Still No Planet B

Gus Speth: "I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that, with 30 years of good science, we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy. To deal with those, we need a spiritual and cultural transformation, and we scientists don't know how to do that."

Our political systems, dominated by wealthy businessmen and a sprawling military-industrial-media-congressional complex, systematically drown out the urgent warnings of scientists like Speth and former NASA scientist James Hansen. Despite irrefutable evidence that "business as usual" will doom all life on Earth, the entrenched power of corporate elites prioritizes profit over survival. Speth’s stark realization—that selfishness, greed, and apathy, embodied by figures like Trump and the billionaire class controlling both parties, are the true environmental crises—exposes the moral rot at the core of our predicament. These forces, wielding influence through lobbying, media manipulation, and political capture, render scientific pleas impotent, as policy bends to short-term gain rather than long-term survival.

Hansen’s decades of climate warnings, like Speth’s call for a spiritual and cultural transformation, highlight a grim truth: science alone cannot shift a system rooted in exploitation. The apathy of leaders, fueled by greed, dismisses biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate chaos as mere externalities. Overcoming this requires a profound awakening—a rejection of materialism and division in favor of collective stewardship. Without dismantling the stranglehold of corporate power, Speth’s vision of transformation remains elusive, and humanity’s path to extinction grows ever clearer.

Humanity stands at a precipice, with climate tipping points crossed and the Earth’s delicate balance unraveling. A profound shift in our collective psyche is needed. The traits embodied by figures like Trump and the corporate elite who dominate both political parties threaten our survival. In Al Gore and Pope Leo XIV, we find archetypes of hope—figures who embody the moral and spiritual transformation needed to prolong humanity’s existence on this planet.

Gore has carried the mantle of environmental consciousness for decades, his journey rooted in a deep encounter with the collective unconscious. As a teenager, stirred by his mother’s reading of Silent Spring, Gore’s awareness of humanity’s impact on nature took shape. This was no fleeting interest but a calling, amplified by the cultural currents of Earth Day and the Club of Rome’s warnings. His congressional hearings on climate change in the 1970s, his advocacy for a Global Marshall Plan in 1990, and his relentless push for the Kyoto Protocol as Vice President reveal a man driven by a vision of integration—between humanity and the Earth, progress and preservation. His documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” is a mythic narrative, awakening millions to the reality of our shared peril. Gore’s veganism, his hybrid vehicles, and his carbon offsets reflect a personal alignment with the principles he champions, a lived attempt to reconcile the individual with the collective good. Critics point to his energy use or investments, but these are distractions from his core truth: he has consistently placed the Earth’s survival above personal gain, embodying the archetype of the wise elder who calls society to confront its shadow.

Pope Leo XIV, newly elected as the first American pontiff, emerges as a Western spiritual guide, a figure of the Self who bridges the material and divine. His life, shaped by the stark realities of poverty and environmental degradation in Peru, reflects an intimate connection to the Earth’s suffering. As a missionary and bishop, he witnessed the wounds of creation firsthand—water scarcity, degraded lands, and vulnerable communities. His call, as Cardinal Prevost, to move “from words to action” on climate echoes the urgency of the hero’s journey, demanding humanity rise to meet its existential challenge. Following Pope Francis, who declared a global climate emergency and wove environmental justice into the Church’s mission, Leo XIV inherits a legacy of moral clarity. His early words from St. Peter’s Basilica, emphasizing unity and dialogue, suggest a vision of global solidarity, a collective individuation where humanity transcends division to protect its shared home. The Church’s steps—joining the Paris Agreement, launching the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, divesting from fossil fuels—signal a shift toward a new consciousness, one Leo XIV seems poised to amplify.

Together, Gore and Leo XIV represent the alchemical union of intellect and spirit, the practical and the sacred. Gore’s decades of advocacy provide the knowledge and frameworks—policy, technology, and grassroots movements—to navigate the crisis. Leo XIV, with his global moral authority and lived experience among the marginalized, offers the spiritual compass, reminding us that climate change is not just a scientific issue but a matter of human dignity and divine stewardship. Their shared commitment counters the apathy and greed Speth decries, embodying the transformation he calls for. Where selfishness divides, they foster unity; where greed hoards, they advocate sacrifice; where apathy numbs, they ignite action.

The path forward requires humanity to confront its shadow—those traits Speth identifies as our deepest environmental threats. Gore and Leo XIV, through their respective realms of influence, guide us toward this reckoning. They are not saviors but catalysts, urging us to integrate the fragmented parts of our collective psyche: the drive for progress with reverence for nature, individual desires with communal responsibility. As climate tipping points accelerate, their leadership offers a beacon. By heeding their call, humanity can forge a new covenant with the Earth, one that ensures our survival through a profound spiritual and cultural rebirth.

The political action the US needs now is represented by the Green New Deal (GND), championed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a comprehensive legislative framework aimed at addressing the climate crisis and economic inequality through transformative policies. Introduced initially in 2019 with Senator Ed Markey, the GND seeks to decarbonize the U.S. economy, achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and create millions of high-paying, unionized jobs. Key components include transitioning to 100% renewable energy for electricity and transportation by 2030, investing heavily in green infrastructure, and ensuring a "just transition" for fossil fuel workers with guaranteed wages, healthcare, and job retraining.

A flagship initiative, the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act, reintroduced in 2024, proposes investing $162–$234 billion over ten years to retrofit and expand public housing into zero-carbon, energy-efficient units. This would improve living conditions for nearly 2 million residents, create up to 280,000 jobs, and reduce carbon emissions by 5.7 million metric tons annually. The plan also repeals the Faircloth Amendment to allow new public housing construction, addressing housing shortages and environmental injustices disproportionately affecting low-income and minority communities.

The hour is so late, the direction we need to move so obvious…