Eaarth Feels

As we find ourselves poised between two worlds, ruminating on what reality will look like once we emerge from this pandemic, Petra Lentz-Snow shares her learning experience in THRESHOLD from her May 3 School of Lost Borders newsletter. 

Can we listen to what this "Space in Between Stories" has to teach us? Can we apply the learning to make necessary changes to avert  climate crisis?  

Feeling bombarded by conspiracy theories about the coronavirus pandemic? Christine and Rose dive into the topic of stats, data, and facts. They are joined by Graham Saunders, who teaches meteorology and climate-related courses at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay Ontario. Graham does research and writing for several publications about weather, climate, and energy issues, and has a passion for stats. This wide-ranging conversation touches the commonalities between climate change science and the science around pandemics.

Dr Mary Shields writes about healing and spiritual awakening at www.maryshieldsphd.com. This post about the change demanded because of the coronavirus pandemic is equally true about climate change.

"For a diamond to be created, there is an immense amount of pressure – pressure over a very long period of time. That pressure, together with high temperatures, causes carbon to transform into one of the strongest substances on earth.

A lot of pressing is happening right now: a lot of people are dying. There is a lot of deep suffering. There is a lot of grief throughout the world. There is a lot of letting go. That pressure is not letting up any time soon. Our very structures are dissolving into mush (like the caterpillar in the cocoon). The old way of being is gone."

In this time when conspiracy theories abound, Christine and Rose dive into the topic of stats, data, and facts. They are joined by Graham Saunders, who teaches meteorology and climate-related courses at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay Ontario. Graham does research and writing for several publications about weather, climate, and energy issues, and has a passion for stats. This wide-ranging conversation touches the commonalities between climate change science and the science around pandemics.

Today's BEST IN CLIMATE is written by the Mother/daughter duo Leah and Rachel Schade.

In this guest post to her mom's ecoPreacher blog, Rachel Shade, a 16 year Kentucky high school junior is requesting her school board offer climate crisis education and require all students to take a course in climate change to better equip them as adults for their future as adults. Her essay backs her request with examples of school departments currently making such offerings, the benefits of this educational requirement and ways to pay for it.

The recent release of producer Michael Moore's Planet of the Humans has caused an uproar in the environmental community. It skewers clean energy and offers little in the way of climate solutions. Archival footage and dated information have resulted in a damning video essay that fosters hopelessness when the global community needs hope more than ever. Rose and Christine discuss the movie, how propaganda is perpetrated and the responsibility every citizen has to uncover the truth when faced with misinformation.

Today's Best In Climate episode is from Weather Whys, written by Graham Saunders and published on April 23, 2020. Saunders is President of Environment North and author of Gardening in Short Growing Seasons, and researches and teaches northern climate issues. In this post he draws attention to the similarities between climate and pandemic modelling.

"It is notable that many features of modelling apply to prediction of future temperatures (and consequences) and what pandemic numbers could result."

Who wants to talk about death? Apparently no one in Western society! The Covid-19 pandemic threatens our very way of life, and is forcing us to face our own mortality in a way that we don't usually need to. How does our unwillingness to talk about the unavoidable fact of death affect our response to the pandemic? Does this refusal keep us from addressing the climate catastrophe that scientists are warning us about?

As usual, there is good news, an action tip and a sanity tip shared.

In this Best in Climate episode, Christine reads a recent post from PaulGilding.com. He makes the case that it was always going to come to this - the crash of our current unsustainable global economy was unavoidable.

"Whether it was a pandemic triggering a shutdown, a climate emergency bursting the carbon bubble, a populist backlash against inequality, wars over water or countless other possible triggers, this moment has long been inevitable."

Rose and Christine discuss the current disruption Covid-19 is having on food growth and distribution from field workers to small farmers, from restaurants to grocery stores, and the spotlight the current situation is shining on cracks in our current food system. The conversation touches on the benefits of home and community gardening.

As usual, there is good news and an action tip shared.