An Otherworldly Species: Joshua Trees and the Conservation-Climate Dilemma

Abstract

Global warming is killing Joshua tree seedlings in the eponymous national park; ongoing conservation efforts are running into “green-green dilemmas” and the perception of false choices related to the expansion of solar energy in the region. Meanwhile, the sustained devastation of Joshua trees is impacting an entire ecosystem. These otherworldly plants will likely not survive a changed future world without human intervention; but fatalism, in response to their plight, is not the answer.