[GWSG] C caches; little fires; native forests; mgt. by beaver; mgt. by cowboy; sequoias lost; BC changing; eco-fascism

[Tilley, Al]

1. About 3% of the earth’s land surface is sequestering half the carbon which, if released from soil and vegetation, would be irrecoverable by midcentury. The resulting emissions would render disastrous climate effects likely. 57% of the carbon is in trees and plants, 43% in soils. Much of the land is now peat bog, permafrost, and forest. Conservation efforts should focus there. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/18/revealed-the-places-humanity-must-not-destroy-to-avoid-climate-chaos

2. Small fires this year can prevent big fires next year. Some people have come to believe that our whole “if it’s burning, put it out” approach to forest fires has been a mistake. https://theconversation.com/how-years-of-fighting-every-wildfire-helped-fuel-the-western-megafires-of-today-163165

3. The New Yorker article “What It’s Like to Fight a Megafire” in the Nov. 8 issue is worth reading, but it is behind a paywall. American Indians and other indigenous peoples used (and are using) controlled burns for forest management successfully. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_use_of_fire_in_ecosystems

4. Streams shaped by beaver are better able to deal with fire and drought. Effective restoration can often employ beaver. https://climatecrocks.com/2021/11/20/pbs-for-climate-mitigation-and-fire-suppression-why-not-leave-it-to-beavers/

5. COP26 produced an agreement to give indigenous peoples at least $1.7 billion to support their role in forest preservation. Agribusiness in Paraguay and elsewhere, however, has been engaged in uprooting the peoples to open space to raise cattle and the soybeans to feed them. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/nov/21/paraguay-evictions-land-indigenous-agribusiness

6. 20% of all giant sequoias have been killed in intense fires in the last two years. https://phys.org/news/2021-11-california-wildfires-torch-thousands-giant.html

7. A changing climate has brought fires and floods, changing the lives of people in Vancouver and rural British Columbia. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/21/floods-and-wildfires-are-now-normal-life-in-small-town-canada

8. Racist eco-fascism is replacing climate denial as a primary bearer of right-wing ignorance. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/21/climate-denial-far-right-immigration

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