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Tag: Environment

All longform pieces tagged with #environment on The Slow Scroll

Congo's Curse
Comment is Freed05 Feb 2025 • ~4350 words

Lawrence Freedman explores the legacy of resource exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a nation rich in minerals yet plagued by instability and poverty. He draws connections from colonial times to present-day conflicts, fueled by both greed and foreign interference. ...

Guardians of the glacial past
Canadian Geographic28 Dec 2023 • ~2450 words

Brett Huson explores the significance of the spirit bear (‘maas ol’) to the Gitxsan and Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nations. Indigenous oral histories suggest that the spirit bear's white fur is an adaptation to the environment during the last glacial maximum. Huson highlights the imp...

The Panhandle Is Burning. Can Ranching Survive?
Texas Monthly03 Feb 2025 • ~8800 words

Emily McCullar reports on the aftermath of the Smokehouse Creek wildfire in the Texas Panhandle through the stories of rancher Adam Isaacs and his family. The fire destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres, killed thousands of cattle, and caused significant economic losses. This l...

The Battle for Better Air
Asimov Press02 Feb 2025 • ~5800 words

Larissa Schiavo explores the evolution of indoor air quality from prehistory to modern times. This brief history reveals how our understanding of indoor air quality has progressed and why it remains a critical health issue today. We might be tempted to think that air quality was ...

The Enduring Appeal of Magnificent Trees and Fantasy Forests
Reactor30 Jan 2025 • ~2400 words

Kali Wallace writes about the allure of large trees and magnificent fictional forests.

Signs Of Life In A Desert Of Death
Noema30 Jan 2025 • ~3850 words

In the dry and fiery deserts of Central Asia, among the mythical sites of both the first human and the end of all days, I found evidence that life restores itself even on the bleakest edge of ecological apocalypse.

The battle for the soul of Serbia
New Statesman25 Jan 2025 • ~3250 words

The need for lithium is driving a global race for resources – and plans for a mine 120 miles from Belgrade have triggered social and political turmoil.

In the Midst of Public Catastrophe, I Was in My Own Private Disaster
Electric Literature30 Jan 2025 • ~6150 words

In this deeply personal essay, Tessa Fontaine contrasts her mothers health crisis, a personal disaster lived in isolation, with a devastating tornado in Tuscaloosa, where she lives, a communal disaster with a shared suffering in its aftermath. She ultimately returns to the neighb...

The Future Is Too Easy
Defector28 Jan 2025 • ~3400 words

The author discusses how AI technology is increasingly taking over daily tasks, but often falls short in delivering real utility. At tech conventions, companies promote futuristic ideas while offering products that lack quality and practicality. Overall, the push for AI feels mor...

In praise of subspecies
Aeon29 Jan 2025 • ~3300 words

To lump or to split? Deciding whether an animal is a species or subspecies profoundly influences our conservation priorities