Author Archives: Jonas

“Whether wings and feathers or hands and fingers”

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Jonas

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 →

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Personhood, Intelligence, and Happy the Elephant

Posted on March 16, 2023 by Jonas

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 →

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The Rights of Nature

Posted on December 6, 2022 by Jonas

“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 →

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Are Modern Science and Indigenous People’s TEK Compatible?

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Jonas

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 →

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Jane Goodall – A Messenger of Hope

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Jonas

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 →

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“This is a fossil fuel war”

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Jonas

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 →

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TEK

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Jonas

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 →

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Winter Solstice 2021

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Jonas

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 →

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COP26: Some Notes and a Prayer

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Jonas

  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 →

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NaCl

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Jonas

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 →

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