nutrient-cycling

The chapter explores Earth's ecological cycles, focusing on the interplay between oceanic and terrestrial life and the long-term feedback loops regulating the planet's climate and atmosphere. It then shifts to a near-future social vignette centered on Logan Eng in New Orleans, highlighting environmental degradation, urban decline, and ideological conflicts between pragmatism and environmental purism. The narrative juxtaposes geological and biological processes with human social and political struggles over environmental stewardship.