Happy Soul Food Friday!
This week:
What’s Your Commitment to Protecting Our Planet?
Global and local implications of looming climate catastrophe continue unabated. What will it take for us to attend to this perilous condition without denying reality on the one hand, or awfulizing it on the other?
Here are some powerful examples of what is happening that are worth our attention, and some positive responses both from indigenous traditions as well as from modern science…
Outside the Supreme Court, A Life of Purpose and Pain Ends in Flames:
Wynn Bruce, whose life was shaped by a devastating car accident and Buddhism, set himself on fire on Earth Day in what his father believes was a climate change protest. If the world ignores Bruce’s death and disregards the warnings from scientists about the actions needed to curb the world’s warming, they argued, millions more people will die by fire.
Why Wynn Bruce, climate activist, set himself on fire at Supreme Court – The Washington Post
“We See the Storm Coming”: U.S. Struggles to Contain a Deepening Global Food Crisis:
Biden officials are scrambling to limit the damage from fast-spreading food shortages sparked by Russia’s war in Ukraine, but they face an array of complex political and logistical challenges.
‘We see the storm coming’: U.S. struggles to contain a deepening global food crisis – POLITICO
Think Global-
An Ice Shelf the Size of Rome has Collapsed in Antarctica
Nasa scientist says complete collapse of Conger ice shelf during unusually high temperatures is ‘sign of what might be coming’
Satellite data shows entire Conger ice shelf has collapsed in Antarctica | Antarctica | The Guardian
It’s Also Local-
As Lake Powell hits landmark low, Arizona looks to a new agency, a $1 billion investment and Mexican seawater
Gov. Doug Ducey hopes to solve the state’s water woes during his last year in office as decades of drought strain water supplies from the Colorado River.
Lake Powell officials face an impossible choice in the West’s megadrought: water or electricity
Lake Powell, the country’s second-largest reservoir, is drying up.
Lake Powell water officials face an impossible choice amid the West’s megadrought – CNN
Birds are laying their eggs a month earlier than normal
Eggshell evidence points the finger at our changing climate.
Birds are laying their eggs a month earlier than normal – The Washington Post
An Ocean of Noise: How Sonic Pollution is Hurting Marine Life:
Today’s oceans are a tumult of engine roar, artificial sonar and seismic blasts that make it impossible for marine creatures to hunt or communicate. We could make it stop, so why don’t we?
An ocean of noise: how sonic pollution is hurting marine life | Whales | The Guardian
On a more positive note-
Whale Takes Tourists for Ride Near Mexico By Lifting Boat on Its Back and Swimming Away:
A passenger aboard the boat said the playful whale “gently” lifted the boat and swam with the vessel on their back “twice” before swimming away
Whale Takes Tourists for Ride By Lifting Their Boat on Its Back | PEOPLE.com
For the First Time, Wind Power Eclipsed Both Coal and Nuclear in the U.S.:
For a single day at the end of March, wind was the second-largest source of electricity generation, the Energy Information Administration says. Natural gas is still the nation’s largest power source.
For the first time, wind power eclipsed both coal and nuclear power in the U.S. : NPR
Learning From the Ingenious Wisdom of Our Ancestors-
Why Did the Ancient Maya Abandon Their Cities?
As we face an uncertain future of our own amid a climate crisis, are there any lessons we can learn from the Maya about how to live sustainably on this planet?
The ancient Maya flourished in modern day Mexico and Central America for millennia. They built incredible cities and they had sophisticated knowledge of astronomy, architecture and the natural world. But although Maya culture continues to exist today, around 900 AD, many of their great settlements collapsed, and today they lie in ruins. CrowdScience listener Michael wants to know – how did the Maya sustain their populations successfully for so long? And what happened 1000 years ago that led them to abandon their cities? To find out, presenter Melanie Brown travels to the forests of Western Belize. She visits the archaeological site of Xunantunich to learn about what life would have been like for the Maya living in what was once a prosperous city. She hears about the importance of water to the Maya way of life in this region, and their ingenious methods for capturing and storing rainfall. She meets archaeologists using lasers and drones to map Maya settlements that have lain hidden by jungle for centuries. And she discovers what material from the bottom of lakes can tell us about how the Maya faced a changing climate, which may have had huge consequences for their society. This episode was released on Earth Day 2022.
CrowdScience – Why did the ancient Maya abandon their cities? – BBC Sounds
Spring Time: Why an Ancient Water System is Being Brought Back to Life in Spain:
A project to restore a 1,000-year-old network of water channels is helping farmers in the Sierra Nevada adapt to the effects of the climate crisis
MIT Engineers Created a Portable Device that Zaps Seawater to Make Drinking Water:
It’s the size of a suitcase—and could save your life.
The Surprising Afterlife of Used Hotel Soap:
Hotel guests leave behind millions of half-used bars of soap every day. A nonprofit is on a mission to repurpose them.
The surprising afterlife of used hotel soap (thehustle.co)
And some chuckles to take you out on-
If Cute Babies Competed in the Olympic Games:
Honestly, this may be one of the cutest, most hilarious 2-minute videos ever.
If Cute Babies Competed in the Olympic Games | Olympic Channel – YouTube
Thanks this week go to Graham B, Climate Stewards everywhere, and Chris B for the cute Baby Olympics vid!
Please pay it forward
Love,
Neville
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria
When the Heart weeps for what it has lost, the Spirit rejoices for what it has found.’
– Sufi saying
Happy Soul Food Friday! 