‘If you really think the environment is less important than the economy, try holding your breath while you count your money.’ – Dr. Guy McPherson
Manabi Ecuador – About eight years ago the climate on Ecuador’s coast seemed to be almost perfect. I could work outside for hours and never feel over heated, yet the sun would burn my skin quite fast. Many times in the night we needed long sleeves and/or jackets.
Now it seems that the cloud forest, which I remembered being much cooler, has the ideal temperatures, and the coastal weather – on a cloudless day – is stifling!
June Solstice 2016
Today I asked an older lady if she thought the coastal climate was warmer than in earlier years. “Yes,” she said, “It is much hotter now.”
“Why do you think it has changed?” I asked.
“Trees. “ she stated. “They’re cutting down too many trees and are not replanting them.”
Her answer was impressive. If a person living a simple life in a farming community can deduct the obvious, why can’t well-educated people do the same?!
In honor of tomorrow’s March for Science, I ask that you find time to watch the following Ted talk by John Francis. His story illustrates that one person can make a difference, even when his entire support system might have thought he had gone a bit crazy. His choices propelled him into an amazing destiny.
In a recent comment thread, Sue ‘Dreamwalker’ added a strong ending:
Lisa: “May we all take time to appreciate our natural resources and work together to be guardians of Mother Earth.”
Sue: “Or indeed we will ALL Suffer.”
For more information: The People’s Climate March.
Every day is Earth Day.
Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Wise words from a woman in the jungle. I know a man who claims there are two kinds of science: real science and leftist science that spews lies about climate change and rising sea levels. I don’t even know how to begin to talk to him.
thanks, emilie! how’s the climate there this year?
Southern Arizona has been crazy. Warm enough that people started gardening. Then a few nights when it froze. Then warm, then hot. Now it will freeze tonight! Fire season has begun, too, and high winds are pushing a fire far and fast.
hi emilie
some of the comments are slipping through or i’m missing the notifications. it’s frustrating when the tender young plants are nipped back from cold weather… freezing temps and then fire season. it seems way too early for fires, but no.. it’s really strange, our climate.
Oh I love this guy! I started reading his book a few years ago and never got to finish it. It was so good to listen to him speak.
Alison
Thanks for listening to his talk, and yes, his silence definitely helped him to find his voice! Thank you!
Reblogged this on Petchary's Blog and commented:
I am sharing this blog post from a fellow blogger and a great artist and photographer to the South of us, in Ecuador. We sometimes compare notes on issues like coastal erosion. Here are her thoughts ahead of the People’s Climate March tomorrow. And YES, Lisa – we have had lots of rain so far this year, but it has been a very hot spring in the Caribbean. I am dreading summer.
The Caribbean is very hot. Trinidad Met Office issued a Heat Alert a few days ago, warning people to stay indoors. And we are still in April! I reblogged your post because it seems so relevant. Yes, every day is Earth Day. I will be at the Climate March, in spirit!
Oh my.. Heat alert… I wonder world wide if temps are warmer this week than norm… I think it’s time to do some homework….
thanks! z
Great talk. What a man. Mrs. Monkey and I were wandering our garden last night and commenting that the ground is rock solid. Hardly any rain of any significance for about 2 months. Spring ?! In England ?! It should be pouring. Sometimes, you just can’t help but notice, can you ?
Thanks so much for the weather report from your side of the pond. I see tonight on ‘the watchers’ where Texas received some very strong and what seems unusual weather there “due to severe storms, flooding, straight-line winds, tornadoes and snow impacting the state.” — snow and tornadoes? that doesn’t seem possible, except it must mean that a very strong cold front slammed into a much-warmer one..
May you get those life-giving rains, but may they be in just the right dose!
Amen!!
thanks hugh!
We cut down too many trees. That is a simply profound answer. Your first quote is priceless.
That first quote has been in ‘drafts’ for several months.. just waiting for the right time to be shared.. this seemed like a really nice time to pair it with that amazing story on TedTalks…
That dear sweet lady replied with such a natural clarity. If only we all could understand Life in such simple ways…
Lisa, the people who witness change and can measure it with their own eyes say the most straightforward things. I wrote a piece about the leaders of the Cartaret Islands who witnessed the ocean encroaching on their islands, first make it too salty to grow food and eventually to cover the entire islands. They traveled to larger, more mountainous islands nearby to beseech the leaders there to move. After several tries, they found a welcoming island. This was three years ago. And, we have a president who says it is not happening. Keith
yes, there are so many feeling it at their back doors – those who live on islands.. i’m wondering if the Kuna Indians of the San Blas Islands/Panama are still there..
Lisa, that is a good question. What will happen is more ocean front properties will be consumed by the sea and all of a sudden it will get very real for the deniers. I would not buy on the coast right now, if I were them and I would sell if I had property. Keith
“all of a sudden it will get very real for the deniers. ” exactly…
thank you keith!
Thank you Lisa, especially for this TED Talk. I was there in 1971 — Pt. Reyes Station was the backyard of my growing up days. The collision of the tankers under the Golden Gate Bridge has escaped my memory but I could easily envision John Francis’ world, as he began his journey of walking in silence. Quite the undertaking in 1971! With all the honors and accolades that followed, John Francis has remained a humble man. What an inspiration as the climate issue continues to “heat up.” Blessings, Alia
Hey amiga
forgive me for not replying to your comment. every so often the drop-down comment balloon gives mixed signals… in the past five weeks i’ve been ‘home’ only one night, and the internet has been challenging… anyway, thanks so much for your feedback.
i am glad that you enjoyed that TedTalk. yes, he remains a very genuine person and has certainly left a very positive mark n this world.
Maiche Mooshkeel, Habiba — I consider it an honor to be in any kind of communication with you. Whoa! Only one night at home in five weeks?!!! That seems kinda extreme to me, internet or no internet. Hope you are enjoying your vagabond days. Much love, Alia
Opening greeting is “No Problem Dear One” (Amiga equivalent) in Moroccan Arabic.
that is a lovely opening greeting, and i am impressed at your language skills!
This gentleman is an inspiration, as was the response from the elder (she has seen it all) that doesn’t take a PhD to get what is happening around her.
Did I forget to tell you, your final image is a real stunner –
Thank you! I will miss that total immersion at Casa Loca and the river mouth…
It draws you right in ~
Thank you.. I’ve watched or listened to that Ted Talk five or six times and remain inspired and humbled by his story – and how he presents himself.
The dear lady helps my friends from time to time.. she’s a sweet and strong.. zero body fat, strong yet delicate facial bones, elegant yet earthy – salt of the earth, probably poor yet rich! so rich! thank you!
What a fantastic description of this beautiful woman, who knows much and yet ignored.
Thank you.. I’ll ask her next time if I can take her photo!
Why do small creatures have to grow up?
I’ve seen as a child in the Budapest zoo, a kindergarten of animals from very different species, herbivores and carnivores, playing together, harmlessly…
It’s what we learn which turns some of us in mindless brutes, not who we really are…
I was told that during wars, lions were fed with cabbage in European zoos, and also of Australian Rottweilers fed only with pineapples.
I’m too pessimistic and realistic to become an eco-warrior, and I’ve honestly ignored climate change since the likes of Al Gore got involved in it…
But mankind has lost its former respect for the environment, trading it for greed. When I voiced my opinion that society should be dismantled back to family based tribal cooperatives, living in harmony with nature based on a barter system of production and living, I was called a primitivist…
But I guess that’s still better than living on the alternate sides of TV/PC screens?
Great material, Lisa 🙂
Labels are so difficult and they can disarm even those who have extra strong backbones!
For me,it’s just trying to be in harmony, trying not to say things that might be hurtful, especially if nothing good comes from that comment – ‘it’s best left unsaid.’
just ‘being nice’ seems lke a good start, as when our species learns to honor the neighbor, the stranger, the dog/cat/tree/weed, then everyone would get along better!!!
Thank you so much foryour support. I loved that video you posted, and your words….
It’s true that the pictures you take reflect a great measure of your true self. In this case, of the little I know, what comes through from your words, matches indeed what could be guessed behind your lenses. I’m really pleased and honoured to be able to see the places which without your posts, I’d never be able to see 🙂
i’m backtracking and finding random comments that weren’t acknowledged.. so sorry i didn’t give you a proper thanks for this one… THANKS!!!! it’s a pleasure to show you a bit more of this lovely planet and introduce you via posts to some very special people i meet along the way.
You’re most welcome, the pleasure and honour are surely mine 💐
Yes, everyday is Earth Day. Only the greedy pretend there is no global warming. Only the greedy overlook the obvious. Only the greedy do not care how they leave the planet to future generations. Only the greedy fail to plant trees to make up for the ones they chop down for money.
If we could gather all of the positive-minded people in one place, there would be enough good energy to illuminate the entire planet! Thanks so much for this comment!
Loved your article.
To answer the question raised: ” If a person living a simple life in a farming community can deduct the obvious, why can’t well-educated people do the same?!”
~ Well-educated people, especially those living in urban areas, have lost touch with the natural world that makes life possible on our planet.
Thank you so much for your feedback; maybe one day some of those people will instinctively find their way ‘back’ to nature and realize what they’re missing. then there are others who are so focused on materialism, they may never realize that less is so much more.
Lisa, thanks for the Ted Talk. They are absolutely right, you know. We need to get our act together soon before it is too late. I am afraid 45 will do irreparable damage, not only to the U.S. but, to the rest of the world, too. Loved the quote at the beginning! It is time to stop holding our breath.
Thanks for your feedback, and maybe the ‘feedback’ via the marches will send signals to all leaders – it’s time to be responsible and not arrogant about what’s ahead.
I’m glad you enjoyed the TedTalk. – his story is inspirational!
What a great quote by Dr Guy Mcpherson” . We can all do our bit for the earth, even if it’s just in small ways. Thanks for another inspiring post Lisa.
Thanks to you as well.. and I just read the email notification of your new book, read the back-page image blurb and loved it! the page is loading for me to leave my feedback!
First of all… that baby turtle is so cute! Next, that quote by Guy McPherson is the best. And finally, I’m amazed that “we” haven’t figured this out yet. It reminds me of the history of Easter Island, and how they removed all the trees. How can we continue to do this?? I’ll spare the political talk, but I’m sure you’ve heard that much of the science on global warming was removed by the EPA’s website. Shocking!
Thank you for this, and yes, I find it so hard to believe that ‘they’ are dumping data.. it makes absolutely zero sense – except ‘guilty’ and destroying evidence for all to witness… Friends and I discussed a lot of this today, and one said that the USA is basically the only country that is divided – all other countries know we’re in serious trouble…
Easter Island is a great example.. Thank you so much!
An amazing man in that first video.. Silence is often the greatest teacher.. 🙂 and yes Why is it that farmers and we who have not got science degrees can see what is wrong and why the world climate is changing.. When others are in denial..
I feel we will all soon be very tested I feel it in my bones Lisa..
And those in power have been gathering together now in their discussions for years and nothing is done.. I am often reminded of Seven Suzuki
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaOJrJ_oqFU This was in 1992.. Nothing has changed.. 😦
Hi Amiga
So sorry that your comment wasn’t acknowledged.. I read it and thought/hoped I did, but it’s a blank!
You mentioned that you felt ‘we will all soon be verty tested – I feel it in my bones…’ and yes, sometimes i feel as if there’s a shoe about to drop – just not sure if it’s going to be dropped from the sky or hurled as if it was kicked 0r what… just an undercurrent or premonition….
I have seen that lovely S. Suzuki’s speech before and it was wonderful to witness it again. I am going to check/search to see what she’s doing with her life now…
Headlines for the past two days are about rivers flooding in some of the Andean citiies.s
Yes, the bones never lie… xxxx LOVE to you.. And will catch up shortly.. Hope the flooding eases.. xxx
The dramatic change has been all too obvious for a long time. Changes in nature close around us has pointed to this change. From insect life to plant life, and beyond, everything has been affected.
As Sue has pointed out, we have been alerted to these changes for some time. Yet there are those who have the ‘power’ to do something who ignore the facts.
Thank you for a great but rather sad post.
Thank you for your comment – twice! Once because I missed replying to several of the other comments.. and a second thanks for your feedback about climate change. It seems that some people are awakening, but from my own experience, I find it’s hard to see a larger picture until moving away and watching from afar. From a different vantage point, one can wipe the glaze from the eyes and see with better clarity..
I recently did a blog about the March for Science. I wasn’t able to work with any one from South America but research shows people polled in South America most concerned about Climate Change as a global threat. You may like my most recent blog at : http://crispyview.com/2017/05/22/there-is-time-left-lets-march-for-science/