I wrote an op-ed for Common Dreams discussing the challenges of Hope and Burnout in the context of climate change. It’s one of a few that I’ve written in the past few weeks as part of my application to the Sustain.us delegation to this year’s UN Climate Conference in Morocco. Take a look: http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/05/26/hope-and-burnout-anthropocene Header … Continue reading Hope and Burnout in the Anthropocene
Header Photo: Snowy mountains near Zhangye, Gansu, China Lanzhou/兰州 to Jiayuguan/嘉峪关–452 km this section (Total Mileage: 6837 km/40,075 km) The last few weeks have brought storms down upon me, and with my visa deadline looming, I decided to hitchhike and take a train through some of the more remote and energy-rich regions of Northwest China. I missed pedaling those miles, … Continue reading Driving Snow, China’s Energy Crossroads, and the Desert End of the Great Wall: 16 Photos from the Road
Michelle Ignacio Macamay, 32, and her daughter Janrexelle, stand outside their house in the “No-Build Zone” in Tacloban, Eastern Visayas, Philippines. She told me her story at a neighbor’s dining table, with her husband and Janrexelle sitting nearby. This is the fourth of four “Humans of Climate Change” stories from Tacloban, the Philippines. Tacloban was one of … Continue reading Humans of Climate Change: Michelle Ignacio, Tacloban, the Philippines
John Andrew Lajara, 50, stands outside his home (left) on the Tacloban waterfront. In the far background, the arm of a backhoe can be seen as it works on the construction of a new tidal embankment. This is the third of four “Humans of Climate Change” stories from Tacloban, the Philippines. Tacloban was one of the … Continue reading Humans of Climate Change: John Andrew Lajara, Tacloban, the Philippines
Header Photo: Green among the arid hills, Gansu, China, 2016 Dr. Kathleen Dean Moore is a writer, speaker and moral philosopher. She taught at Oregon State University for “many years” before leaving “to write and speak full-time about the moral urgency of action to stop fossil fuels and the consequent global warming.” She is the author of … Continue reading Why I Write for Climate Justice: A Letter to Kathleen Dean Moore
Header image: Rapeseed blossoms are the surest sign that spring has come to China. 1273 km this section (Total Mileage: 6385 km/40,075 km) Two great rivers flow from the glaciers of the Tibetan plateau to the sea east of China. They travel down between foothills and across great plains, bringing power, food and consumer goods to millions. … Continue reading Yangtze/长江 to Yellow/黄河: 15 Photos from the Road
Eva Postre, 56, and her husband Eusebio Postre, 60, sit on the steps of their temporary home in the bunkhouse community in Tacloban. Postre says that the shop that she runs out of the front of her house is proof that she and her family are working hard to be self-sufficient. This is the second of … Continue reading Humans of Climate Change: Eva Postre, Tacloban, the Philippines
Imelda Rona (left) and sister Inelda Pablo stand outside Pablo’s house in Tacloban. Both say that their relationship has helped them get through the hard times since the storm. This is the first of four “Humans of Climate Change” stories from Tacloban, the Philippines. Tacloban was one of the cities hardest hit by the 2013 … Continue reading Humans of Climate Change: Imelda Rona, Tacloban, Philippines
Satellite imagery of Typhoon Haiyan at peak strength, overlayed on a map of the Philippines. Marked in red is the city of Tacloban. (Modified from NASA imagery) On the morning of November 8, 2013, Supertyphoon Haiyan made landfall in Tacloban City, Eastern Visayas, Philippines. Several hours earlier, the Hong Kong Observatory put its 10-minute sustained … Continue reading Humans of Climate Change: Typhoon Haiyan, Two Years On
(For those of you just joining us, my name is Forrest Watkins and I’m cycling the world to collect stories of humans and climate change. I’m interested in climate change’s impacts on people, but also in the work of those searching for solutions. In the summer and fall of 2015, I biked 4,535 km across … Continue reading On the Road Again: China to Istanbul
360 by bike 