As we continue heading toward planetary disaster, like the Titanic steaming toward its rendezvous with a big freakin’ iceberg, we might want to figure out how to prepare and manage our lifeboats. In environmentalism’s seedy past, a famous ecologist used the metaphor of lifeboats getting swamped to argue for a “screw the poor and non-whites” strategy to deal with the limits to growth. In search of better ideas and better leadership, Asher, Rob, and Jason discuss how we can reinvent lifeboat ethics and find prosocial ways to manage humanity’s shared crises. Bonus: find out what to do if you should find that the soles of your feet have fallen off.
Asher became the Executive Director of Post Carbon Institute in October 2008, after having served as the manager of our former Relocalization Network program. He’s worked in the nonprofit sector since 1996 in various capacities. Prior to joining Post Carbon Institute, Asher founded Climate Changers, an organization that inspires people to reduce their impact on the climate by focusing on simple and achievable actions anyone can take.
Tags: building community resilience, Crazy Town
Related Articles
'SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS wp_posts.ID
FROM wp_posts LEFT JOIN wp_term_relationships ON (wp_posts.ID = wp_term_relationships.object_id)
WHERE 1=1 AND wp_posts.ID NOT IN (3481266) AND (
wp_term_relationships.term_taxonomy_id IN (5,9001,46432,47210,47212,47214,47441,47503)
) AND wp_posts.post_type = \'post\' AND ((wp_posts.post_status = \'publish\'))
GROUP BY wp_posts.ID
ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC
LIMIT 0, 3'
By Asher Miller, Jason Bradford, Rob Dietz, Resilience.org
Jason, Rob, and Asher explore the world of competitive birding, the relationship between those who love nature and the technology they use to connect to it, and how even the most gentle of shared passions can get corrupted by status-fueled competition.
April 8, 2026
By Jeremy Lent, Ecocivilization
We continue down a path of collective destruction, in part because of a belief system so pervasive it feels like reality itself. Recognizing our deep interconnectedness is essential to building a more just and sustainable future.
April 8, 2026
By Richard Heinberg, Resilience.org
Why do people cling to falsehoods, even in the face of evidence? Both truth and lies serve social purposes, but holding onto reason becomes essential as we face climate change and rising Trumpism.
April 7, 2026