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THE IMPORTED PINES THAT SPREAD FIRE

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

In today’s newsletter, outlawing water wasting; a climate-resistant coffee bean; the push for e-bikes; the Illinois carp that conquered Japan … and an environmental ‘Peace Corps’

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALEJANDRO CHASKIELBERG

By David Beard, Executive Editor, Newsletters

Decades ago, when the world wanted less of Patagonia’s wool, Argentina decided to turn the region’s broad grasslands into export-rich timberlands. It imported seeds for fast-growing pines and put them all over the place.

Who knew then that drought and greater heat would come to this stunning area in southern South America, that more settlers would increase conditions for fire, and that those imported, invasive pines would be a primary accelerant?

And who knew that the southern summertime would become fire season in Patagonia, the subject of Guido Bilbao and Alejandro Chaskielberg’s report for us? Last March, 300 homes burned as fire destroyed 54,000 acres of a fairytale forest. (Pictured above, Gustavo Zaninelli stands in the remains of a home he finished just two weeks before it burned. Below, a campfire sparked this fire last January; officials estimate humans are behind 93 percent of the fires in the region.)

Fifteen fires in the past month have heightened dread this summer season. As in fire-plagued places such as California’s woodlands, the destruction hasn’t halted the arrival of new residents. And many of the residents who have been burned out are considering rebuilding.

The dominance of pines, whose seeds spread over the charred ground after a fire subsides, increases with each blaze, ecologist Estela Raffaele tells Nat Geo. “Native species can't compete for water or light,” she says. “Every fire cuts diversity down dramatically, generating the conditions for new fires.”

(Above, before a small campfire, sit residents identified as Francisco and his Aunt Olga, who are taking care of family land that burned last March. Behind them, the pines.)

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SMARTER PLANET

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALAN MURPHY/BIA/MINDEN PICTURES

The first step: Got kids, nieces, nephews, grandkids? The first step to getting children to appreciate nature is often getting them outside. Yes, in winter, too. “From the vibrant northern cardinal to the loud blue jay, plenty of birds are likely hanging around during winter,” Andrew J. Pegman writes in this handy how-to-find-them guide. (Pictured above, a northern mockingbird, at left, and a great kiskadee fight over food in Texas.)

After dark: The 9 can’t-miss stargazing events of 2022

TAKE FIVE

California outlaws water wasting, with fines of up to $500

The prince, the mayor, and the fish that ate Japan

Ocean warmth sets record in 2021 because of greenhouse gas emissions

A flavorful, climate-resistant coffee that the world may need

Five climate moves by the Biden administration you may have missed

ONE MOMENT

PHOTOGRAPH BY @KATIEORLINSKY

In flight: Monarchs at a reserve in Michoacán, Mexico. This image by Katie Orlinsky appeared on Nat Geo’s main Instagram account, which has passed 200 million followers—the most of any company on the social media site. Nat Geo has been following the at-risk monarch butterfly, which is threatened by pesticides, pollution, climate change, and a complicated array of local social and economic dynamics, such as illegal logging. The migratory habitat is located near one of Mexico’s most dangerous regions. Here is Jason Bittel’s look at the butterfly’s migrations.

Subscriber exclusive: Where have all the insects gone?

WE ASKED, YOU ANSWERED

PHOTOGRAPH BY ASCENTXMEDIA, GETTY IMAGES

Saddling up: A significant number of the more than 400 readers who wrote in on the idea of subsidizing e-bikes were cheerleaders for the energy-efficient two-wheelers. One Iowa reader who has had knee problems said an e-bike would let her resume long rides along rolling terrain with her husband. Another, in Arkansas, praised his area’s bike trail system for making the transportation safe. A third, in North Carolina, says the dangerous roadways in his area made it difficult to use. Results from a nationwide poll found age and geographic location played big roles in e-bike interest. Nearly one third of American adults under 45 surveyed have considered buying one, as opposed to 16 percent of those aged 45-64. One third of town or city residents considered an e-bike, compared to only 18 percent of suburban residents and 17 percent of rural residents, according to this month’s National Geographic and Morning Consult poll of 2,197 Americans. (Pictured above, a couple riding mountain e-bikes through a meadow in the Rockies.)

This week’s question: Some airlines are giving travelers the option of paying a small surcharge to offset the carbon emissions of your seat on a flight. We’re doing a nationwide poll asking: Would you pay it, or have you done so already? Why or why not? Let us know here as well, and we’ll share the results and a few comments in an upcoming newsletter.

FAST FORWARD

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID HELVARG

Fighting climate change: President Joe Biden has called for a national Civilian Climate Corps of young Americans who would work on the country’s environmental issues. There’s already a blueprint: the 1,500-member California Conservation Corps. Besides fighting forest fires, “the Cs” have responded to other disasters since 1976, including earthquakes, the L.A. riots, and floods, Nat Geo reports. (Pictured above left: Connor Poe spent two years working in a pizza parlor before joining the Corps last April. By the fall he had spent 84 days fighting the Dixie, Caldor, and River fires. Right: Elizabeth Wing, who joined in June 2020 and started building backcountry trails.)

We hope you liked today’s Planet Possible newsletter. Today's newsletter was edited and curated by Monica Williams, Heather Kim, and David Beard. Have an idea or link for us? Let us know at [email protected].

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