Letter from Maitland, Florida
“In other words, none of us has long. I have enjoyed an enormously privileged life, in no small part because I chose my parents wisely. I have lived a long time, relative to historical norms. Most important, you have given me a lens through which I view the world. This lens allows me to empathize with others, including those who have little or no voice. In addition, you have instilled within me a set of values that have served me well. For example, these values allow me to respond with integrity to the horrors thrown my way by those who do not want significant changes to a system that serves them well.”—Guy McPherson
Going Dark
By Dr. Guy McPherson
MAITLAND Florida—(Weekly Hubris)—May 2020—Dear Mom and Dad,
I know the lockdown is inconvenient for you, as it is for most of us living in this country. I suspect it will get worse before it gets better. Nobody wants to hear it, of course, and I do not want to say it. It is the evidence that makes argumentation so difficult.
Our own inconvenience pales in comparison to other locations. We hear from our friends in Belize quite frequently, and the stories are amazing. Banks, pharmacies, and grocery stores are closed indefinitely. These folks know how to implement a lockdown!
As I wrote in my latest peer-reviewed paper, I suspect the reduction in the aerosol masking effect will accelerate abrupt climate change. It likely will lead to the loss of all life on Earth, although the conservative tone of peer-reviewed papers negates me reaching this conclusion in print. Instead, the title of the paper and the conclusions I have reached are stated as questions. Here is a snippet from the paper: “The outcome is not yet obvious because the timing of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus was favorable for human habitat. Trees produced leaves in the Northern Hemisphere spring of 2020 as a result of carbohydrates stored the previous year and grain crops were harvested before the novel coronavirus emerged. Results of the recent and ongoing rise in temperature, which have already been reported in China and India, will become obvious to most humans when many more trees die. Large-scale die-off of trees likely will approximately correspond with catastrophic crop failure.”
In other words, none of us has long. I have enjoyed an enormously privileged life, in no small part because I chose my parents wisely. I have lived a long time, relative to historical norms. Most important, you have given me a lens through which I view the world. This lens allows me to empathize with others, including those who have little or no voice. In addition, you have instilled within me a set of values that have served me well. For example, these values allow me to respond with integrity to the horrors thrown my way by those who do not want significant changes to a system that serves them well.
Change has arrived. It is not the kind of change any of us will enjoy. Again, because you have instilled within me the gifts of honesty and acceptance, I will weather this storm, until I don’t.
Because of COVID-19, I seriously doubt we will be able to see each other again. Consider this letter my thank you, and my good-bye.
Love,
Guy
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Guy McPherson
Dr. Guy McPherson is an internationally recognized speaker, award-winning scientist, and one of the world’s leading authorities on abrupt climate change leading to near-term human extinction. He is professor emeritus at the University of Arizona, where he taught and conducted research for 20 years. His published works include 16 books and hundreds of scholarly articles. Dr. McPherson has been featured on television and radio and in several documentary films. He is a blogger and social critic who co-hosts his own radio show, “Nature Bats Last.” Dr. McPherson speaks to general audiences across the globe, and to scientists, students, educators, and not-for-profit and business leaders who seek their best available options when confronting Earth’s cataclysmic changes. Visit McPherson’s Author Page at amazon.com. (Author Head Shot Augment: René Laanen.)
11 Comments
Pir O Shan
Bonjour Guy et amitiés à Ta compagne ainsi qu’à tous ceux que Tu aimes.
Thank You for this last weeklyhubris, sorry to read that this one seems to be “your last one” . Living out of connected main stream circuits i do need You precise way of connecting the dots. With Sam Carana’s infos. Your way of presenting things is OK with me and NEEDED ! Lockdown is a heavy burden we are not used to …
Take care and breath in energy around You.
A bientot
Pierre
Guy R McPherson
Thank you for your comment, Pierre. I will continue to write in this space as long as I am welcome. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, I doubt I will see my parents again. They live far from me, and societal restrictions preclude our meeting.
SnowBird Cardinal
Professor, many of us continue to walk in your shadow.
https://standupforthetruth.com/2020/04/patrick-wood-technocracy-climate-change-and-covid-19/
“climate change advocates using COVID 19 to push their agenda… ( IPCC & Imperial College in London)” — Patrick Wood
https://www.technocracy.news
“Climate Alarmists Use Coronavirus To Push Climate Change Agenda”
https://www.technocracy.news/climate-alarmists-use-coronavirus-to-push-climate-change-agenda/
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/tkelly6785757/episodes/2020-04-28T05_04_39-07_00
Guest: Patrick Wood, Technocracy
Dr.McPherson, you’ve been one of this world’s greatest and never to be forgotten.
Forever Grateful…. Love & Peace
Bill
Well said. If everyone was as honest, as you seem to be facing reality, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Guy R McPherson
Thank you, Snowbird Cardinal. I doubt any rational person is using COVID-19 to push a climate-change agenda. If so, s/he is clearly unaware of the aerosol masking effect.
Bill, thank you for the affirmative comment. If only my detractors believed as much …
Dan Dodson
We tried to save the Everglades, while Florida was being swallowed by the ocean.
Prophets don’t tell the future, they tell the Truth.
Guy R McPherson
Dan Dodson, your few words are sadly compelling. Thank you.
burrowingOwl
Gobsmacking.
Guy–you are a cosmic timepiece for the Swiss to envy.
Hope you send this to the NYT, BBC, Etc.
( Ed Abbey graced my college classes in his last years).
Guy R McPherson
Thank you, burrowingOwl. The corporate media will have nothing to do with me. You were fortunate to meet Cactus Ed: I never had the pleasure.
Erin Bierly
Dearest Guy,
I follow your every word, like a beacon in the darkness. I visit daily, because it is a sacred place that makes sense to me. Words cannot express the depth of my gratitude to you for bringing your knowledge and message into the light. I’m fascinated by the science, and appreciate that you teach it in a way this non-science mind can understand. High-five! So happy I found you on YouTube in 2018, yet sad it wasn’t sooner. Been a huge fan ever since. I like being in the know. It helps me make the best choices possible for me and my loved ones, because, as you say so eloquently…only Love remains. My heart hurt for you as I read that you may never get to see (or hug) your parents again. I may be in the same boat and that realization cuts so deep.
Sigh…I have so much more to ask you and say…dare I save it for another day?
Take good care… Thanks again.
Guy R McPherson
Thank you, Erin. If you’d like to chat further, you are welcome to send me an email message at my email address, which is publicly available: guy.r.mcpherson@gmail.com.