Sovarampi, Southern Paiute for yucca brevifolia, aka the Joshua Tree, can live up to 1,000 years old and grow up to 40 feet tall. Their territory is the Mojave Desert. It is important to protect each one. I saw this one up near Carpenter Canyon north of Pahrump.

The sad truth is that two things threaten the Joshua Tree: human development and climate change. At current rates of climate change, there will only be .02 percent of their habitat left by the end of the century. Decarbonization is essential, but so is protection of the habitat they live in.

All this biodiversity the earth has made for the last 60 million years made human life possible. We must preserve it if we are to preserve ourselves. The prescription is clear: we need to stop looking for solutions to continue fueling industrial growth and consumption culture and look for ways to live in harmony with life on the planet.