This chapter reflects on the challenging issues confronting our understanding of progress, the limits of our planet, and the implications of climate change, and how these realities force us to reevaluate our hopes for the future. Andrew Boyd delves into the psychological and ethical quandaries of sharing the "impossible news" about the climate crisis.

We are where?!

In the opening section, Boyd situates humanity within the vastness of the universe only to emphasize the predicament we face on our solitary home, Earth. He contrasts the traditional belief in linear, continual progress with the notion that this belief might be an illusion. The section also introduces a metaphor that will be explored throughout the chapter: that of climbing a ladder of progress only to potentially witness it fall apart due to catastrophic climate change and overconsumption.

The Scope of Catastrophe

Here, the chapter extends the metaphor of falling off the ladder of progress by examining the concept of "degrowth" and acknowledging humanity's excessive resource consumption. It's posited that we are, effectively, drawing down the Earth’s resources at an unsustainable rate, leading to the necessity of a planned reduction in the consumption of the world's richest economies to avert further catastrophe.

Facing the Impossible News

Boyd deliberates on the difficulty of conveying the impossible news of imminent ecological collapse. The psychological impact of accepting such a prospect is explored, including the resistance many feel when faced with this reality. The author examines whether the very idea of progress we've clung to is false and how this realization reshapes our understanding of our place within the world.

Should I Tell People How Bad It Is?

An analysis of the ethical responsibility to communicate the severity of climate change is presented. Boyd questions whether it's justifiable to relay the dire predictions of the future and the implications thereof. He discusses different stances taken by scientists, activists, and communicators in the process of sharing difficult truths about the climate crisis.

Meetings with Remarkable Hopers and Doomers

The final section involves conversations with individuals who have confronted the climate crisis head-on, such as Dr. Guy McPherson and Tim DeChristopher, providing perspectives on how to live meaningfully in the shadow of looming ecological collapse. These narratives offer intimate insights into navigating the balance between truth and hope, activism, and despair.

Throughout the chapter, Boyd grapples with the tension between truth-telling and fostering hope, suggesting the need for an ethos that accommodates the gravity of our ecological crisis while still evoking constructive engagement.