Timefulness

The title of this thoughtful book indicates the necessity of an awareness of the Earth's temporal rhythms for our planetary survival – thinking about time like a geologist. A key insight is the overlapping rates of change – think of mountain building as 1 millions of years compared with the rhythms of the oceans and the atmosphere. The Anthropocene era recognises the human impact on the biosphere - the last time CO2 levels were over 400 ppm was 4 million years ago. The author encourages us to give up the illusion that we are outside nature when in reality we are entirely embedded 'in a much older, more powerful world whose constancy we take for granted.' As others have also observed, the rate of technological progress creates a wisdom gap, 'and we lack both the appetite and political economic infrastructure for intergenerational action. (p. 167). It is tempting to think that we can geo-engineer our way out of global warming but, as the author indicates, this is fraught with danger (p. 155), and she doesn't seem to realise that experiments already underway, although systematically denied by every government (see www.geoengineeringwatch.com). The suggestion mooted by Kurt Vonnegut to appoint a Secretary for the Future is an excellent one as a counterweight to our current short-term obsession.