Editor's Note

To friends and strangers alike: We often begin this letter by remarking on the weather. At the start of the semester, we wrote of campus sunshine. Then, the coming of fall. Now, a drop in temperature and the falling of dead leaves. But the cover story this week deals with weather in an entirely different way: through the story of solar geoengineering research at Harvard, which could stifle the climate crisis, and with it the rising of the seas and temperatures. But the research isn’t a simple fix. MVE and SSI explore the questions of power, governance, and ethics undergirding this interventionist research. Some reject it, critiques ranging from the feasibility of its science, to the “moral hazard” of foreclosing radical social change, to the fear that wealthy countries could decide the future of the planet. All agree, however, that the question is urgent and the stakes are unbelievably high. From ITM and MG, an exploration of the location of Muslim and Hindu prayer spaces in the basement of Canaday Hall. CJK covers the effort to protect tenants in Boston amid the COVID-19 pandemic. IYG follows up on her story on the departure of Harvard Beijing Academy from the Beijing Language and Culture University. DCB and MGB profile the delightful Society of Harvard-Undergraduate Magicians and their surprising contributions to Harvard’s theater scene. TCK’s endpaper concludes the issue with her touching reflection on sisterhood, growing up, and “My Neighbor Totoro.” (It may have brought tears to MNW’s eyes.) Have a lovely week and happy November. Expect another FM issue soon. With adoration, OGO & MNW