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In this topsy-turvy year, the world has been waylaid by a viral pandemic. But a larger and more intractable menace churns in the background, continuing to wreak havoc while humanity’s attention is diverted. Climate change remains arguably the most pressing threat we face as a species. And despite signs of hope earlier this year as lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic grounded airplanes, shuttered businesses, and garaged cars, the problem is not abating. Humanity must be able to fight disease while simultaneously keeping our sights trained on the persistent and snowballing effects of global warming. If we are not up to this task, the hell of 2020 will pale in comparison to the challenges we’ll face.
The first few months of the pandemic provided a glimpse of what a planet given respite from the relentless pressure of modern human inhabitance might look like. In April, ...
