A question I often get asked is, what scenario should we even prepare for?
There are so many black clouds on the horizon, how can we focus on climate change and the challenges it will bring?
Should we not focus on the current issues at hand?
Let’s take a look at those issues!
Covid19 – The Pandemic We Knew Would Come
The Covid19 pandemic has been ravaging the world since early 2020 and it’s nowhere near done with us. Some people in Europe and the US seem to think the pandemic is over because the rate of new infections has been reduced drastically. This is very short-sighted. Worldwide, daily new infections are still rising and at an increasing speed. The virus is present all over the world, so a second wave of mass infections is very, very likely. The first wave was spreading within a few weeks, caused by just a couple of imported cases. It’s hard to imagine why the second wave should not be way worse when everyone goes back to normal while the virus is more widely spread than ever before.
As a prepper, it is especially painful to see this pandemic unfold because it could have easily been avoided. Everyone with a preparedness mindset knows about the scientific studies and simulations that have been warning about a pandemic like Covid19 for many years. Had our governments been aware of and heeded those warnings, chances would’ve been good to contain the virus at a very early stage with drastic but short-termed measures.
As it is, governments failed to react, and the pandemic is running its unstoppable course.
Economic Crisis and Global Recession
Meanwhile, the temporary flattening of the curve of Covid19 infections in Europe and the US has been bought for a very high price. Social distancing, the shutdown of businesses, and massive interruptions in global supply chains have led to a deep economic recession which makes the 2008/2009 financial crisis look benign. Unemployment rates have skyrocketed like they haven’t since the great depression in 1929 and many businesses will go bankrupt in the coming weeks and months. The Fed, ECB and other central banks are printing money like it’s their job (well, technically it IS their job…). This may or may not help keep the economy alive for a while, but it will also lead to severe inflation in the coming years.
Gasoline on the Fires of Social Unrest
Inflation, as we very well know, will make the poor even poorer. This is like pouring gasoline on the already blazing fires of the social divide within the Western world. Fortunately, right now it appears that this social divide couldn’t possibly become any wider. As I am writing this post, riots take place all over the US, following the brutal murder of George Floyd. At this point, I don’t dare to predict how soon these riots and social unrest will calm down. Even if they do fairly quickly, it just goes to show that any spark could ignite the fire again – hotter than ever before.
What You Should Prepare For
So, to come back to the initial question. Shouldn’t we prepare for a pandemic, a recession, or social unrest instead of climate change?
The answer is easy:
By preparing for the consequences of climate change you are automatically preparing for all of these things.
Hundreds of millions of people will have to flee from lethal wet-bulb temperatures in countries close to the equator. Global supply chains will crumble, and the globalized economy will basically cease to exist.
Crop failures will see people go hungry and desperately fight for food all over the world. Our failing ecosystems are simply not suited to sustain almost 8 billion people. They never have been able to provide for 8 billion people sustainably. This is part of the reason we have come to this point!
Alfred Henry Lewis once stated that there are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy.
It is not difficult to imagine what will happen in our society when many people go hungry and have to watch their families starve. It is also not difficult to imagine that it will be far, far worse than the riots we are currently seeing in the US.
This is one of the reasons we advise you to move out of the cities to rural areas and put safety measures in place as a huge part of the way to preparedness. Read more about this topic in my post about finding a climate-resilient home!
Diseases of all kinds will become increasingly dangerous. This is especially true since professional medical care is an amenity of civilization we may not always be able to enjoy. We will have to take extra care of our health and hygiene and being able to deal with contagious diseases is a must.
To Sum It All Up
So, a short version of that answer to the initial question would be:
Keep preparing for climate change and its consequences, and you will be able to face any challenge on the way!
Climate Change is the big danger looming over all the other troubles and issues we’ll be facing along the road. Adapting both our mindset and our way of life to face this danger and survive and thrive in its shadow will enable us to become more resilient overall.