« To mention the global loss of biodiversity, that is to say, the disappearance of life on our planet, as one of our problems, along with air pollution or ocean acidification, is absurd—like a doctor listing the death of his patient as one symptom among others.
The ecological catastrophe cannot be reduced to the climate crisis. We must think about the disappearance of life in a global way. About two-thirds of insects, wild mammals and trees disappeared in a few years, a few decades and a few millennia, respectively. This mass extinction is not mainly caused by rising temperatures, but by the devastation of natural habitats.
Suppose we managed to invent clean and unlimited energy. This technological feat would be feted by the vast majority of scientists, synonymous in their eyes with a drastic reduction in CO2 emissions. In my opinion, it would lead to an even worse disaster. I am deeply convinced that, given the current state of our appetites and values, this energy would be used to intensify our gigantic project of systemic destruction of planetary life. Isn't that what we've set out to do—replace forests with supermarket parking lots, turn the planet into a landfill? What if, to cap it all, energy was free?
[...C]limate change has emerged as our most important ecological battle [...] because it is one that can perpetuate the delusional idea that we are faced with an engineering problem, in need of technological solutions. At the heart of current political and economic thought lies the idea that an ideal world would be a world in which we could continue to live in the same way, with fewer negative externalities. This is insane on several levels. Firstly because it is impossible. We can't have infinite growth in a finite world. We won't. But also, and more importantly, it is not desirable. Even if it were sustainable, the reality we construct is hell. [...]
It is often said that our Western world is desacralised. In reality, our civilisation treats the technosphere with almost devout reverence. And that's worse. We perceive the totality of reality through the prism of a hegemonic science, convinced that it “says” the only truth.
The problem is that technology is based on a very strange principle, so deeply ingrained in us that it remains unexpressed: no brakes are acceptable, what can be done must be done. We don't even bother to seriously and collectively debate the advisability of such "advances". We are under a spell. And we are avoiding the essential question: is this world in the making, standardised and computed, overbuilt and predictable, stripped of stars and birds, desirable?
To confine science to the search for "solutions" so we can continue down the same path is to lack both imagination and ambition. Because the “problem” we face doesn't seem to me, at this point, to be understood. No hope is possible if we don't start by questioning our assumptions, our values, our appetites, our symbols... [...] Let's stop pretending that the numerous and diverse human societies that have populated this planet did not exist. Certainly, some of them have taken the wrong route. But ours is the first to forge ahead towards guaranteed failure. »
— Aurélien Barrau, particle physicist and philosopher, in an interview in Télérama about his book L'Hypothèse K
Mettons en avant les valeurs considérées comme faibles, fragiles, inefficaces
La force, la possession, la domination, l'insouciance, ces valeurs viriles, sont nulles et destructrices. Valorisons plutôt que ce qu'on a tendance à voir dénigré dans nos sociétés actuelles, la patience, la douceur, l'empathie, le calme, l'égalité, la gentillesse. Des valeurs considérées comme moins efficaces, et souvent ramenées au féminin...
Agir pour sauvegarder notre planète, oui mais comment?
Sortir de la consommation de masse, c’est risquer de ralentir, fragiliser l’économie du pays.
Faut-il changer notre consommation de manière individuelle ou est-il nécessaire que le politique et le juridique s’en mêle?
Aurélien Barrau – Agir pour sauvegarder notre planète, oui mais comment? (extrait Thinkerview)
Aurélien Barrau : "Nous sommes des vivants qui n’aimons plus la vie"
La science peut-elle nous permettre d’éviter le pire? Quelle réponse doit-elle apporter face à la crise écologique? Débat avec Aurélien Barrau, astrophysicien, auteur de “L’Hypothèse K. La science face à la catastrophe écologique” (Grasset).
Il n’y a pas de grâce sans incompréhension.
*
Les « petits gestes » et autres « initiatives individuelles » sont certainement bienvenus. Mais ce n’est plus la question de fond. Un problème systémique ne peut avoir de solution que systémique. Il faut une révolution politique, poétique et philosophique. Dans un jeu où nous sommes sûrs de perdre, il n’est pas utile de faire un bon coup, il faut…
Before nap wedge the two pillows then, thanks to an ingenious Napolitan system, lower the book by Daniel Arasse (red rope) and hoist that of Aurélien Barrau (green rope). Start to see what I could draw at this altitude. Take some notes on the past hour. Look at the sky through the foliage. Close eyes. Naptime. When I woke up, read aloud a few lines from Aurélien Barrau's book
Lista di cose da fareII
Dalle 13:00 alle 14:00poco.
Prima della siestaincuneare i due cuscini poi, grazie ad un ingegnoso sistema napoletano, abbassare il libro di Daniel Arasse (corda rossa) e issare quello di Aurélien Barrau (corda verde). Inizia a vedere cosa potrei disegnare a questa quota. Prendi appunti sull'ultima ora. Guarda il cielo attraverso il fogliame. Chiudere gli occhi.Siesta. Quando ti svegli, leggi ad alta voce alcune righe del libro di Aurélien Barrau