Author Archives: Jonas

“Whether wings and feathers or hands and fingers”

It’s Earth Day today and I’m thinking about J. Drew Lanham, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University, the subject of a post I wrote a couple of years ago. I was happy to see that he received … Continue reading

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Personhood, Intelligence, and Happy the Elephant

The November 16, 2021 issue of The Atlantic contained an article by the journalist and Harvard University American History professor Jill Lepore titled “The Elephant Who Could Be a Person.” According to the article’s lede, “The most important animal-rights case … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Rights of Nature

“Enough about Human Rights!What about Whale Rights? What about Snail Rights?What about Seal Rights? What about Eel Rights?What about Coon Rights? What about Loon Rights?What about Wolf Rights? What about, what about, what aboutWhat about Moose Rights? What about Goose … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Are Modern Science and Indigenous People’s TEK Compatible?

A recent article in The Guardian * described efforts of scientists working with members of New Zealand’s indigenous people, the Māori, to save the kauri (Agathis australis). It’s a species of tree native to New Zealand which can grow to over … Continue reading

Posted in Notes | Leave a comment

Jane Goodall – A Messenger of Hope

Some days I find it hard to be positive about our planet’s future. A recent front page headline in the Boston Globe (5/21/27) read “Early heat a sign of what’s to come.” The forecast for that day was 92 degrees or … Continue reading

Posted in Notes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“This is a fossil fuel war”

On February 28th, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its sixth assessment. According to Conservation International CEO M. Sanjayan, “This IPCC report marks a turning point in the fight against climate change. It forces us to reckon … Continue reading

Posted in Reflections | Tagged | Leave a comment

TEK

In 2015 at the conclusion of the UN Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) COP21, the 196 participating nations produced a treaty aimed at addressing climate change. Called the Paris Agreement, it was the first time a COP document stated that the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Winter Solstice 2021

Tomorrow, December 21, the shortest day of the year – the winter solstice, will be observed around the world in a variety of ways. Some examples are provided on this page. Clearly some human communities have been and are still … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

COP26: Some Notes and a Prayer

  On October 4th, a group of leading figures from a number of religious traditions sent an urgent message to world leaders who would be gathering for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow during … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NaCl

Teilhard de Chardin once wrote, “Love is the most universal, the most tremendous and the most mysterious of the cosmic forces.”[1] In their book Teilhard de Chardin on Love: Evolving Human Relationships, Louis Savary and Patricia Berne note that “According … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Leave a comment