I also have shared a NYT piece that looks at how the most famous part of the speech is improvised.

We were talking about that today, Kat.

In the last two weeks I've read two novels that envisaged dystopian futures driven by climate change, The Bone Clocks and The Water Knife. In the former, it appears only in an epilogue. (On the west coast of Ireland. Seems the main trouble was the loss of power from fossil fuels, which I found somewhat unconvincing for the damage wrought.)

The latter is set entirely in said future, in the American Southwest. In its future, the region has become pretty much bone-dry, and the only water source for everywhere from Colorado to California is a somewhat depleted Colorado river. The states have all turned on each other, Texas has collapsed and Texan refugees have streamed into neighbouring states, and the federal govt won't intervene for anything short of civil war. (There's a religious group within the Texas refugees who believe prayer will save them from the effects of climate change. They're called Merry Perrys.)

The bit that has me raising my eyebrows is that in both books, while the West is in slow collapse, somehow China is doing just fine. It's exporting technology, establishing outposts with their own systems and security, and people are hankering to move there. China has suffered huge environmental damage from its rapid growth. Beijing's water table will be completely exhausted within 20 years, climate change is likely to deplete the Yangtze and other rivers therein. Most lakes are too polluted to drink from. It's still massively reliant on coal, which is rapidly running out. And it has an oppressive government with an uncertain grip on the regions, with tens of thousands of incidents of civil unrest per year. And that's today. If the world does get hit as badly as these books make out, China isn't going to survive. It'll break up into regions a lot faster than the West does (and on past history and its current level of militarisation, probably dominated by warlords). If there's a dystopian future ahead, China will collapse well before the West does.

Not sure what to make of it cropping up in both books. It feels a bit Japan-in-the-Eighties, which isn't entirely comfortable.

I did indeed order Totoro and Catbus planters. International shipping is a lot, but the heart wants what it wants.

If there's a dystopian future ahead, China will collapse well before the West does.

That's so interesting, billytea. I knew something about the pollution, but not the rest.

Interesting, bt.

It is stupid cold in my office. It's not raining on the inside of the windows like last winter, but I think that's only because it is too dry...

Not sure what to make of it cropping up in both books. It feels a bit Japan-in-the-Eighties, which isn't entirely comfortable.

Yeah, I don't know what the word is -- the opposite of jingoistic? -- but there's definitely something there.

It always amazes me that elites don't seem to realize that they drink the same water and breathe the same air as we plebians.

Buffista Island!

[link]

If there's a dystopian future ahead, China will collapse well before the West does.

That's so interesting, billytea. I knew something about the pollution, but not the rest.

Co-signed

I forgot my goddamned lunch and I *really* don't want to leave the building if I don't have to!