My colleague introduced me to the term Traditional Ecological Knowledge today, which is very reminiscent of what you’re describing. This should be standard practice to learn everywhere!

If I can give you any small kernel of hope, there are a lot of people in the world, including non profits, government workers, community champions, and people that talk to their friend networks about living for and facilitating a more sustainable and respectful life on this planet - that care about people and the environment, and are fighting every day of their lives, dedicated to mitigation and adaptation regarding climate change. They may not have very much power, but they are surely standing up right now against this brain drain, and I feel confident that the tide will eventually turn. Will it be in the time we need it to? Absolutely not, but all is not lost.

It’s happening - people are tired of the bullshit and are putting differences aside to tackle the world’s foremost problem that we know how to solve. I’m so grateful, and despite the dumpster fire that is the US government right now, there’s so much hope to be found here!

I really enjoyed this article and had no idea that the Tamaulipan forest was even a thing. It’s encouraging to see that there are efforts to reforest the area; I hope that the areas not yet seeded aren’t repurposed for development. It seems like building our urban centers in the RGV more densely, perhaps rezoning single family for mixed use, could be helpful to prevent urban sprawl there, as Texas is notorious for that. I’m encouraged to support the efforts there, and hope this chaos of current disinvestment in our climate mitigation/adaptation is only a tiny blip in our future of stewarding the lands.

We really should be doing more to get kids outdoors to see what it could be - get them to nature preserves, into environmental education programs, and internships that get them into tree planting, soil and water testing, and get them excited to learn about the natural world before we lose more of it. I’ve seen with my own eyes how impactful those can be on the trajectory of their careers, and it makes for an incredible, well-rounded experience for them that can build lasting friendships with humans and the ecosystem alike.

Cyclists have known this and promoted this idea for years. There’s just so few protections for them in the legal system in practice, and on the flip side, so few consequences for drivers that harm cyclists and pedestrians. That’s one of the things that keeps people away that are even remotely interested in cycling as transportation. That’s not to mention the lack of interest/funding in cycling infrastructure.

Research in this field is only going to get more precise so long as public interest and demand remains. The best part about studying atmospheric phenomena is that we learn about systems that affect huge swaths of the earth, so it benefits everyone to be able to predict them. As we saw with Hurricane Helene (just looking at a recent US storm for example), weather events are only going to be more unpredictable as climate change accelerates, and the supply chain is affected by every one of these storms each time, not to mention the untold damage to the entire area. As long as we continue to stay on top of learning, we can update our climatological models and thus forecasts for weather. It’s still less expensive overall to act and adapt rather than not.

This is one of the most awful environmental disasters. Some of that footage is really valuable. I’m so sad that the residents have yet to receive justice, and they likely won’t ever truly be made whole again.

An international Environmental Justice mandate would be simply incredible. I hope this idea catches on 💚

I love the point made about grassroots movements already doing good work for the community, and the entities controlling public land won’t allow tax payers to allocate a portion of public lands for planting. There should be a checklist of approved stuff you can plant, managed by the municipality, and that checklist should be available in multiple languages. I understand you shouldn’t just be able to plant whatever (if not food, then no non-native/invasive species), and there shouldn’t be harmful pesticide use to some extent, but given the amount of people living in food apartheids with no access to fresh produce, it seems like the least effort, humane thing to allow.

This is the way.

Hear hear!

So glad someone other than me is pointing this out!

It surely is a big deal. You’re ignoring the “having to find another place to live” part. When you have no place to go and no plan or agreement in place to be somewhere else, it can feel very isolating and hopeless because you lack stability. If you’re low income, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or disabled, good luck finding a place easily. The article itself even mentions that there was higher competition for rentals nearby after a severe weather catastrophe.

Sure, as a homeowner you have to eat the cost of repairs, and often times you’re required to carry insurance on a property, so there’s some coverage and help there, but you can literally pitch a tent on the land and not be bothered or kicked out because you literally own it. Not so easy for a renter.

It’s peculiar that when we have mega farms and industrial agriculture, the practices we use to maximize output and profit always lead to the demise of all the surrounding affected land and species. It’s almost as if capitalistic principles are non sustainable and harming the planet…

Several ecological studies and recent meta-analysis have suggested an inverse association between lithium in water and suicide in the general population, with a lack of knowledge of clinically significant side effects.

That last part though.

100% agree. I’m cautiously optimistic about other states following suit. My guess is Massachusetts next, then we hopefully see a cascade effect.

Pressure from businesses and the auto industry lobbyists, I presume.

Imagine if NYC didn’t give in! Imagine if we didn’t give in to corporate interests on the regular. Imagine if we came together to fight for good community-building things…

I love this. It’s a simple way to train an open-minded carbrain that there are easy ways to convert existing infrastructure on the cheap!

Your feelings are well warranted. I can’t stand how invasive just about every device is these days. From apps to cars.

This is where I’m at. It’s “you do you” so long as it doesn’t harm yourself or others.