Category Archives: Environment

Job in the Whirlwind at the End of his World

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Roger Gosden

William Blake was a poet, painter, printmaker, mystic, and, I vouch, a protoenvironmentalist. His painting: Job Confessing his Presumption to God, who answers in a Whirlwind, represents the crisis of his life. Job had a great life with his large … Continue reading →

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Musical Moths

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Roger Gosden

I love this project (click to YouTube).The musician Ellie Wilson worked with Oxford Contemporary Music and scientists who studied biodiversity to transform recordings of night-flying moths into music gently accompanied by traditional musical instruments.Moths are mysterious denizens of the night. … Continue reading →

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De-extinction of American Chestnuts

Posted on June 28, 2025 by Roger Gosden

I have written before about the near extinction of American Chestnuts, called the greatest ecological catastrophe in the eastern forests of America.I tried (and failed) to grow saplings from four nuts received in payment for my article in the American … Continue reading →

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The Kalahari and Okavango: from desert to delta and drought

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Roger Gosden

My view from a window seat hardly changed on the flight from Johannesburg to Maun in northern Botswana. I rarely saw a farm or lodge in the khaki-colored plains below. A few gulleys ran irregular courses like the veins on … Continue reading →

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What is Pollution?

Posted on March 25, 2023 by Roger Gosden

I prevented our dogs from wading at Jamestown Beach today. The rising tide carried a floating mat of yellow scum. I suspected pollution, which made me wonder about the meaning of the word. Pollution is as hard to define as … Continue reading →

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