
A 600-Year-Old Blueprint for Weathering Climate Change

Native Americans were living in the delta even as it was being created. Their strategy for dealing with the river’s vagaries, as far as archaeologists have been able to determine, was one of accommodation. When the Mississippi flooded, they sought higher ground. When it shifted quarters, they did, too.
Elizabeth Kolbert • Under a White Sky
Underlying the structural changes was an ideological shift toward reciprocity, an ideal of sharing and balance that undergirded economics, politics, and religion across much of the continent. The Sonoran Desert–living O’odham, for example, developed a himdag , or “way of life,” that taught that people are supposed to share with one another accordin... See more
Rabbit Holes 🕳️ #76
8. How can principles learned from living systems inform our approach to solving contemporary societal crises, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and lack of sustainability?
Two aspects are central to our move from dominion to stewardship :
1. We must pay close attention to the rates of change in our social-ecological system.
2. We must shift... See more
Two aspects are central to our move from dominion to stewardship :
1. We must pay close attention to the rates of change in our social-ecological system.
2. We must shift... See more
Understanding Living Systems
Fluctuations in climate have played a significant role in history, first in precipitating the Agricultural Revolution after the close of the last Ice Age, and later in destabilizing regimes during periods of colder temperatures and drought. Lately, there have been concerns over the possible impact of “global warming.” These concerns cannot be dismi
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