Biosemiotics is an increasingly important study for our westernised species Homo hubris. Observant of signs between living beings, it is a process and, therefore, relevant to the ecophilosophy of Fluminism.

“Relationships are strengthened via language in multiple forms, indeed a world of biosemiotics exists between all living beings (Wheeler, W), experience and even memory.” Introducing Fluminism (Battson, G).

“Biosemiotics is dedicated to building a bridge between biology, philosophy, linguistics, and the communication sciences.” Springer Editorial.

Increasingly, in a volatile and rapidly changing climate, there is a need to draw attention to the signs emanating from ‘above’ – the climatic symbols of change (sometimes violent). The messages from the ‘gods’.

Picture the smashed car windows from hail, or the coal tip on fire from lightning strikes, the flattening of buildings from violent tornados, man-made reservoirs empty of water, lorries blown over in the wind, wet markets sealed-up with notices and people wearing masks every day of their lives, car factories submerged in stormwater, planes in crosswind landings in lashing rain.

Gathering storms or searing hot sun rays are portentous. The resulting damage, a sign or symbol. Caelosemiotics.

Caelo  ~ latin ~ the heavens, weather, climate, sky.

Semiotics ~ Coined by John Locke from Ancient Greek σημειωτικός for portending, that which is ominous, a calamity to come ~ the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.

Caelosemiotics ~ SIGNS of climatic havoc, warnings to all (homosapien and teresapien).

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I have been looking at the word social in relation to symbiosis/fluminism. ‘Sociability’ in teresapien life is studied by biologists. But its daily use relates to human sociability, sociology, etc.

The ‘ecosocial’ is already in use, but again this is largely interpreted as human-centric with a bias towards external ‘environment.’ For instance, in ecosocial ‘design.’

When we charge subjects or objects, even acts, as being anti-social, there is a shaming element. Shaming is important in moral evolution ~ a moral rejection of the ‘wrong’.

So I’m going to use the word anti-symial (anti-symbiotic), to introduce the same effect for all life.

Anti-flumial is to specifically block the flows of life. Anti-symial is the disgrace of it all.

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Look up in a clear blue sky on any given day and you’ll most likely see at least one vapour trail, if not many. It depends on where you are in relation to global aviation flight corridors. From satellites,  they are often seen to scar up so badly it’s as if giant whips have been unleashed : The Whipped Peters of Planet Earth.

 

Planes don’t simply contribute to the climate emergency by direct CO2 emissions from burning fuel, although that contributes around 2.4% of all global emissions. They also create clouds, which the scientists call Contrail Cirrus RF (Radiative Forcing). Although temporary, they trap warm air below, therefore contributing to the green house effect.

Jet engine exhaust is made up of CO2, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, soot, metal particles, water vapor, and even unburned fuel. Soot metal and other particulates already in the atmosphere provide condensation opportunities for the water vapour to form ice crystals and, therefore with the right conditions, visible trails. All we see in a blue sky with the ‘naked eye’ are the two strips of white clouds from the water vapour turning to ice after escaping from the main jet engines.

The extent to which the warming is happening is very uncertain, and not obvious in the machinations of the IPCC process.. Any albido effect is low because these manmade species* of cloud are fairly thin. The problem is an aggregate accumulation; just how many are there at any one moment on a global scale. And NASA has been warning since at least 2004.

Rates of growth of these clouds are also on the up, by the signficant increase in global flights. Yet airport expansion plans over the next decades are presented in glorious style, such as the one locally to me here in Cardiff.

Perhaps there is an immediate case to divert flights at altitude away from fire-prone zones, at least in the short term, especially in the so-called Winter season.

More: there is growing concern, plus a call for regulation, of rocket launch pollution, the effects upon the stratosphere where pollution stays for a very long time are also largely unquantified.

One day, our surviving descendents will wonder what injecting CO2 directly into the atmosphere, for the sake of human engineering prowess, war and overstated claims of liberty and adventure, must have actually looked like.

Perhaps, we should document our Whipped Peter skies to contribute towards understanding. Perhaps, @ClimateMuseumUK may be interested in such a project.

Put simply (over-simply), it is ice-crystal clear, we do not fully understand what we are doing. All life is subject to a giant experiment with no ‘scientific control’ and with no Planet B. The signs are there – look up. You’ll see the welts of a continuing enslavement  of the biosphere.

Perhaps, also, a caution for the geoengineers among us ~ in the Symbiocene, there will be no direct human-made clouds. Neither will there, of course, be slavery!

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*Clouds made by planes and other human activities, largely from industrial, nuclear and spacecraft and satellite launch activity, are called homogenitus clouds. They can transform over time into other species of clouds and this process is called homomutatis.

Once they appear as other clouds, they are difficult to distinguish from non-manmade cloud. And so the idea of accuracy in prediction climate models seems ever more uncertain.

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From the Greek, trauma ~ “a wound, a hurt; a defeat,” from PIE *trau

+ genitive of latin, mundus ~ “universe, world” mundi.

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