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A UN climate report released last Wednesday warned that the world is facing irreversible climate change and that it is possible to cause catastrophic consequences.
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, warned that the world is on a path to global warming exceeding the 2.7 degree limit set by the Paris Agreement of 2015.Guterres warned of the dangers of an increase in temperature and floods, which could result in the extinction of millions of species of animals and plants.
It’s bad news for everyone. But, it’s news that people who want to save the planet need to face head-on. People like Curt Mein, a conservationist biologist and environmental historian.
“If you look at the whole big picture, objectively, we are in a grim and daunting reality,” Meine said. But those working in conservation must find ways to overcome the “daunting emotional burden” the work entails, Meine said. Otherwise, he added, “You’re not going to be doing it. You’re just not.”
A free lecture will be given by Meine at Illinois State University’s Bone Student Center at 7:30 p.m. about his conservation efforts in an era of rapid social and ecological change. Meine said that the intersection of climate change and pandemic has made this a particularly difficult time. That’s made the concept of a “land ethic” all the more critical.
“The Land Ethic” was a seminal essay published by the ecologist Aldo Leopold in 1948.Mein, a Leopold scholar who is also a biographer, describes the ethic in terms of the imperative to treat land as part a larger ontological community than a commodity. Meine explained that Leopold meant for this imperative to change and evolve with the developing countries.
Although the ethic must adapt to changing conditions in a rapidly changing world it is rooted in a core principle: We abuse land when we treat it as a commodity. When we view the land as a part of a community, we treat it with love.
It can be difficult to detect any trace of that ethic in a world that Guterres said was marred by “a litany of broken climate promises” and widespread global investment in “climate choking industries.” But for Meine, and conservationists everywhere, surrender is not an option – even in the face of such a devastating reality.
“Just break through that barrier, recognizing there’s going to be more barriers coming at you,” he said. “It’s the resilience of the human condition and spirit.”
The program of Meine in the Brown Ballroom will be free and open to all.
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