Elizabeth Kolbert pictured on June 20 in Cambridge (USA) Ruby Wallau
Thanks to
The Sixth Extinction
(Criticism), which won her a Pulitzer Prize in 2015, journalist and writer Elizabeth Kolbert established herself as one of the fundamental voices in environmental disclosure.
Contributor for decades to
The New Yorker
magazine
,
Kolbert attends EL PAÍS by video call from Williamstown (Massachusetts) on the occasion of the publication in Spain of his latest book,
Under a white sky,
published by the same label.
The conversation is about the challenges that humanity and nature face as an intertwined whole, because the delicate health of the planet, the uncertain evolution of its reserved prognosis, is in the hands of human beings.
If in
The Sixth Extinction he
explored the ways in which our capacity for destruction has reshaped the natural world, in his new book - subtitled
How We Humans Are Creating the Nature of the Future
- Kolbert recounts the attempt to reverse the apocalypse of activists, green entrepreneurs and researchers dedicated to avoiding what many consider inevitable.
More information
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The human being triggers the sixth mass extinction of the planet
Question.
Are we approaching the apocalypse?
There is hope?
Answer.
There is always hope of avoiding disaster in the event of climate change.
What is important for us to keep in mind is that we have set in motion processes that are very difficult, if not impossible, to stop.
One of the most disturbing things is that we really don't know how far along this process is, how close we are to the brink of disaster.
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Q. The approach of
Under a White Sky
seems more optimistic than that of
The Sixth Extinction
.
They are stories of people doing things to prevent disaster.
It is a good signal?
R
.
Well, no, I don't think I'm necessarily more optimistic.
It leads to that possibility.
But it also raises the idea that all these initiatives are desperate and crazy attempts to deal with a very difficult situation that could end quite badly.
Q. How would you describe the protagonists of your latest book?
Are they romantics, heroes, or idealists who sacrifice for the common good?
A.
Some certainly are.
Many are people who work very hard to find answers to very difficult challenges.
Others are entrepreneurs looking for opportunities in a world where avoiding [ecological] disaster will be a great economic opportunity for some people.
P. In any case, they all seem the hopeful reverse of that sixth extinction of which you spoke in your previous book.
A.
The title of that book refers to the extinction phenomenon that is underway right now, which many scientists fear could reach the scale of some of the great mass extinctions of the past.
It is not that we are there already, but the lines and trends that are appreciated are not good.
P. And what to do to, if not prevent, yes delay the deterioration?
A.
I don't have a simple answer about the extinction crisis, because it is being driven by many forces, by species experiencing changes in land use, by pollution.
That is why there is no single answer.
The common denominator is human activity and human consumption.
Ultimately, we are talking about resources.
The basic question is how to supply nearly 8 billion people.
There are millions of people on the planet who need food and a roof, while in the developed world we consume much more than our share of the Earth's resources.
How to move forward in a way that is equitable and sustainable?
Q. That is, the first measures would not be political, but individual?
For example, avoid waste, hyperconsumption ...
A.
No, we also need essential [political] foundations.
But the first step would obviously be to stop, to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels as quickly as possible.
It is quite simple and obvious, but it seems that we are not able to do it.
Q. Is
the proposal for a
green new deal
in the US going in the right direction?
A.
I don't want to delve too deeply into American politics.
Right now, as we speak, this debate is taking place.
On the table is a large package of measures.
And the real fear is that parts of the bill will be passed, but not those that are important for the climate, it is a very real concern [a week after the interview, a bipartisan agreement was announced for an ambitious infrastructure plan that parked precisely many environmental measures].
Q. But President Biden seems determined to apply a green approach to his policies, especially in economic matters.
R.
I think you have proposed many good things.
They are very positive steps, but there is a limit to their ability to bring that agenda to Congress.
And that's a huge hurdle to restoring the basics.
Green measures on your agenda that go far beyond the environment.
P. The environmental threat permeates everything, not just the economy.
Many of the Central Americans who aspire to cross the US border are victims of natural disasters.
Should climate refugees be subjects of law?
A.
This is a really important question.
It is beyond my experience, but many people are reflecting on how we should deal with the human rights issues that stem from someone becoming a climate refugee, something that will potentially affect hundreds of millions of people.
I don't know the answer, but I do think it will be a short and medium term debate.
P. There are more and more, all over the world.
A.
Yes, and if it is already very difficult to achieve refugee status, especially in these cases in which their own existence is questioned, why exactly do they aspire to obtain refugee status…, they are very difficult cases. Giving that status to victims of climate change, a kind of slow-motion disaster, is going to be a heated debate. It is obvious that many people are, even ignoring it. It is worrying that international politics are being disrupted: refugees in Europe from North Africa and the Middle East; refugees in the United States from Central and South America. Politics is taking an unfortunate turn due to a kind of resurgent nationalism, the political system is under stress, both internally and externally. It's hard to be very optimistic about it.
Q. Can we draw any lessons from the pandemic in the sense of reconnecting with nature?
A.
I don't see many signs that people have come out of the pandemic embracing simplicity or nature.
I see everyone very eager to get back to life as it was before, which is the problem.
Perhaps there are long-lasting and helpful consequences of the pandemic.
But it is difficult to know yet.
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