Rebecca, this was a superlative essay, bringing out so many valuable insights into the corrosive power of capitalism, the dangers of a future Snowball Earth, the three fires, and their differences, the realities of life for a lawyer dealing with the logging companies and their political patrons... and on and on- a mixture of dispair and hope. But never complacency. That's one of our biggest obstacles- knowing the emergency but doing nothing about it. And species continue to go extinct, fires burn down our forests, it floods in the Sahara, both poles are melting, the very ocean and atmospheric currents are becoming destabilized...and we remain complacent. We have allowed our creations to rule us and we are in their thrall.
Great stuff and an insight into environmental lawyering. I'm a retired physician/psychiatrist/addictionist/stress researcher/recovered alcoholic-addict, and armchair student of environmental collapse. What troubled me most about the "2024 State of the Climate Report" is the absence of any mention of the earth's energy imbalance, the 1.2 trillion tons of melting global ice annually (3.3 billion tons per day); the fact that we are 3,000 times more populous than were our last ancestral migratory Hunter-Gatherers/pastoralists, who were the last of us living in an ecologically balanced self-sustaining zero population growth manner; or the fact that C3S has published global temp increase of 0.2 defC ANNUALLY, so 1 degC increase every 5 yrs., and 2.7 degC over the 1991-2020 baseline they use by 2029, NOT 2,100. I don't trust any expert without MY vetting first. But, then, I'm just a 79yo curmudgeon sittin' in my Aeron chair, rockin' along through cyberia. I'm a great fan of George Carlin: "It's BS, folks. It's all BS, and it's bad for you." BTW, I'm the author of the free online e-book PDF, "Stress R Us", available out at Stanford by a simple Google search of the title. Thanks, again, for your comprehensive essay(s) on our overconsumption/destruction of forests. When I lived in Georgia, I had a bumper sticker: "A Tree Farm Is Not a Forest". Have a blessed day! Gregg Miklashek, MD
Thank you Rebecca, for this reframing of why we humans are literally and metaphorically, holding flames right now. I know its power because it is strangely calming. When we more fully see something, however dire, our systems and our s/Selves settle. It is not so much "resignation" but rather seeing more clearly our place in things.
Wow this is so good. There's a couple three small bits where I would offer some nuance or uncertainty from my own research, but only to help elucidate your points, not to argue against them. And I rarely read a piece so well researched that it rises to that level of discussion. This is the high quality kind of essay that pulled me into Substack in the first place.
He describes hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with his brother and continually coming across "trail detour" signs put their by the forest service, saying the trail had been washed out. They decided to follow the trail anyway and discovered the real reason for the detour signs was to hide logging operations. The United States Forests Service did that.
This is a tour de force, Rebecca, really powerful and brilliant. Thank you. You made such good use of Pyne in the context of why we've arrived at this crux of self-destruction and self-awareness.
Such a powerful essay, Rebecca, and there's so much here too. I listened to it a couple of days but have come back to read bits of it again and I'm sure I'll retiurn to it again. Those examples of industry profiting from toxic byproducts are truly shocking. But I'm glad you also provide us with hope that things can be different.
Rebecca, this was a superlative essay, bringing out so many valuable insights into the corrosive power of capitalism, the dangers of a future Snowball Earth, the three fires, and their differences, the realities of life for a lawyer dealing with the logging companies and their political patrons... and on and on- a mixture of dispair and hope. But never complacency. That's one of our biggest obstacles- knowing the emergency but doing nothing about it. And species continue to go extinct, fires burn down our forests, it floods in the Sahara, both poles are melting, the very ocean and atmospheric currents are becoming destabilized...and we remain complacent. We have allowed our creations to rule us and we are in their thrall.
Depopulate
Rewild
Climb down from the throne
Reforest.
Great stuff and an insight into environmental lawyering. I'm a retired physician/psychiatrist/addictionist/stress researcher/recovered alcoholic-addict, and armchair student of environmental collapse. What troubled me most about the "2024 State of the Climate Report" is the absence of any mention of the earth's energy imbalance, the 1.2 trillion tons of melting global ice annually (3.3 billion tons per day); the fact that we are 3,000 times more populous than were our last ancestral migratory Hunter-Gatherers/pastoralists, who were the last of us living in an ecologically balanced self-sustaining zero population growth manner; or the fact that C3S has published global temp increase of 0.2 defC ANNUALLY, so 1 degC increase every 5 yrs., and 2.7 degC over the 1991-2020 baseline they use by 2029, NOT 2,100. I don't trust any expert without MY vetting first. But, then, I'm just a 79yo curmudgeon sittin' in my Aeron chair, rockin' along through cyberia. I'm a great fan of George Carlin: "It's BS, folks. It's all BS, and it's bad for you." BTW, I'm the author of the free online e-book PDF, "Stress R Us", available out at Stanford by a simple Google search of the title. Thanks, again, for your comprehensive essay(s) on our overconsumption/destruction of forests. When I lived in Georgia, I had a bumper sticker: "A Tree Farm Is Not a Forest". Have a blessed day! Gregg Miklashek, MD
Thank you Rebecca, for this reframing of why we humans are literally and metaphorically, holding flames right now. I know its power because it is strangely calming. When we more fully see something, however dire, our systems and our s/Selves settle. It is not so much "resignation" but rather seeing more clearly our place in things.
Wow this is so good. There's a couple three small bits where I would offer some nuance or uncertainty from my own research, but only to help elucidate your points, not to argue against them. And I rarely read a piece so well researched that it rises to that level of discussion. This is the high quality kind of essay that pulled me into Substack in the first place.
Great piece, Rebecca. You're in-the-field insights and experience corraborate what I've heard elsewhere. I think you'd like Chad Hanson's book, "Smokescreen." https://theclimateaccordingtolife.substack.com/p/smokescreen?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share
He describes hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with his brother and continually coming across "trail detour" signs put their by the forest service, saying the trail had been washed out. They decided to follow the trail anyway and discovered the real reason for the detour signs was to hide logging operations. The United States Forests Service did that.
Sending to Ayana Elizabeth Johnson for research she requested on her What If We Get It Right?
Epic, Rebecca!💚
Thank you, so much to take in and think about. I'll be back for a second reading, it wonderfully dense.
This is a tour de force, Rebecca, really powerful and brilliant. Thank you. You made such good use of Pyne in the context of why we've arrived at this crux of self-destruction and self-awareness.
Such a powerful essay, Rebecca, and there's so much here too. I listened to it a couple of days but have come back to read bits of it again and I'm sure I'll retiurn to it again. Those examples of industry profiting from toxic byproducts are truly shocking. But I'm glad you also provide us with hope that things can be different.
This was excellent! Thanks for this Rebecca!