Welcome! We will get started in 2 minutes!

Hi All, Woody Hastings (he/him) with The Climate Center (theclimatecenter.org) here. Just introducing myself.

Hi everyone, Alicia Orozco, she/her/ella, looking forward to tonite.

OMG Woody, great to have you Cynthia Kaufman here

Jackie Garcia Mann 350 Contra Costa

Hi everyone! I'm Michelle Merrill (she/her) with Novasutras, in Santa Cruz Mtns, unceded land of Awaswas Ohlone people

Kim from Los Angeles.

Kasey Dolin, occupied Duwamish territory

China Brotsky, 350

Johannes from Davis

Sean Carlin (he/him), Climate Reality Leader with the San Fernando Valley Chapter of the Climate Reality Project: https://www.sfvclimatereality.org/

Hi all, Diana Curiel, Ohlone land, Oakland

Debbie Notkin from Oakland (hi, Stan!)

Jack Lucero Fleck, 350 Bay Area

Kathy, Sherman Oaks, CA

Kathy Dervin, 350 East Bay (Berkeley)

Cathy Gere, Green New Deal at UCSD, our own ministry for the future...

Tracey B-Well, you out there?

I'm a Climate Leader with Climate Reality Project.

nancy kurshan, oakland, ohlone land

@cathy Gere +++

Tara Sitser, Leadership Team Member Climate Reality Project, San Fernando Valley, CA chapter

Hi I’m Paula Buel, she/her from Berkeley, CA/Nisjan villages, Chocenyo Ohlone land.

David Hughes, Rutgers AAUP-AFT (the faculty union of Rutgers University) - but heart in Berkeley/Oakland borderlands (Ohlone)

Tom Kabat (working on Electrification Plans, Watt Diet, policy, tools and new lower power machines)

fossilfreeca.org/donate

Jan Cecil

Lisa Roth, San Francisco

Justine Burt, author of The Great Pivot: Creating Meaningful Work to Build a Sustainable Future, who would like to see millions of new green jobs

Nan Renner, Green New Deal at UCSD. Hello friends from Kumeyaay Land!

David Solnit, Climate Justice Arts Project and Julie Searle CFT Divest

Sunflower Alliance and Sierra club

Laurie Litman, 350 Sacramento

Richard Unger, Oakland

Scott Steward - hi - Yolo Climate Emergency Coalition, Climate Strike Davis - Coalition building and perennial activist for democracy

Richard Weiss in Oakland - Ohlone Land. Hi, everyone.

UCSD climate activists are so inspired by the book!

Jessie Boucher, Divest the CSU/Fossil Free Cal Poly

Thanks you for all of your hard work with CAL-STRS. I think we’re finally seeing good movement on that front.

Sarah Ranney, chair of the Sierra Club Bay Chapter Climate Literacy Committee and co-author of the BUSD Climate Literacy Resolution. Hi everyone!

Robin Datel, Davis

Sharon Strauss and Mark Schwartz, Davis

I should have mentioned that I'm with Public Bank East Bay, which has a role in the concept of fossil-free California

Susan Ustin, Davis

Linda Deos, Davis

WooHoo about progress so far. This is very challenging work.

Laura Neish, 350 Bay Area- good to see so many allies here!

divestment dominos!!

Andrew, in Los Angeles/Tongva land. Hi everyone.

I work at Chicana Latina Foundation, I'm on the Board of FFCA, and I am a CalPERS retiree. We need to divest as soon as possible!

Janelle London with the nonprofit Coltura -- working to accelerate the transition away from gasoline to cleaner alternatives. Hi all!

Between Ministry for the Future and Don't Look Up, fiction is creating the tipping point that catalyzes climate change solutions

Useful in the struggle, COMING CLEAN: A Demand for a Fossil Free UC. (41 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N_dq9J7mDY

Glenn Claycomb, XRLA

Sustainability writer zooming in from NYC. Originally from India and fascinated by the book's setting.

Theresa in Santa Barbara

welcome deepali

26!

Cricket - El Cerrito

Randa Solick from Santa Cruz People for Public Banking Central Coast. I agree with Debbie, we can be part of gettng to fossil-free CA!

Put your questions in the chat at any time

Sharon from the San Fernando Valley Chapter of Climate Reality (and a huge KSR fan!)

I am Jan Ross, from Social Justice Ministry of Live Oak UU Congregation.

Vanessa Warheit, on unceded Ohlone land in El Cerrito, CA - with Atmos Financial (world’s coolest climate-positive bank) and EV Charging Access for All coalition

Julian Weissglass fron Santa Barbara

Scott Kamen, Davis

This chat reminds me of the chapter in MINISTRY that lists all the organizations working for the climate by the end of the book

It's beautiful, isn't it Debbie?

Hi, Debbie! I was thinking the same thing. I’m with Friends of the River.

Hi Debbie Notkin! Luv!

I'm Jim Mulherin, UCSC, Santa Cruz Climate Action Network. Question: What have you learned about interventions either on preventing climate change or helping with the effects?

Hi - Rebecca Franke, Berkeley, Sierra Club, Climate Emergency Mobilization, co-founder Climate Literacy Committee

Nina!

John Livingston of North State Climate Action in Redding CA

I have a QUESTION for Kim Stanley Robinson: In the novel, a violent kidnapping helps shift policy against fossil fuels. Are you trying to create space - as Andreas Malm has - for illegal tactics within the climate movement? Is this moment to turn to anti-oil sabotage, at least? - David Hughes, Rutgers AAUP-AFT

Hello and thank you all Stephen Kent Jones Rohnert Park Ca., friend of Jane, Bill and Byron Vosburg

Josh Levinger, Truckee (Washoe land)

Liz Amsden, Los Angeles activist and a longtime admirer of Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars

Scotland for COP sounds pretty different from Beijing for the Olympics.

Jacob Hileman. From Blacksburg, Virginia. Fighting against the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

"a best case scenario that you can still believe in"

This is why we love you, KSR

So grateful to Stan for writing MFTF — it felt like a highly gifted novelist had got inside my head & then written a novel.

it's such an important book, thank you for writing it

Scientists now estimate that the emissions from all the existing fossil fired machines (including water heaters, furnaces and cars) will use up all the atmospheric space to go over 2 degree C. That means any new replacement machine needs to be electric if we have a chance to stay under that Paris limit. How might we get people to understand this and choose accordingly?

How Dorsa Brevia

Loved how you wrote about economic valuations in the book!

Dorsa Brevia was one of the natural cavities formed by ancient lava flows, which created channels that snaked through the terrain; the outer layer solidified and liquid lava flowed inside, leaving behind large and long empty tunnels. The dorsa ran in the North-South direction. (just looked it up)

We need to reduce the load How do we resolve requirements for electricity with the need for storage?

Question for KSR: I was deeply affected by The Ministry for the Future, but just one chapter made me sob: Chapter 85. It's four solid pages of organization names listed by country. It reads like a procession of hope, and as soon as I realized what I was reading, I knew that those organizations were all real. How did that chapter come about, and how do you decide how and when to anchor your fiction to reality?

Maybe 8

Question: The consensus model = slow and cautions, yes. Can you articulate why it is still the only model we can accept, and your sense of the necessity/benefits (or drawbacks) of this arrangement?

Theo - Acheron, NW of Olympus Mons

Question for KSR: I am very curious about the role that political violence plays in MftF. I know you've been asked this question before, but do you believe political violence on climate change is inevitable? Is it necessary to make progress? Do you think it's justified?

It seems to me that countries should make commitments based on total historical emissions, not current yearly emissions

Igor: Can you define "violence," please?

in MftF, violence == attacks on airplanes, taking hostages against their will, potentially assassinations of political figures

Igor: No, I mean, can you define the term "violence," generally?

how can our policy makers escape FF corporate bondage and disinformation?

Yeah! Carboni

Yes—to the question of shared dialog! So important to keep the conversation going

Curious whether the narrative structure of John Brunner's books "Stand on Zanzibar" and "The Sheep Look Up" affected your own choices for "Ministry for the Future."

Carbon Tax

Kasey: I haven't thought about it, but I guess my tentative definition of "violence" would be "action intended to harm others, and which is not speech".

OMG love that “biospheric bankruptcy of the neoliberal POV”

Greenland committed to leave their FF reserves in the ground—not sure anyone paid them

Thank you for speaking up!

Amy Gorman, Berkeley, Carbon Tax, Yes -

Igor: I would love to hear KRS answer your question in a slightly reframed manner: Can you speak to why "attacks on airplanes, taking hostages against their will, assassinations of political figures" are easily classified as "action intended to harm others, which is not speech," while the acts of corporations and nation states that compromise climate health are not defined as violence?

The petrostate profit on a barrel is less than the full market value of a barrel.

A question: Here in CA we are working to accelerate GHG reduction targets and natural sequestration goals to be in alignment with the latest science - from 2045 to 2030 to achieve net-negative (And yes, I know we are not even on track to achieve existing goals). The Western States Petroleum Assoc. and aligned unions repeatedly stop good climate legislation. Any thoughts on how to break the logjam, short of 20M being killed in an extreme heat episode?

Q for KSR: Any plans to turn MFTF into a film?

reparations for slave owners

Kasey, great point. Society runs on FF’s, precedent, current necessity, acceptance of status quo. The most powerful political power is The Status Quo.

@Cathy Gere, that's a perfect analogy!

Also, in the vein of his CA trilogy - any plans to write another climate novel that doesn’t assume we save it all?

Very helpful analysis presented here and I feel like I have been able to see around the corner now. Thanks.

Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty

https://fossilfueltreaty.org/

Thanks, Woody!

Yes most economics has supported killing the planet. UCB has economists with a holistic approach that supports healing the planet. I teach Buddhist Economics this semester at Berkeley!

https://fossilfueltreaty.org/

Question for KSR: any thoughts on the film Don't Look Up, if you watched it?

Lofoten declaration

Buddhis Economics, that sounds amazing Clair!

The Lofoten Declaration: A Global Call for Climate Leadershiphttp://www.lofotendeclaration.org

Thanks—see buddhisteconomics.net to learn more!

check out Clair's book by that title

Will do, thanks Cynthia, Clair is predictably modest!

burning man for suits, how appropriate

local action, totally necessary

Can we save the chat?

Question for KSR: Can democracy survive if elected officials have to tell voters to change their lives in a way to reduce their carbon footprint? Presently our leaders mostly just tell voters that corporations will change, or that technology will appear such that people won't need to change. From John W. in Davis.

re "they're poisoning us and we're paying them not to poison us" -- i really like Saul Griffith's take on this, which assumes good intent, and also that we need help/to bulid alliances, not not to demonize poeople and groups. "They" have been heating our homes and fueling our cars, and we'd like to pay them to do it differently going forward. Same to the point of what Drawdown calls "regret" solutions like nuclear power or geoengineering

We don't have the time or capital or carbon to waste on 10 year timeline nuclear projects

Please— no nukes!!

Nonono, the beauty of it is that it’s FICTION. We need more climate fiction stories!

How is real value infused in the Carbon Coin? Who or what underwrites it? What funding source makes it possible to pay people to draw down CO2? All the same question really. And could it work for super-important short-lived climate pollutants?

I agree that Ministry of the Future is non fiction.

wonderful!

Terrific presentation!!

Wow! Thank you! So thought-provoking!

Igor: Speaking as an ex-pat Appalachian, "they" have heated our homes while literally poisoning our children and elders. Accountability is necessary.

Link to The Ministry for the Future:https://bookshop.org/books/the-ministry-for-the-future/9780316300131Link to The Sea is Rising and So Are We:https://cynthiakaufman.net/the-sea-is-rising-and-so-are-we-a-climate-justice-handbook/

How generous!

MftF seems based on a ministry established with global consensus and some power of enforcement. sounds a bit fictional

Deep appreciation, Stan, for your book and all you are doing to teach the world and bring us together to save the planet.

Please make a tape available at least of KSR's remarks

Igor - another Appalachian - yes. Not only that but they have devastated and poisoned the environment, too.

<3 Carol

Yes, we will send a recording of the webinar to everyone after the event :)

We are recording this talk - everyone will be sent a link

My question is: Was there any discussion at COP26 of regulating the military’s hugely significant contributions to greenhouse gas emissions? Until now, the military has avoided being considered in climate talks and agreements. They are among the largest polluters on the planet.

Question for KSR: Thanks for mentioning MMT! I love the sentiment, "whatever we can do, we can afford." Curious if you think our species' capacity to accomplish things, that is "real wealth", will be reduced when we shift off fossil fuels, or do you think the shift can be costless in real terms?

re: hope is a moral obligation -- YES!

Question: I always thought extreme weather events would trigger changes, as occurs in M4TF. I’ve given up on that, as we have had many of these now, and — nothing. Do you have any other thoughts on what might trigger the sense of urgency that is needed?

@Igor, if we manage to shift off fossil fuels, we will have _proved_ our species' capacity to accomplish things, and it can only grow from there.

Ooooh: hope is biological, equivalent to hunger.

We need to start organizing large marches here in the US again

"a fearful joy, a dreadful hope"

In Ministry you have the Children of Kali — a terrorist group — play a crucial role in bringing about the transition. Do you think that is necessary or likely?

Salmon

How can we get policy makers to recognize the cost of sequestering carbon ( $1,000/ton of CO2 is achievable now). Can we recognize we ought to implement all CO2 savings that cost less than $500/ton?

Woody: yes -- same question! If we learned anything from COVID, it's about the politics of backlash. If a pandemic didn't get us on the same page, it's unclear how climate events can do that.

We can just threaten to move there

Elise: Ha!

Sounds like The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupo

I hope Stan is wrong about the Columbia. It would be disastrous to fisheries. We’ve seen the effects of that kind of solution in the Bay Delta.

We need to get your message out beyond fans of your book (although we are many!) more broadly. Are there plans to make it into a movie?

Not too much about the rise of fascism in the book. What was your thinking about that?

CA could be doing so much more water conservation than it is. 80% of water use is agriculture and many water intensive crops perhaps should not be subsidized to encourage being grown in our water scarce state.

HREAL QUESTION: How can we make climate and biosphere destroying corporations' actions be perceived and defined as violence in the same way "terrorist" acts are?!?!?!?!?!

Justin, I don’t think water conservation is sufficient. It has historically just resulted in more acres being irrigated.

++ Michael’s q about fascism

Ups to Michael/Sven

Can you send the book KSR is talking about that discusses re: hurting things vs murdering people

Oy just realized I’m signed in as Sven! This is Vanessa lol

china: https://bookshop.org/books/how-to-blow-up-a-pipeline/9781839760259

China: "How to Blow Up a Pipeline"

Hi Vanessa, big ups!

Thanks Igor

Malm’s book is fantastic. Highly recommended.

How about merging "MFTF" and "Don't Look Up" to raise awareness and action?

Podcast with author on how to blow up a pipeline: podcast with author on "blow up pipeline" that is longer:https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vdGhlZXpyYWtsZWluc2hvdw/episode/ODg3YzdkNmEtYjI5MS0xMWViLWEyYzUtNTc2ZjliNTFkZWM0?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwj-9vLO-Zr0AhVSjp4KHSz1DloQjrkEegQIEBAF&ep=6

Put questions in the chat -

Peter Camejo’s 1970 speech is instructive on this question https://www.marxists.org/archive/camejo/1970/ultraleftismormassaction.htm

i also really liked https://bookshop.org/books/all-the-birds-in-the-sky/9780765379955 as a beautiful book that also explores violent resistance (and also takes place in san francisco!)

NOT TOO LONG, it was perfect!

@igor, let's credit Charlie Jane Anders on that one, for folks who don't click the link.

Lee from Davis: I'm wondering if you see a role for lower speed limits in the fight against climate change. 55mph compared to 65/70 can save 15-0% of transporation gax consumpution.

LT: good question!

Is economic growth possible alongside averting the climate crisis?

Save this text for us please!

I'm wondering how to get more integration between all the groups working on climate change. I really would like a ministry with teeth and money and power, but what is the pathway to get there, especially since COP won't get us there

LT: These days it might be necessary to go with engine controls limiting fuel/speed instead of speed limit and doubtful enforcement

And wouldn’t this cause inflation?

You said financial interests at Glasgow representing $130 trillion in assets wanted to invest in climate solutions. If they're waiting for the rest of us to create shovel-ready projects, should government be paying project managers and aspiring entrepreneurs to develop business plans and prepare projects to the point where they're ready for investment? Or who should be doing this prep work? It feels like we're relying too much on volunteers to do this work. Is this where the Central Banks come in?

Modern Monetary Theory

“The Deficit Myth” is a great book on MMT.

NFTulips

Bitcoins + Dutch Tulips, thanks Neal Stephenson

=, not +

waste = horrorshow

David S. H. Rosenthal

David S.H. Rosenthal

Great KSR presentation and group discussion!

just linking to one of his crypto blog posts, there are many: https://blog.dshr.org/2021/04/cryptocurrencys-carbon-footprint.html

Build block betterIs a greener, faster and more decentralised alternative to Bitcoin possible?Building better blockchains is surprisingly hardhttps://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/01/01/is-a-greener-faster-and-more-decentralised-alternative-to-bitcoin-possible

Rosenthal article

1000 Finbacks!!!!

Question for KSR: What did you think of "Termination Shock"? I saw Neil Stephenson speak at a recent Long Now talk, and he mentioned he avoided reading MftF until he could finish that book ;)

Are there efforts afoot to convert Villlage Homes to all Electric? This free guide could help. https://redwoodenergy.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Pocket-Guide-to-All-Electric-Retrofits-of-Single-Family-Homes.pdf

Full employment = having fun up there!!!!!

cloud salting!

Please do write that up!

Tom Kabat, all, Sonoma Clean Power’s Advanced Energy Center is also a great resource on going all-electric: https://scpadvancedenergycenter.org/ It’s in Santa Rosa.

"Doing something stupid to get away with capitalism"

“No regrets” geo-engineering vs. ‘doing something stupid to protect capitalism’

Why are so few groups demanding global education & empowerment of women?

@sarah b/c there’s no money in it

I talked to Klaus Lackner, CCS engineer, and it was quite persuasive

he thinks carbon dioxide is a waste stream like sewage

Is drawing down carbon enough, though, once too much polar ice has melted? Once we have too much liquid water in the system, the water itself plays a warming role... Is there a point after which drawing down carbon no longer matters?

@sarah The Patriarchy.

I’ve got an answer to that one, Cynthia: move your money to a climate-positive bank!

advocate for public transit

change the choice architecture

Yes! lobby your city council to commit to bike lanes, etc! Davis is amazing

https://www.joinatmos.com/invite/ffca

We will save the chat along with the recording and send it as well. Also the questions will be put into a document and those not covered already will be answered.

janelle, it should be movie!

Get your city to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty

what is the best calculator to calculate your watts?

Action: Make a home electrification Plan and put in the circuits to be ready to power your 17 Amp heatpump, 15 Amp heatpump water heater and 20Amp car charger.

We need to pay attention to that!

Climate Changemakers is a great resource for political action

I <3 Atmos! I used to live next door to Ravi, so glad the project is going so well. I still remember when he said, "Igor, I want to start a bank to help solve climate change" -- that's the kind of boldness we need!

Please capture text/links with recording.

work at local level. the tea party had a great theory of change. let's do it for a green new deal!!

How about read, and if you like what you see, endorse www.climatesafeca.org ? (Climate Safe California.

+1 to climate changemakers

love it

California dreaming

I will always endorse being outdoors.

Nature is a very wise teacher!

Link to The Ministry for the Future:https://bookshop.org/books/the-ministry-for-the-future/9780316300131Link to The Sea is Rising and So Are We:https://cynthiakaufman.net/the-sea-is-rising-and-so-are-we-a-climate-justice-handbook/

a movie would do a lot to spread the word

Thanks Igor - plus the link above supports FFCA, which is a platform non-profit!

Yes to a film!

++ film!

The High Sierra: A Love Story

I can't wait to read your love story!!!!

Nature’s health and our health are interdependent. First we stop destroying nature, and then we heal Nature as we heal ourselves.

Link to The Ministry for the Future:https://bookshop.org/books/the-ministry-for-the-future/9780316300131Link to The Sea is Rising and So Are We:https://cynthiakaufman.net/the-sea-is-rising-and-so-are-we-a-climate-justice-handbook/

I wonder if what ksr thinks of the new proposed solar laws in California. is there a way to do solar equitably such that neighborhoods can work together and renters can participate in solar installations?

Thank you FFCA, and thank you Mr Robinson.

KSR novels are the hard part and you are a genius

FFCA is the best! Thanks for the excellent event!!!

Ooh yay to a film! Yay to a young woman writer! Please ensure it passes the Bechtel test...

Adam McKay big short and don't look up

Who can we lobby in Hollywood to ensure it gets produced?

fossilfreeca.org/donate

love it!!

+++ fossilfreeca.org/donate

@Emma (and everyone!): It's not too late to opposte NEM3.0 -- Call the Governor at 916-445-2841

Thank you, FFCA!!

Emma, all, it sounds like what you are asking about is Community Solar. CA needs a good program of that sort. The best version of it is in Minnesota: https://ilsr.org/minnesotas-community-solar-program/

Vanessa, let's start a hashtag to encourage Hollywood

Thank you, KSR!

@justine you’re on

fossilfreeca.org/donate

Thank you KSR!

Thank you, Stan, and Fossil Free California!

Thank you! Amazing talk!

Great program. Thank you!

KSR: You have humanized the scientist's perspective more than any other author I have ever encountered, you are on par with Ursula K. Le Guinn in terms of how to imagine the future in a sane way. You have created so much, I cannot thank you enoug

thanks!

Thank you!

Thanks!

Thank you so much!

Thank you, great evening!

Thanks!!!!

Thanks Stan