ecology

This is the third in line of three posts about “worldly” problems, with the diplomacy one here and the diversity one here. I will probably also write one on freedom of expression at another point, which is a different topic important to me, but you know, this entire site is an exercise in speaking my mind on whatever I want. Needless to say, this is different from mathematics in that the problems are often trivially solved, but the implementation often comes with resistance. I mean, outside of alphabet agencies, a mathematical theorem rarely endangers your life. Well commutative algebra does. And you know, having both in your life is kind of nice 😉

In a small update to this post, I remember visiting a spring next to Jerusalem, in Lifta, with a dear friend. It is small and beautiful, and close to one of my favorite works of architecture, that impressively greets you once you enter my favorite place in the world.

But of Lifta, I mostly remember one thing: The ungodly amounts of trash that were littered in and around the spring. There is a clear issue in that once it reaches a level of visibility, people tend to loose all morals and just add to it.

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While I ponder one of my great loves, intersection cohomology, and a cat meows in protest because I can only really think while pacing around, which prevents cuddling (apologies also to the neighbors living below me), I want to discuss, for a second, the issue of sustainability.

*Oh my perverse sheaves, why have you forsaken me?*

There are immediate things we can and have to do to preserve the planet, such as more sensible and sustainable encounters with our waste, our energy, or transport, with respect to what we eat and what and how much we buy. Most of what we buy and produce is not actually needed, and that includes the hyperloop (which is an interesting engineering project at best).

But these notions are obvious (well, they should be). Then why is it still getting pushback, why are changes slow?

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