trauma-and-public-scrutiny

The chapter opens with a geological and ecological history of Earth, emphasizing the planet's formation, heat dynamics, and the development of its crust and atmosphere. It then shifts to a detailed account of Los Angeles' waste management history, illustrating the rise and eventual saturation of landfills, and the economic and environmental challenges that followed. The narrative transitions to Teresa, a recent widow and astronaut, who is coping with trauma and public attention following a disaster, reflecting on personal loss, environmental changes, and the complexities of media and institutional pressures.