Resistance.

Countries, corporations, and individuals will either embrace or resist efforts to address Climate Change, but did you ever envision the situation in the Ukraine?

An autocratic Petro-state invades a neighbor under the guise of a savior. Is this a nationalistic border dispute, or the latest development in Climate conflicts?

The questionable rationale for a border dispute is vast, as is the landscape of Vladimir Putin’s psychology, but does a Petro-state with an over reliance on fossil fuel have much of a choice in an era that requires its ultimate reduction?

Unable to compete internationally by any other means, Russia must follow the path that diminishing global reserves require. Their choice is to get nasty.

To this end, what does this war in the Ukraine actually accomplish?

Two things: A preservation of the petro-status quo and an object lesson on how far petro-status quo actors will go to achieve their means.

In 2022, they will invade a country, murder civilians, and rock the world economy to preserve their own ends.

Coupled with the international drive towards reductive authoritarianism, is there really any doubt where this is going: the “status quo” will use any means necessary to preserve its power.

As the kids say, “Shocker,” but this time there is a crucial difference.

Depending on who you are, and what history you have lived through, you may have witnessed these political extremes before: they just haven’t come this far West and White. They have happened to those at a distance far enough away to be considered “others.” This time, especially for Europe, the wolf is breathing at the door. For a globalized world, the wolf has already gotten in.

What does this mean for such an interconnected world with aspirations of individual progress and autonomy, big TVs, and no one roping you into a drug cartel on your street corner?

What is the net result for any individual who wishes to be free of oppression or corruption?

The situation is dire, and the only force in the world powerful enough to alter this imbalance is “us”—through our collective action.

There is also nature, but she’s not working with us, and before she finishes us off, she can make matters a whole lot worse. “Nature bats last,” as they say.

An alternative beckons.

Now is the time to find commonalities and build bridges between our families, friends, peers, and communities: strong bridges that can withstand anything.

We know the opponent’s playbook. Regretfully, we see their methods. With a little insight, we also know the players.

If we can just pull our eyes away from our phones, our TVs, and our Amazon packages, we’ll know instinctively what to do.

We can start to care and believe in our own agency, but first we must address the following:

• We must accept that we are doing nothing about what matters, but addressing only our comfort and our stomachs—the most pressing basic issues of our day

• We must assert that all infrastructure in this country and this planet be green, in order to prepare and sustain a workable future

• We must insist that all jobs and materials transform, providing both an inclusive economy and a means for maintaining a sustainable world

The Russia/Ukraine war is representative of a new world conflict. Let’s not forget that 70 million Americans voted for authoritarianism last year, as did many other Western nations, and we are nowhere near stopping our global dependence on fossil fuel.

We can ignore these challenges, and sink into darkness, or move aggressively to reap the benefits of our salvation, creating an economy that fosters change, rather than succumbing to a chaos of diminishing returns.

Begin or don’t begin.

Or be Ukraine.

Illustration by Paul Antoniades