ABSTRACT
Today issues of death and environmental endangerment have reached peak urgency. Wildfires ravage various parts of the globe every summer as climate change brings its daily dose of heat waves, hurricanes, and sea level rises, destroying entire ecosystems. Pollution and climate change-related deaths are now part of our history both as individuals and as a species. Among the monumental body of artistic and literary work exploring the relationship with the time-honored trope of the wilderness, two iconic figures of the wild resonate with particular poignancy in the age of environmental crisis: the forest and the mountain. The forest is an archetype of exuberance and regeneration in animistic spirituality. Its polar opposite is the desert, the monotheistic embodiment of a place devoid of life, inspiring human mysticism and sacrifice. Environmental injustice in Indian country has been documented together with its direct consequences on the population’s health and life expectancy.
