Teachers seeking contemporary examples to use to discuss climate change, threatened species, habitat destruction, and human impact need look no further: Climate Ghosts has that and more. Climate Ghosts focuses on three “ghost species”—groups of organisms that have declined in numbers or been displaced from their native habitats, but not gone completely extinct—loons, caribou, and lake sturgeon. Readers will learn about the historical events that led to the decline of these species, efforts to restore their habitats and populations, and the cultural and religious significance of these species to Indigenous communities in the Great Lakes region.
Throughout the book, Langston emphasizes that “restorationists don’t need to invent a new philosophy; they need to learn from Indigenous communities who have already articulated relational ways of knowing” (p. 5). All three examples illustrate how European settlers and industrialism impacted the organisms. The ecosystem changed, the land and its populations mismanaged.
I was...