Climate Point: When Columbus arrived, 60 million Native Americans lived here

Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to climate, energy and the environment. I'm Janet Wilson from Palm Springs, California.

On Monday, my husband, who is Italian-American and had the day off, enjoyed his annual Columbus Day hike up a flank of Saddleback Mountain. I was working, and heard about Indigenous People's Day, which is also increasingly celebrated by cities and states on the second Monday in October. Curious, I researched what area tribes called Saddleback. It was known as “Kalawpa” or "Har'wovet" and was one of four sacred mountains in Southern California, I learned, along with what are now called Mt. Baldy, Mt. San Gorgonio and Mt. San Jacinto. 

I also discovered there were an estimated 60 million people in the Americas when Columbus alighted in 1492. By 1600, 56 million of them were dead. The population loss was so large, it likely led to global cooling. It's a grim reminder of a different type of deadly wipe-outs if we don't ratchet down greenhouse gases fast.

Gerald Clarke, an ethnic studies professor at the University of California Riverside who is also a member of the desert-based band of Cahuilla Indians, offered an interesting perspective on the current fracas over Columbus Day. He said while the explorer committed "atrocious" acts, that didn't mean Italian-Americans should lose a day to celebrate their heritage.

"It's typical of Americans to also choose Indigenous People's Day to be celebrated on Columbus Day, because it creates conflict," Clarke said. "What I would rather see is Columbus Day be renamed to celebrate all Italian-Americans, and another day for Indigenous peoples."

He'd also like to see more authentic regional celebrations of tribal cultures. He spent Monday teaching schoolchildren about cordage and rope-making techniques traditionally used by his tribe. 

As for the environmental calamities facing us, Clarke reiterated that traditional forest fire regimes and other historic processes practiced by tribes can hold important lessons.

If you want to search your address to see what tribes may have lived there, here's a link: https://native-land.ca/

Here are some other stories that may be of interest.

MUST-READ STORIES

Hidden killer.  Extreme heat is one of the deadliest consequences of global warming, but in a state that prides itself as a climate leader, California chronically undercounts the death toll and has failed to address the growing threat of heat-related illness and death, a Los Angeles Times investigation found. A team of reporters and a health data analyst found that heat likely caused about 3,900 deaths over the past decade — six times the official tally. In a compelling package, they covered torrid conditions inside warehouses, how a single air conditioner can mean life or death in a home, and a systemic lack of oversight. 

Giant loss. Hundreds of giant sequoias may have perished in the raging KNP Complex Fire in the Earth's largest redwood grove, the birthplace of modern prescribed burning science. High-severity fire in the grove created its own weather — a massive fire cloud that generated 50 mph gusts and blew singed sequoia needles for miles, as Josh Yeager reports for the Visalia Times-Delta.  

ALL ABOUT ENERGY

Dirty money. As the oil and gas industry faces price shocks and catastrophic climate change, private equity firms focused on maximizing profits have stepped into the fray. Since 2010, the private equity industry has invested at least $1.1 trillion in the energy sector — double the combined market value of three of the world’s largest energy companies, Exxon, Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell.

The overwhelming majority of those investments was in fossil fuels, reports Hiroko Tabuchi with The New York Times. Only 12% of their energy investments went to renewables like solar or wind, though those investments have grown at a faster rate.

Fossilized. In what one analyst describes as fossil fuels "revenge," the use of climate- combustion fuels linked to climate change is headed toward its highest levels ever by mid-2022, after a slight dip during the pandemic. Bloomberg's Javier Blas reports.

"Aspirational." Chevron Corp. this week committed to an “aspiration” of net-zero emissions from its operations by 2050, writes Kevin Crowley with Bloomberg Green,  responding to investor and government pressure to lower emissions. The plan partly relies on technologies that still need to be developed, and includes continuing to  produce oil and gas, but with solar and wind energy. It is being panned by environmentalists and some shareholders.

Check please. Despite spills and air pollution, some fossil fuel companies are awarding CEOs bonuses for their environmental records, as Douglas MacMillan and Julia Ingram report for The Washington Post. Marathon Petroleum’s former CEO got a $272,000 bonus for surpassing environmental goals the same year the company spilled 58,000 gallons of fuel in an Indiana creek. 

HOT TAKES

Getting warmer. At least 85% of the world's population has experienced weather events and crop losses made worse by human-caused climate change. Nature, Washington Post.

Rising Waters. One-fourth of U.S. infrastructure is at risk of floods. These 4 states are in the most peril. USA Today.

They're back. Biden restores Bears Ears, two other national monuments, reversing Trump cuts to protected acreage. Daily Yonder

AND ANOTHER THING

Hot pockets. What's the hip new back-to-school accessory post-pandemic? An air quality monitor. As Emily Anthes with The New York Times reports, parents are sneaking carbon dioxide monitors into their children’s schools.  The devices offer a quick way to assess how much fresh air is flowing through a building. Low levels of carbon dioxide indicate it's well-ventilated, reducing the odds of catching the coronavirus. High levels? The opposite. After levels at one school cafeteria rose to nearly double those recommended by CDC, a parent asked the principal to let the students eat outside. 

That's all for this week. Here's to clean air, and for more climate, energy and environment news, follow me @janetwilson66. You can sign up to get Climate Point in your inbox for free here.