Deteriorate

By Malcolm Brune

As they strapped their packs on, they heard thunder rumbling far in the distance. Nick shivered and Jordan steeled her jaw. Wordlessly, they picked up the pace. They were just short of running down the rocky mountainside. Nick was hopping rock to rock, straining his knees as much as he could bear, with his sights set on the treeline a mile a

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Degree Press
• Release date: Apr 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637303030

Book preview

Deteriorate

Malcolm Brune

new degree press

copyright © 2021 Malcolm Brune

All rights reserved.

Deteriorate

ISBN

978-1-63676-859-5 Paperback

978-1-63730-183-8 Kindle Ebook

978-1-63730-303-0 Digital Ebook

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Acknowledgments

Appendix

Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them.

—Aldo Leopold,

Sand Country Almanac, 1949

Introduction

---

I’ve always felt connected with the outdoors, being lucky enough to grow up in a house bordered by woods and cliffs. I would spend my days outside, exploring every nook and cranny in my small slice of nature. Taking in the smell of rain, listening for the call of the birds in the trees, or the footsteps of an animal running across fallen leaves. My parents would take my family camping all around the Northeastern US, and even now, I can remember the freedom of a connection to nature. The sound of animals in the distance or of the rain hitting a tent was and is soothing. Even as a child, I recognized it was liberating to get away from everyday life. In nature, you can forget your problems and stresses and just live.

But this freedom I felt (and feel) was slipping through my fingers. With every day comes a news story describing man’s mutilation of the earth. It is becoming increasingly unlikely the next generation will have the chance to experience this bliss.

Climate scientists have made a number of devastating predictions regarding the state of the world in 2050. NOAA says up to 106 billion dollars’ worth of coastal property will be destroyed by rising sea levels. Low estimates place the amount of climate migrants around 150 million people.¹ The world’s infrastructure is not equipped for that level of migration.

Most countries in the world have pledged to keep temperature rise below 2°C through the Paris Agreement; unfortunately, it is also postulated that a rise 2°C may not be enough to combat climate change even if we succeed in limiting it. The UN and its nations agreed on two degrees because this limit is the maximum acceptable amount of destruction. Two degrees will leave us with intense droughts and heat waves, both severely impacting our food supply. At two degrees, the oceans will be more acidic, gravely affecting many marine species. These implications, of course, are less than positive. If we can bring the temperature goal down to an increase of 1.5°C, horrific outcomes are still possible, just not as probable.²

Unfortunately, many Americans do not subscribe to this science, but this does not make it any less real. Some may think global warming will not affect us very much, and I believe many wealthy Americans will do their best to escape it. No one can run from global food and water scarcity. There will be nowhere to run when our current coasts disappear and we have hundreds of millions of climate migrants. We must try to avert this.

It is our duty to leave the world we were born into a better place when we leave it.

I have written this book to highlight some of these climate predictions in a way people may be able to connect with. Hard numbers and science can be difficult to digest, but I hope a story, one about everyday people, can be easier to relate to. Simply enough, I want to inspire a dialogue. Are we doing anywhere near enough to stop the effects of climate change? If not, what can we be doing? Can we save what is left of America’s wilderness to pass on to the next generation? How can we convince the skeptics to open their minds?

I have yet to experience any of the major effects of this looming drastic change to our world, but I have felt those that many Americans can share. The seasons have changed. Some of the country sees increased snow fall, but much if it has decreased. Each year seems to be the hottest on record. We are seeing more and more days each summer over 90°F.³ These minor effects are survivable—it is the major ones that are not. Less snowfall won’t kill us, but a collapse of our food supply will. A few scorching days each summer won’t kill many, but a lack of potable water will. Just because we have not yet experienced the major effects of climate change does not mean they aren’t coming.

If we don’t take action now, what will be left of our world? Are the many scientific theories false? Will our society power through climate change? I’d rather not find out. Many of the younger generation are aware of this threat and have answered the call; still, we need more. What will it take to convince everybody? Will it be the oceans rising between 0.18 to 0.59 meters (0.6 to 1.9 feet)?⁴ Will it be increased heat waves? Could it be the decreasing ability to produce grains in our food supply?⁵ No matter the reason, at some point, everyone will be convinced. I just hope it won’t be too late.

This cautionary tale will illustrate everyday relationships and how people’s lives have been affected by climate change. As friends revisit an old trek through nature, they will be faced with the harsh realities of their new world. This world they live in is modeled on the world which scientists say we will be a part. The food the characters eat will be different than what we eat today. Their agricultural system has been wildly changed, just as ours will be. They live in a world with very little water, just as we will. They face extreme heat waves regularly, just as we will.⁶

While this story is fiction, it is most certainly not an impossible one. In a few short years, all of us could experience the same story.

---

1 Climate Change Predictions, NOAA, Accessed February 25, 2021.

2 The Paris Agreement, Unfccc.Int. Accessed February 25, 2021.

3 Climate Change Predictions, NOAA, Accessed February 25, 2021.

4 Global Warming | Monitoring References | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), NOAA, Accessed February 25, 2021.

5 Climate Change, United Nations Sustainable Development, Accessed February 25, 2021.

6 Global Warming | Monitoring References | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), NOAA, Accessed February 25, 2021.

Chapter 1

---

For once, the sky was clear of smog and the sun shined off the rocky mountaintops. The air was breathable and the temperature stayed steadily under ninety degrees. Theo sat at the campsite’s picnic table, once again thumbing through his old photos; photos he had taken thirty years ago on a backpacking trip with his best friends. He had set up his camera on a tripod the previous night, angled at the mountains, to capture the sun’s burning glow in an attempt to mirror some of his aged pictures.

Theo was interrupted by the sound of Jordan climbing out of her tent. As she stood, the familiar yellow of a taxi winding up the road was visible. She called out to Theo, Look! and he jerked up from the table.

They watched as a stocky but well-built man exited and tapped his wrist to the door, paying for his ride. He raised his hand in greeting and was met with a chorus of hellos. He hugged Jordan, visibly shrinking in the arms of the striking, put-together woman.

Theo was invigorated by the sight of his old friend and gave him an uncharacteristically strong handshake and pulled him into a hug. It’s so nice to see everyone together again.

Agreed, I’ve missed you guys, said Nick.

Me too, it’s been too long...twenty-five, thirty years? But just the way life happens, I guess, though our parents would be disappointed,