Shedding leaves weakens a tree’s ability to interact with the outside world. Second, because global climate action against big emitters has provoked resistance by billionaire individuals, companies and petrostates, who are pouring money into campaigns to deny, delay and distract. Optimists see the rants of Trump, Musk and Thiel as the dying howls of a system that has outlived its usefulness. Single trees might resist drought a little longer by shedding leaves and shutting down some of their interactions with the outside world. Whatever the likes of Musk, Thiel and Trump might want people to think, the future depends on interdependence.