John D Liu’s documentary on the ecological restoration of the desert on the Loess Plateau in China,
John Liu on the importance of ecological restoration in climate action,
I feel certain that to succeed in reversing climate change, biodiversity loss, and hydrological collapse, ecosystem restoration must become the central intention of human civilization. We must consider how big a change this is. It is a paradigm shift of enormous complexity but if humanity decides collectively to restore the Earth’s natural ecological functionality, then really nothing can stop us.
My greatest hope is in “The Ecosystem Restoration Camps Movement” which is growing rapidly and after just 5 years is expected to have over 50 camps around the world by the end of 2021. The camps face challenges but they are successfully engaging new people and new energy to restoration efforts. I think that this method that allows all to participate is a key element to restoring the Earth.
Already there are camps on all continents. In the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Middle East there are camps in Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Somalia, Turkey, and together with the UN and GAIA University, several villages are working on Rural Agriculture Development in Syria. We are working to link these together and get Arabic Language teaching materials flowing through the region to grow more camps and involve more communities.
On priorities,
Consciousness: We are going to have to value life higher than things. We must transform the economy in order to reflect the true value of life. This requires us to stop thinking that buying and selling things is somehow the basis of wealth and allows us to understand and care for all people and all living beings. Now we are invested in death and are consuming the Earth’s life support systems. This false belief in materialism must end, so we can take another path.
If we are unable to understand this or unable to do it then we cannot change the trends that are leading to predictable catastrophic outcomes.
Intention: We must be intentional. Intention depends on what we understand and is the bridge between theoretic understanding and action. I believe that when people make this shift then all politicians and theorists will follow. We must reverse the course of what is happening now. We can no longer wait for the vested interests to lead because they believe that it is in their interest to keep things the same, we require a paradigm shift.
Action: Now is the time to act. All people who understand that our children and future generations of life are dependent on this choice must now stand up and take action. If we are conscious of the value of the Earth’s living systems and of all life and we have the intention to stop exploiting and start conserving and restoring then we must act with fairness, efficiency, and effectiveness. The best way to do this is joyously and collaboratively. It is a monumental shift in civilization.
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