Weekly Pose Ponder No. 9
Summarizing the week's posts -- prior humanities, Colorado water, Treebeard, speculative futures, and economics via the doughnut
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A mix of things this week, including literary! I’m traveling, so Monday-Tuesday posts may be late, if they appear at all.
How are you doing? What are you thinking about? I’d love to hear from you.
Prior Humanities
Most people attuned to the Anthropocene are focused on “the issues,” from climate change to biodiversity loss to impacts on humans including economic growth, distributive justice, and the possibility of technological fixes. All this is well taken. However.
Where does the water go?
A comprehensive new study just out tries to give the “right statistics” for new guidelines regarding water usage from the Colorado River. Current guidelines are set to expire in 2026. Here is another case of science being used to guide policy. Let’s hope in this case the numbers simply are what they are, and that the ongoing “tense negotiations” will con…
Just Breathing
Probably my favorite character in all of literature is Treebeard, from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I was sorely tempted a few weeks ago to join up with John Halbrooks reading group, but I resisted. There are too many other things for me to be reading right now.
Wild Futures
There are so many great things on Substack these days. Gosh, I’m not a very literary person. I don’t read a lot of fiction. — I’m trying to read more these days. — But as I try to think about humans going forward, The Future starts to be an essential category of thought.
Doughnut Economics
For resource Friday, here’s Kate Raworth. You can watch her original TED Talk, or a more recent one here (2018) or here (2021).