Erath

After returning the rental at LAX, I got to spend an afternoon in the United Club over a glass of Erath (which is not “Eaarth") pinot gris from the Willamette Valley up in Oregon. As my California adventure is coming to an end, I look back on some heartfelt reunions, lots of strong coffee and a staggering 1372 km behind the wheel. Driving down Angeles Forest Highway yesterday morning, I was again overwhelmed by affection for the Golden State (including the grey fox who spotted me when I was stopping to take photos).

Thinking back on the Dialogue, it feels as if the ecomodernist movement is maturing and is becoming increasingly focused on finding pragmatic answers to real world policy dilemmas. Important as this clearly is, it also means that the movement is losing some of its utopian thrust. This would be less of a problem if pragmatic solutions were in any way sufficient to meet the challenges that we are facing in the 21st century. However, as I have argued time and again in my research, I believe that pragmatism is not enough and that we need a much more radical imagination if we are to safely navigate the Anthropocene.

Soon, SK936 will be boarding for Copenhagen. Once on the other end of the tunnel, I intend to swing by Örebro before being reunited with my boys on Tuesday.