Kate Rigby examines a variety of past disasters, from the Black Death of the Middle Ages to the mega-hurricanes of the twenty-first century, revealing the dynamic interaction of diverse human and nonhuman factors in their causation, unfolding, and aftermath. Focusing on the link between the ways disasters are framed by the stories told about them and how people tend to respond to them in practice, Rigby also shows how works of narrative fiction invite ethical reflection on human relations with one another, with our often unruly earthly environs, and with other species in the face of eco-catastrophe.

In this commentary, Simon A. Levin argues for the partnership between ecologists and economists.

Pedro Brancalion is a professor of forest restoration at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. In this presentation, he discusses the results of his research conducted in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. He applies these results to other tropical forests across the globe, stressing the importance of global restoration implementation.