The video embedded below, along with the draft script and supporting links, can be freely…
Third Wave
As predicted and expected — albeit not by fools in the hope-filled, anti-scientific community — the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has begun. The Atlantic provides a good overview, among the first mentions I have seen from legitimate news outlets of the second or third wave in the corporate media. The figure below is from the United States’ MSN, and the head of the World Health Organization recently said, ”Europe is now the ’epicentre’ of the global coronavirus pandemic.”
The second wave was characterized by more infections and fewer deaths than the first wave. This paradoxical outcome presumably resulted from the practices of social distancing and wearing of face masks in many countries.
Humans and other species on Earth have been fortunate with respect to the timing of this ongoing pandemic. As I indicated previously, it debuted during the North American winter and spread widely during spring, 2020. From the perspectives of biology and ecology, the timing could not have been better. The same conclusion applies to the third wave: The response of plants, including maize and soybeans, will be minor now relative to the middle of the growing season. As a result, habitat for humans might persist another year. Color me elated.
I am elated in response to the potential for another year. As pointed out by Homer in the Illiad some 2,800 years ago: “The gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment may be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.”
We have never been closer to the end of industrial civilization. We have never been closer to the extinction of Homo sapiens. You and I have never been closer to our own, personal deaths.
Pressum diem. Squeeze the day.
Special Notification:
The 57-acre homestead I occupied in western Belize has been re-listed for sale (click here for listing). My partner, who owns the property, must spend time with her family in Florida. She is selling the homestead at a monetary loss to be closer to her ill father.
Latest peer-reviewed journal articles:
McPherson, Guy R. 2020. The Means by Which COVID-19 Could Cause Extinction of All Life on Earth (pdf). Environmental Analysis & Ecology Studies 7(2):711-713.
McPherson, Guy R. 2020. The Role of Conservation Biology in Understanding the Importance of Arctic Sea Ice (pdf). Earth & Environmental Science Research & Reviews 3(3):147-149.
McPherson, Guy R. 2020. The Myth of Sustainability (pdf). Earth & Environmental Science Research & Reviews 3(3):117-122.
McPherson, Guy R. 2020. Trees Cannot Sequester Enough Carbon to Slow Abrupt Climate Change. Modern Concepts & Developments in Agronomy (pdf) 6(4). DOI: 10.31031/MCDA.2020.06.000641
McPherson, Guy R. 2020. Earth is in the Midst of Abrupt, Irreversible Climate Change. Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences Research 2(2).
McPherson, Guy R. 2020. Will COVID-19 Trigger Extinction of All Life on Earth? (pdf). Earth & Environmental Science Research & Reviews 3(2)2:73-74. doi.org/10.33140/EESRR.03.02.04
McPherson, Guy R. 2019. Going Halfway: Climate Reports Ignore the Full Evidence, and Therapists Ignore Grief Recovery. Clinical Psychology Forum 321:28-31.
McPherson, Guy R. 2019. Becoming Hope-Free: Parallels Between Death of Individuals and Extinction of Homo sapiens. Clinical Psychology Forum 317:8-11. The full paper is linked here.
Published Recently:
Another Voice Crying in the Wilderness: My Homage to Edward Abbey is available in three formats:
Signed, inscribed copy can be purchased here for $18 (includes postage and handling within the United States). These copies will be signed by the author and inscribed to whom you wish (e.g., “To Bill and Jane …”).
Published February, 2019: McPherson, Guy R. 2019. Only Love Remains: Dancing at the Edge of Extinction. Woodthrush Productions, New York.
McPherson, Guy R. 2019. Revised Second edition of Going Dark. Woodthrush Productions, New York.
Pauline Panagiotou Schneider and Guy R. McPherson. 2018. Revised Second Edition of Ms. Ladybug and Mr. Honeybee: A Love Story at the End of Time. Woodthrush Productions, New York.
McPherson, Guy R. 2019. Revised Second edition of Walking Away from Empire: A Personal Journey. Woodthrush Productions, New York.
Mugs, tote bags, iPhone cases, tee shirts, and other pragmatic goods affiliated with the latter book are available here (and also on Redbubble). I do not earn money from these items. Indeed, they have returned far less money than it cost to create and distribute them. I list them at the bottom of posts in this space in support of my artistically inclined partner, who created them.