Existential and Global Threats by Nuclear Weapons and Climate Change with Bruce KnottsWe will explore solutions to these threats including our need for inclusive, accountable, and compassionate government and societal structures put in place to face the harsh future ahead. Let us start with this quote from the article, “What if we Stopped Pretending?” in the September 8 issue of The New Yorker: “All-out war on climate change made sense only as long as it was winnable. Once you accept that we’ve lost it, other kinds of action take on greater meaning… In times of increasing chaos, people seek protection in tribalism and armed force, rather than in the rule of law, and our best defense against this kind of dystopia is to maintain functioning democracies, functioning legal systems, functioning communities…”Bruce Knotts retired from the Foreign Service in 2007 and began directing the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) in 2008. Bruce founded faith-based advocacy for sexual orientation/gender identity human rights at the United Nations and continues to advocate for the rights of women, indigenous peoples and for sustainable development in moral terms of faith and values. Bruce is a trustee of the Parliament of the World’s Religions and a Commissioner for the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. In 2006, Bruce and Isaac Humphrie were wed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.