published in Granta
Roberts elaborates on the ecological phenomenon called shifting baselines syndrome. Every generation acquires a degraded version of nature compared to the previous one, but they simply normalize it and see nature deteriorating from their own viewpoint. Roberts believes that because of this, we don't see the true beauty of nature and what it could be; we only strive to maintain the system we have now. He recounts his own trips to the Maldives and how he witnessed the destruction of the island's coral reef.
1514 days ago