Recorded by Minyoung Rho

“The way out of climate change is inside each of us.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

Meditations on a Warming Planet began as a part of Ann Duhamel's "Prayers for a Feverish Planet" project, which features a collection of works for solo piano that respond in some manner to climate change. Inspired by the ambitiousness of the project and Ann's moving performances, I decided to add three more movements to form the current set of four, each focusing on a different aspect of the crisis.

From a human perspective, the warming of the planet is very gradual, yet relentless, a steady progression (accumulation) toward a more chaotic and less hospitable world. "Parched Earth" depicts the process of desertification, where fertile regions are gradually replaced by arid, unfertile areas. While the process can be natural, the spread of arid regions is increasingly caused (and exacerbated) by human activities.

"Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics" (noaa.gov). While these are naturally occuring phenomena, their size and the resulting release of moisture as precipitation and potential for flooding are increasing due to climate change. "Atmospheric River" attempts to capture the general phenomena of more frequent and more destructive flooding that is a direct result of a warmer planet.

"Habitat" depicts the progressive loss of species and wildlife, again exacerbated by climate change, in a rather direct manner with a gradual reduction of musical activity leading to a single, isolated, and extremely thin note. Over the course of the movement, a harmonic progression, presented in lush arpeggios at first, is progressively reduced until only its memory persists.

Over the decade beginning in 2012 over 1,700 environmental activists and land defenders have been murdered doing their work. "In Memoriam" is dedicated to the memory of these courageous individuals, focusing on their beautiful, impactful, and inspiring lives. An optional slide show featuring specific individuals is available for performance.

Meditations on a Warming Planet

Clifton Callender

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