13 Nov 2023 – The Desert Coming – EcoPoetry #03

The end is always near but every future 

has been forgotten.

Make friends with the desert because that is where we will have to survive.*

Unknown

I ask your indulgence while I digress by way introducing THE DESERT, the third post using EcoPoetry as a means to explore the nature of connection between all sentient beings and the Earth, itself. In particular, we are looking at the current environmental situation termed “Climate Change.”

Consider the second quote above. It is worth more than a passing thought. some thought. If climate change causes the Earth’s temperatures to rise as most scientists say it will, the desert will come to many of us rather than we going to the desert for recreation.

Respectfully, at the very end of this post, I have inserted a ChatGPT-generated definition, effects, and potential adaptations related to Climate Change. I included this information as a primer or a refresher for anyone who wishes to use it. Your call.

Now a personal story before we have a look at a selection of “desert” EcoPoetry.

When I lived in Southern California, my friends and I made frequent trips to the Anza-Borrego Desert east of San Diego. San Diego, itself, is located in a coastal desert. Just about everyone knows, despite its drawbacks, that the city has a soothing climate, almost always “Three Bears” temperatures – not too hot, not too cold . . . just right. Winter temperatures were okay-pleasant in the desert, but only the hardiest among us (not me) ventured into the oven come summer which lasts about seven months wherein the temps do not dip below 80 degrees in the daytime. “Scarce hardly describes this desert’s rainfall; in an entire year, only 3 months have, on average, one day of rain. (See the Table at the end of this post for an overview of temps, month by month.

Yes, it’s not the heat; it’s the humidity, as the common weather report goes. Not exactly the best place for a vegetable garden, not to mention the waste of water in such an arid place even if you tried to grow your own vegies. Golf courses use the most water. But of course, we all trundled out to the sands in our air-conditioned RVs, hauling ATVs, dirt bikes, and so forth, plus coolers, ice not far away at the outpost. Cold beer was common. Ice cream, not so much. I guess the old prospectors and land grabbers would envy us.

Groundwater is effectively the sole source of water supply for Borrego Valley, California. By the mid-2000s, agriculture, recreation (predominantly golf courses), municipal uses, and the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park required about four times more water than is available through natural recharge.

Borrego Springs is running out of water. The aquifer that lies under the Borrego basin is disappearing; it's critically over-drafted. The aquifer is being drawn down at a rate nearly five times the recharge rate. The water table has been dropping over two feet per year for the past sixty years while the loss rate has increased over time.

In 2017, California created the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which mandated that Borrego become water “sustainable,” meaning water inflow equals outflow, by 2040.

Why am I telling you all this? What does it have to do with EcoPoetry? The short answer per the above: WATER. That’s why this post focuses on desert environments.

WATER SHORTAGE

Demand for water will have grown by 40% by 2050, and 25% of people will live in countries without enough access to clean water. This warning does not come as a surprise. The UN, and other global organizations, have been warning us of water shortages by 2050 for years — if not decades. 

Will America run out of water? Greater aridity leads to more climate extremes, drier soil and greater stress on agricultural production and ecosystems. And water supplies could decline by a third by 2071, even as the population mushrooms to 404 million by 2050, compared with 334 million today. A little more than one-third of America’s total volume of drinking water comes from groundwater, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. But small and rural communities are disproportionately dependent on wells, which typically cost less than treating and transporting water from rivers and lakes.

What will happen to America's freshwater resources by 2071? According to model projections published in the journal Earth's Future, population growth and climate change could potentially shrink half of the U.S.'s freshwater resources by the year 2071. If this happens, America will not have enough water for everybody — at least not at the levels it's being consumed today (via Harvard University).

POEMS

from Apocalipsixtlán [5. Signs of the End of the World]

by Rigoberto González

The right path. The phrase echoes in our heads

     as we travel west, away from the crack in the earth.

There is no way around it. Some say it connects

     Tierra del Fuego to the North Pole and cuts deep

down to the core—a wound that lets the heat escape

     each minute of the day. When all of the Américas

became a desert, dividing coast from coast, those

     caught in the middle either sunk into the crevice

or sunk into despair. The right path. That’s what

     Those Who Came Before tried to sell us before hell

rose from the bowels of the planet to burn the air

     in every lung. When the animals began to flee

and the birds headed east, we should have guessed

     the doom had come upon us then. But the right path

was not to panic but to study these changes, discuss

    policy, hold town meetings—negotiate. Catastrophe

was just another balloon to deflate. By the time

     the ground beneath our feet began to shake, it

were already too late to save our cities, which had

     turned to liquid we couldn’t drink. Next came thirst.

What comedy to witness humans think they’re

     in control of anything. The new collectives with

the old were just as tired and useless as the past.

     Their lifetime of mistake and misdirection was what

had killed us. Why repeat the leadership? Why

     allow the yesterday to roll its ancient wheels

into the present? Oh preachers of pretense, we

     silenced you. Oh teachers of nonsense, we erased

you. The future is ours, you all said, and the future

     arrived, bleak and black, but with much less room

to move around. A future without windows or doors,

     and one ugly hole in the ground that offers no escape.

What future is this? We asked. And Those Who Came

     Before simply shrugged their shoulders and shook

their heads. When the gas discharged from the opening

     we smelled the answer—sour odor of crimes against

the land and the centuries of death that had been buried

     there. Out flew centuries of damage and buried bodies

to hover above us like magpies shrieking: The crack

     in the earth, it is us. The crack in the earth, it is ours.

The Arid Land

by Lynn Riggs

There will be willows plunging

Their bloodless roots in air

And the hard crooked flying

Of buzzards circled there.

About the treeless wastes

No sand may ever heap

With water, nothing will run

And nothing creep.

Arid, desolate, defiant

Under its iron band

Of sky, we yet may love

This so sunny land.

A Desert Memory

by Bertrand N. O. Walker

Lonely, open, vast and free,

The dark’ning desert lies;

The wind sweeps o’er it fiercely,

And the yellow sand flies.

The tortuous trail is hidden,

Ere the sand-storm has passed

With all its wild, mad shriekings,

Borne shrilly on its blast.

Are they fiends or are they demons

That wail weirdly as they go,

Those hoarse and dismal cadences,

From out their depths of woe?

Will they linger and enfold

The lone trav’ler in their spell,

Weave ‘round him incantations,

Brewed and bro’t forth from their hell?

Bewilder him and turn him

From the rugged, hidden trail,

Make him wander far and falter,

And tremblingly quail

At the desert and the loneliness

So fearful and so grim,

That to his fervid fancy,

Wraps in darkness only him?

The wind has spent its fierce wild wail,

    The dark storm-pall has shifted,

Forth on his sight the stars gleam pale

    In the purpling haze uplifted.

And down the steep trail, as he lists,

    He hears soft music stealing;

It trembling falls through filmy mists,

    From rock-walls faint echoes pealing.

Whence comes this mystic night-song

With its rhythm wild and free,

With is pleading and entreaty

Pouring forth upon the sea

Of darkness, vast and silent,

Like a tiny ray of hope

That oft-times comes to comfort

When in sorrow’s depths we grope?

’Tis the An-gu, the Kat-ci-na,**

’Tis the Hopi’s song of prayer,

That in darkness wards off danger,

When ’tis breathed in the air;

Over desert, butte, and mesa,

It is borne out on the night,

Dispelling fear and danger,

Driving evil swift a-flight.

BACKGROUND

Rigoberto González was born in Bakersfield, California, on July 18, 1970, but lived in Michoacán, Mexico, until the age of ten. The son of migrant farm workers, González traveled between the United States and Mexico for much of his childhood. He earned a degree in humanities and social sciences interdisciplinary studies from the University of California, Riverside, and an MFA from Arizona State University in Tempe.

Rollie Lynn Riggs, born on August 31, 1899, near Claremore, Oklahoma, was an American poet, playwright, and screenwriter of Cherokee descent. He is best known for his 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs, which was later adapted by Rodgers and Hammerstein into the 1943 musical Oklahoma! He died on June 30, 1954.

Bertrand Nicholas Oliver Walker, who published his poems under his Wyandot name, Hen-toh, was born in 1870. A member of the Oklahoma band of the Big Turtle Clan, he attended the Seneca Indian School and the public school in Seneca, Missouri. Walker took on an independent study for four years under the tutelage of a college professor local to his community. Walker is the author of the poetry collection Yon-Doo-Shah-We-Ah (Nubbins) (Harlow, 1924) and Tales of the Bark Lodges (Harlow, 1919), a book of Wyandot animal stories. He worked as an educator for many years and was the chief clerk of the Quapaw Agency in Miami, Oklahoma, at the time of his death in 1927.

EXPLORATIONS

Exploration 1: Is the desert an accurate metaphor for the potential for planetary destruction?

Exploration 2: Which of the poets selected for this post do you think gives us the best example of EcoPoetry?

Exploration 3: This is the third post on EcoPoetry. If you care to, craft your own definition of the characteristics of this poetic genre. 

NOTES

*Copyright © 2023 by Lauren Camp. This excerpt appeared in Worn Smooth between Devourings (NYQ Books, 2023). 

**Variants or less commonly katchina or katcina: 1. one of the deified ancestral spirits believed among the Hopi and other Pueblo Indians to visit the pueblos at intervals. 2. one of the elaborately masked kachina impersonators that dance at agricultural ceremonies.

EXHIBIT A

Anza-Borrego Desert Average Temperatures and Days of Rain:

Month High / Low(°F) Rain

January 65° / 44°1 day

February 68° / 47°1 day 

March 77° / 54°0 days

April 82° / 57°0 days

May 89° / 63°0 days

June100° / 71°0 days

July 104° / 78°0 days

August 103° / 78°0 days

September 97° / 73°0 days

October 86° / 63°0 days

November 74° / 52°0 days

December 64° / 43°1 day

A Climate Change Overview

Climate change definition refers to significant and long-term alterations in the Earth's climate patterns, including temperature, precipitation, and weather conditions, often resulting from the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These changes are primarily driven by human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes, which increase the concentration of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. As a consequence, the planet's average temperature is rising, leading to a wide range of environmental impacts, such as melting ice caps, rising sea levels, more frequent and severe weather events, and shifts in ecosystems. Climate change is a global issue with far-reaching consequences for the environment, society, and the economy, making it a critical challenge for humanity to address.

What are the consequences of climate change?

Climate change has wide-ranging and significant consequences that impact various aspects of the environment, society, and the global economy. Some of the key consequences of climate change include:

1. Rising Temperatures: Global warming is a primary outcome of climate change, leading to higher average temperatures worldwide. This can result in heatwaves, prolonged periods of extreme heat, and increased risk of heat-related illnesses.

2. Melting Ice and Glaciers: The warming climate causes the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, contributing to rising sea levels and increasing the risk of coastal flooding.

3. Sea Level Rise: As glaciers and ice caps melt and ocean waters expand due to higher temperatures, sea levels are rising, threatening coastal communities and low-lying islands. This can lead to inundation, erosion, and displacement of people.

4. Extreme Weather Events: Climate change is associated with more frequent and severe weather events, such as hurricanes, droughts, floods, wildfires, and storms. These events can result in loss of life, property damage, and disruptions to communities.

5. Ocean Acidification: Increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere also lead to higher levels of CO2 being absorbed by the oceans, causing ocean acidification. This can harm marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs and shellfish.

6. Disruption of Ecosystems: Changes in temperature and weather patterns can disrupt ecosystems, leading to shifts in the distribution of plant and animal species, affecting biodiversity and food chains.

7. Food and Water Security: Climate change can impact agricultural productivity, leading to crop failures and food shortages. It can also affect water availability, leading to water scarcity in some regions.

8. Health Impacts: Higher temperatures can worsen air quality, increasing the prevalence of respiratory illnesses. Additionally, the spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever may be influenced by changing climate conditions.

9. Economic Costs: The economic consequences of climate change are substantial, including damage to infrastructure, increased healthcare costs, and reduced agricultural productivity. Extreme weather events can lead to significant financial losses.

10. Migrant and Refugee Crisis: Climate change can displace populations due to sea level rise, extreme weather events, and resource scarcity, leading to migration and potential conflicts over resources.

11. Loss of Biodiversity: Many plant and animal species are at risk of extinction due to changing climate conditions, habitat loss, and reduced food sources.

12. Security Risks: Climate change can exacerbate existing social and political tensions by increasing competition for resources and triggering conflicts over water, land, and food.

Addressing climate change and its consequences is a global priority to mitigate these impacts and protect the planet's ecosystems, societies, and economies. Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to changing conditions, and transition to a more sustainable way of living are essential components of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.  

  

Adaptation Strategies:

1. Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: Design and build infrastructure that can withstand the impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and changing precipitation patterns.

2. Water Management: Implement sustainable water management practices to address changing rainfall patterns and mitigate water scarcity and flooding.

3. Ecosystem Conservation: Protect and restore ecosystems, including wetlands and coastal areas, which can act as natural buffers against climate-related events like storm surges and floods.

4. Early Warning Systems: Develop and deploy early warning systems for extreme weather events, which can save lives and reduce the impact of disasters.

5. Climate-Resilient Agriculture: Adapt agricultural practices to changing climate conditions, including drought-resistant crops and improved irrigation methods.

6. Community Education and Engagement: Raise awareness about climate change and empower communities to take adaptive measures, such as building codes that consider climate risks.

7. Research and Monitoring: Invest in climate research and monitoring to better understand the evolving impacts of climate change and inform adaptive strategies.

8. International Cooperation: Collaborate on a global scale to address climate change and share knowledge and resources to support vulnerable regions.

9. Disaster Preparedness: Develop and implement disaster preparedness and response plans to minimize the impact of extreme weather events.

10. Healthcare Adaptation: Strengthen healthcare systems to cope with the health impacts of climate change, such as heatwaves and vector-borne diseases.

It's important to note that addressing climate change requires a multi-faceted, coordinated effort from governments, businesses, communities, and individuals. Climate action should be comprehensive, and solutions should be tailored to local and regional contexts to effectively combat the challenges posed by climate change. International agreements, like the Paris Agreement, play a crucial role in fostering global cooperation to address this pressing issue.