Between the darkness and the dawn

Climate catastrophes. The extinction crisis. A deadly global pandemic. Deep political divisions. Systemic racism. Entrenched poverty. The challenges we face are daunting. These feel like dark times.

Some of us are in frontline communities—those places hit hardest by injustice, the recession, or environmental decline. Coastal communities battered by flooding. Fenceline communities plagued by industrial pollution. Redlined urban neighborhoods burdened with crumbling infrastructure and punishing summer heat. In such communities, each day brings new struggle.

Others of us watch the calamity from afar.  We are distanced by chance or our privilege. As we doomscroll through the headlines our hearts go out to the afflicted.  Instinctively we want to help, but news stories rarely tell us how.  We feel powerless in the shadow of problems that are massive and complex.  So, when there’s no relief in sight we grow numb to protect ourselves and our attention drifts away.

Some of us have the courage and resources to work for positive change. We give our sweat, time, or wealth. Frontline workers. Activists. Volunteers. Donors. Community organizers and leaders. Educators. Journalists. But despite our efforts, progress is slow and measured incrementally.

There is a simple proverb to counsel us in times like these: the darkest hour is just before the dawn.

This message can bring comfort when we are weary, hurting, and anxious. And it is especially significant now. Not just because we are living through dark times, but because light is appearing on the horizon.

Right now—for the first time in human history—science, technology, and collective awareness and morality are aligning. More people than ever before are challenging systemic oppression and injustice. Scientists are providing the clarity we need about our environmental problems and their solutions. Innovation and technology are offering us new ways of living that are cleaner, restorative, inclusive, and efficient. And people around the world are sharing solutions and collaborating via the internet.

So, even though humanity is facing more formidable challenges than ever before, we have never been closer to achieving our best. We have the knowledge and tools to fix our problems. Not just shallow fixes that treat the symptoms, but the deep fixes that cure the disease.

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I’m a professor at Birmingham-Southern College, a small liberal arts college in central Alabama. I’ve been studying and teaching science for over thirty years. My expertise is in the field of biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity refers to the variety of ecosystems, species, and genes found on earth. Conservation is preventing the loss of biodiversity.

I recently surfaced from a deep dive into research for a new book provisionally entitled Creek to Coast: Restoring the Rivers at the Heart of America’s Freshwater Biodiversity. It’s about the future of the southeastern US with a focus on the region’s rivers and their unparalleled biodiversity.

The project was transformative for me. I became aware that the environmental challenges we face—especially climate change—are much more of a threat to the biodiversity and the people of the Southeast than I had understood.

Though what I learned was alarming, I also found the teachings of scientists, activists, and philosophers who offered the insights and solutions that we need to craft a better future. I learned about planetary boundaries and tipping points. Climate mitigation and adaptation. Sacrifice zones and donut economics. Green infrastructure and regenerative agriculture. I studied the charts and graphs revealing how clean energy production—especially from sunlight and wind—is now more efficient and affordable than energy produced from coal.

All this was very encouraging, but there was more.

I also learned from environmental and social activists who understood they were working towards the same goals. The confluence of these two areas of concern marked the birth of a new field of study, activism, and policy: environmental justice. “Justice” is involved because the people who suffer first, most, and more from environmental degradation—typically the poor and people of color—are not the ones causing the problem.

Awareness of environmental justice is surging right now because of the Black Lives Matter movement. Environmentalists are learning they can no longer ignore social injustice, and social activists are learning that living in a healthy environment is a basic human right.

The importance of this cannot be overstated. The people of both movements are now collaborating on creating a just, equitable, inclusive society, and a healthy environment in which everyone can thrive.  This collaboration will be a powerful force for the changes we need and deserve.

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In Creeks to Coast I bring readers along on a journey to understand the future of the Southeastern US. I tell stories revealing why rivers are at the center of the region’s biodiversity crisis, growing water scarcity, and vulnerability to climate change.

My research revealed more stories than I could reasonably fit into a single book, so I’m bringing the surplus here to this blog. Through these stories I will explore how we can overcome the challenges we face, especially those related to the southeastern environment. These topics will range from saving species from extinction, to climate change, to environmental justice. I will also post updates on stories featured in Creeks to Coast and my first book, Southern Wonder: Alabama’s Surprising Biodiversity.

Why am I focusing on the Southeast? Though I have lived and worked in tropical Africa, Central America, and even Antarctica, the Southeast is my backyard—my home turf. I’m from here, I live here, and I’ll probably die here. I know this region best.

But the Southeast deserves special attention for other reasons.

The region is globally significant for its high level of biodiversity. From the cove forests of the Southern Appalachian Mountains to the marshes along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, the Southeast harbors more species than most areas on the planet outside of the humid tropics.

Unfortunately, the Southeast is also one of the world’s hotspots for species extinction—especially for aquatic species. The causes are the same as those found everywhere: overuse of natural resources, loss of natural landscapes, and centuries of pollution.

As if that were not enough, the Southeast is also THE most vulnerable US region to climate change threats.  These include stronger storms and hurricanes, droughts and extreme heat, sea level rise, and the loss of freshwater. Consequently, the region is suffering more economic loss due to climate change than any other portion of the US. And climate scientists predict that these economic losses will escalate until greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are in decline.

Fortunately, we have the knowledge and solutions to flip the script on this tragedy—both globally and here in the Southeast. We have the remedies for ending the extinction crisis, pollution, and climate change. The solutions will improve our lives, bring prosperity, and ameliorate social inequities.

I will bring these solutions to this blog.

My goal is to help us bridge the gap between what we need and what we have. Between what is right and what is real. Between the darkness and the dawn.