Vanished Memories: The Earth We Long For--discussion and potluck

"...abundance that today we would find improbably mythical...is abundance that once was normal. Thriving is one of life's specialties."

Our central concern at Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (BLC) is eco-restoration and soil-carbon sequestration to reverse global warming. People frequently ask us, "Is it really possible? How do you know?" The science is on our side, but it's dispersed with many unconnected dots, and as a focused broad-based study soil-carbon sequestration is still in the early stages. So how do we know?

We know about some important things: the historical record of atmospheric carbon concentrations, the process of soil loss through poorly practiced agriculture, the destruction of ecosystems by resource exploitation, the impact of population pressures on many habitats. And there's one essential thing that we once knew but have forgotten: The way things used to be.

What did the earth look like before human populations got out of hand? If we remembered that, we'd have a clearer picture of the possibilities and a solid confidence in the power of biology to shape the earth, including removing excess carbon from the atmosphere and returning it to soils where belongs.

At this Meetup, Executive Director Adam Sacks will take us on a tour of some of our forgotten habitats, from the Big Bang to as recently as a 100 years ago. We'll keep in mind that if it's green and growing, it's carbon stored above and below the ground, not in the atmosphere. We'll look at evidence of the way things used to be, abundance that today we would find improbably mythical. Yet it is abundance that once was normal. Thriving is one of life's specialties.

Appreciating the wonders of the natural world that was will inspire us towards a new future. The best part is that we know what to do to fix today's failing life-support systems, all we need is the vision and the will. This Meetup will launch us on the vision.

Bring a potluck dish to share, donations welcome to support our outreach efforts.