I am so struck right now (and most other times) at how concerned Bill McKibben was in '08 when he wrote what I'm now re-reading in "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and The Durable Future", and to see how much worse things have gotten, and much faster than he knew then.

McKibben was much better informed (he saw to that by actually delving into the science and writing so effectively about it for a general audience) than most, but even those in the know have since been struck at how much faster things have moved toward the deeper crises that they (the scientists and those who understood and took seriously their concerns) were presenting as the darker scenarios in their forecasts , depending on what kind of action we take in the months and years ahead.

We have not chosen well at all. And far too few of those in our trusted institutions that we have come to depend upon for information, education, and inspiration, have been warning us that we are wasting precious time. I am particularly miffed at the religious communities for their neglect (and blindness) in this regard.

This sad reality only accentuates the importance of his theme in that book 18 yrs ago: That we need to move quickly toward more local & less global economic systems, and more conscious, concerted efforts to work toward "ruggedizing" our communities & structures where we live.