The Great Climate Change Scam – Part 2

From Survival and Beyond

By Laurie Neverman

Climate changes. What do we do about it?

I think we should consider ourselves lucky that we haven’t had to contend with anything of this magnitude in recent history, but I wouldn’t count on that luck indefinitely. When you look at the big picture, there’s very little we can do to affect things on a geologic scale. We are small fry. What we can do is look at the survivors. When there was drought, who had enough water for crops? When food was scarce, who had stores to hold them over, and what was it? When catastrophe stuck, who was left standing?

Water fail: I’ve seen a fair amount of discussion online recently about the fall of the Roman Empire, and how it was linked to climate change. While indeed less favorable conditions may have played a role in its decline, at least some of the evidence suggests that at least in Northern Africa, the land could still be as productive as it was in Roman times if technology had had been abandoned and overgrazing encouraged. The paper “The Decline of North Africa since the Roman Occupation: Climatic or Human?” by Rhoads Murphey of Ohio State University (http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/courses/geog347/articles/decline_human.pdf) states that the current residents of these areas pay no attention to underground hydraulics and maintenance of wells, refusing to use water-lifting devices and destroying the pressure head on existing wells by drilling too close to them. They have also abandoned and destroyed trees carefully tended by the Romans as windbreaks. The water is still there, below ground, but no longer used.

Traditional rainwater harvesting methods were used for centuries to capture rainwater in large aquifers and for individual family use. Now much of the old technology is lost, and some places have even made it illegal to collect rainwater.

Fast forward to the Dust Bowl days, with vast amounts of topsoil being blown off the Great Plains and out into the ocean. Families losing their farms, losing everything they have.

Water win: If you are mechanically inclined (or even if you’re not), you may want to check out the books “Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged” and “The Home Water Supply”. Learn about creating windbreaks and microclimates, and experiment with whatever space you have growing crops that need less (or more) water than you would normally use. Research and practice using mulches, ground covers, dew harvesting, recovering potable water from waste water, using wastewater for irrigation – anything you can do to expand your knowledge base and skill levels.

Food Fail: See above disaster with the Egyptians eating their children and their dead. Irish potato famine – late blight wipes out the potato crop in Ireland 1845-50, leading to famine, a million dead and a million more leaving the country. Pakistan, 2010 – widespread flooding led to thousands facing starvation.

Widespread hunger still persists around the world, not always because of lack of food, but because the food can’t get to the people who need it. It’s estimated that most urban areas have less than three days food stockpiled in case of emergency. (Take a look at what happens in stores when hurricanes or blizzards are on their way.)

The world’s food supply depends on about 150 plant species. Of those 150, just 12 provide three-quarters of the world’s food. More than half of the world’s food energy comes from a limited number of varieties of three “mega-crops”: rice, wheat, and maize.

Food Win: After years of widespread failures of grain crops, in the late 1500s the potatoes finally began to earn a place as a food staple throughout Europe (with some serious PR from various monarchies). Professor Wangari Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement (GBM) in 1977. Since its inception, GBM has planted over 47 million trees in Kenya, rebuilding critical watershed areas, halting erosion and healing fragile ecosystems. They provide training to teach people to grow and use a variety of resilient food crops.
The Lima-based International Potato Center maintains the world’s largest collection of tubers – 4,500 types, working to preserve genetic diversity. Other seed banks and organizations around the world are working to protect and maintain heirloom and landrace crop varieties – crops that produce without large amounts of chemical inputs. There is a resurgence of interest in gardening and growing heirloom produce. Small groups of wildcrafters and weed eaters – those who use wild plants/weeds for food, medicine and other uses – are starting to pop up here and there, often connecting and sharing information through the internet.

Grass based farming, raising unconventional protein sources (such as bugs), aquaponics, hunting and other food production methods that require minimal outside inputs (as opposed to feed lot operations and large scale industrial agriculture), while not mainstream, are at least entering the vernacular of the everyday person.

How does the individual or family survive?

If you are able, avoid living in a densely populated area. When civilizations fall or disaster strikes, the cities fall the hardest. I know this is not a
practical solution for everyone, but it will improve your chances.

Stock your pantries well, with both short term and long term food storage items, and items readily bartered for food items, such as water filters,
seeds, fuel, self-defense items, tools, medicines, toiletries – whatever you have room for that you believe will be a good fit for your area. I have a list of my top Ten Foods that Store without Electricity on my site at: http://www.commonsensehome.com/preparedness-real-foods-when-you-need-them-most/.

Learn how to grow things NOW – not during an emergency. Like any skill, gardening takes time to master. Even if you only get some sprouts growing in a jar, or have some herbs in a pot on the patio, it’s better than nothing. With seasons of experience, you’ll know how to deal with temperature and moisture extremes, because at some point you’ll likely have encountered them. Try out different varieties of crops to get a feeling for which ones grow best in different types of conditions. I’ve got an heirloom tomato called Purple Russian that outperforms all the other tomatoes in the garden – but only in cold, dry years. I grow it as insurance. Heirloom and open-pollinated varieties produce viable seeds that can be saved a replanted. Hybrids and genetically modified crops may not.

Learn to raise critters if you can, preferably low maintenance critters that are able to forage for most of their food and survive. Visit the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy website (http://albc-usa.org/) to learn about heritage animals. Hunting, fishing and other methods of gathering wild food are good to know as well.

Educate yourself with as many basic skills as possible (and/or get to know people who have skills that complement your own), including building, repairing, healing – people and animals, sewing/mending, bee keeping, welding/metalworking, martial arts, seed saving, food preservation – you name it. Even if you don’t frequently use a skill yourself, they’re great for bartering in good times and bad.

The climate’s been changing since the earth began, and will continue to change. Plants and animals adapt or go extinct, as they always have. As for humanity, societies fail and become another footnote in history. Those who can adapt, survive.

Laurie Neverman lives in rural northeast Wisconsin in an environmentally friendly/energy efficient/accessible/new fangled/old fashioned home with solar panels, a root cellar and an herbal apothecary. She has a BS in Math/Physics and an MS in Mechanical Engineering. She is currently employed as a wife and mother with and a passion for natural healing, homesteading and gardening. She and her husband, August, homeschool their two boys, August V and Duncan. You can connect with her at www.commonsensehome.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CommonSenseHome.

Read More at Survival and Beyond