and most importantly, over a trillion additional trees, as well as much bamboo and many other fast-growing plants. Dead plants must then be preserved in ways that do not release its carbon as CO2 and other greenhouse gases.
We all must work towards strengthening such grassroots activities, building a nationwide powerful movement within a reasonable time. And we may remind each other, living simpler, more cooperative, compassionate, closer to nature and closer to each other, we will be healthier and happier.
Previously discussed: Everybody has a responsibility – we must avert the climate debacle: more and more land becoming unlivable, mass migrations and worldwide violence in addition to the deadly weather catastrophes. What to do? Something that has no measurable effect versus …? That’s to be discussed. The world is rapidly moving towards-past points-of-no-return and worsening instability – but people do not want to think about bad news. However, we all have an ethical obligation to work on moving towards a radical, effective government response, move the needle of public opinion, encourage writers and activists to speak out more forcefully – for young people’s sake. (Electric cars, ‘everything electric’ are not the answer.) Please plan to come to this meeting, or help us set up other meetings; bring a friend – and please tell everybody you know about humanecivilization.org .
A nationwide movement must demand real, government-led climate action. What went wrong in the development of humans?
Recently, scientific data and news about disasters lead many to feel hopeless.
Developments have been self-propelling, out of control. Economic growth is misguided, making people unhappy and destroying the world as we know it.
As during WWII, our government must direct industries, halt consumerism and waste, employ people to plant the trillion trees we need, build rail lines, etc.
HCW proposals are based on thinking in radically different ways, ‘out-of-the-box.’ We describe comprehensive plans of redirecting our misguided economic activities to save our world and civilizations. See humanecivilization.org/climate-emergency
We must educate ourselves, educate the people we know, contact influential people, and help create a nationwide movement, that demands emergency government action. If we lead, other nations will follow.
Meeting October 1 2024: The climate crisis: reason for cautious optimism. There are more and more ways to halt greenhouse gas releases, reduce methane and CO2, and to sequester carbon. humanecivilization.org contains some novel approaches along with summarizing well-known greenhouse gas-reducing activities. Obviously, a profit-driven economy will not realize what is needed. It will take time to come to a near consensus that radical, top-down government action is needed, comparable to the response in WWII. At that time it also took a long time – but after the Pearl Harbor attack, America woke up and the response was radical and effective – the Climate Crisis needs a ‘Pearl Harbor moment.’.
Meeting July 17/2024 evening: Discussion meeting: Eco-anxiety is interfering with young people’s quality of life and functioning.
For more details see blog, political. Please contact me for suggestions and/or if you would like to meet with me individually to discuss issues and progress. hae.hcw@gmail.com..
Concerning Eco-anxiety: Some sobering data that was published in August 2023 (below, more of my thoughts). Harvard political reviews: Climate anxiety among international youth is at an all-time high. In a 2022 poll, “59% of youth and young adults said they were very or extremely worried about climate change and more than 45% said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily life and functioning,” according to CBS News.
Leaders of the Citizens Climate Lobby and other NGOs, many scientists, authors, and activists are afraid to discuss “doom” and a need for sacrifices, believing talking about present realities will “turn off” people, lead them to withdraw. We discuss catastrophic illnesses and dangers of accidents – but we are afraid of discussing how we rapidly move towards “climate hell”? It is hardly disputed that, if there are not very dramatic changes in developments, our and particularly younger relatives’ future will be very difficult and painful. And, humans readily embrace sacrifices that appear meaningful; in sports, people accept strenuous, and often painful practicing not just for oneself but so that communities and families feel proud; women have children and accept most of the hardships in raising them, which is very hard but greatly benefits their families; people voluntarily join the army; families turn their lives upside down for an injured or severely ill loved one, many people pull up stakes and, accepting dangers and sacrifices, migrate to other parts of the world; etc.
Hiding truths will not make eco-anxiety (or climate anxiety) go away, neither do seemingly meaningful actions that will not change the trajectory of developments.
Previous HCW meetings after Covid interruption (when library closed) (for more details see blog, political)
8/18/2022 The Climate Crisis and Ethics
9/22/2022 Addictions – Ethics – Climate
10/27/2022 Economics – Ethics – Climate
12/1/2022 The Important Questions In Life – Ethics? Health and Happiness? Climate?
1/5/2023 Happiness, Meaning in Life, and the Future
2/8/2023 Happiness, Meaning in Life, and the Future 2
3/14/2023 The Climate Crisis: Giving Up Is Not an Option. What are the most effective actions we can take?
4/26/2023 We must halt global warming and escalating fear may be the key to get needed, radical changes enacted
5/30/2023, The Climate Crisis and the Question of “Political Will”
7/6/2023: Corporate CEOs and Politicians Gamble With Our Future: How Can We Stop Them?
8/8 /2023: What does it mean “I care about what global warming does to the world of our children, to the most affected poor?
9/26/2023 Discussion Meeting: Humane Civilization Worldwide: Review of goals and activities.
11/14/2023 What is basically wrong with modern cultures? Is the focus of education what individuals and societies need?
1/5/2024 Thinking about the climate: How serious is the crisis?
3/12/2024. Discussing human reactions to the climate crisis.
4/30/2024 With our weak climate actions: Are we complicit in a genocide?