Others have been saying it for a while now, but former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has put it most eloquently: there’s no fixing the economic crisis without also taking into account our environmental crises. “This financial turmoil, which will heavily affect the real economy, was absolutely predictable, and it is only one aspect of the […]
Gorby's Right: Economy, Ecology are Connected Read More 👉
Is the Iraq War all about oil? Maybe not. But even former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has acknowledged the action was “essential” to protect the world’s access to oil. With many of the world’s top-producing oil and gas fields in decline, is it unreasonable to suggest there will be more military action to defend
How Much is Military Defense of Fossil Fuels Costing Us? Up to $215 Billion a Year Read More 👉
Every week sees so many developments and news stories about the environment, energy and sustainability, it’s impossible to cover them all in depth. So I thought it would be helpful to occasionally summarize some of the more interesting reports from the past week. Here are a few that caught my eye: Two South African architects
Eco-News Roundup: Stories You Might Have Missed Read More 👉
The financial markets unraveled so rapidly last week, it’s still hard to process all the developments and likely consequences. But there’s no doubt that events on Wall Street carry serious implications for our energy and environmental future as well. I can’t wrap my head around all the pieces yet (and I’m not sure if I’ll
Wall Street Meltdown Spells Disaster for Energy, Environment Too Read More 👉
Some ideas for greening the planet are so-spot on yet so ground-breaking, they make you say, “Of course! Why didn’t anybody think of that sooner?” That pretty much sums up my reaction upon discovering Eco-Patent Commons. Launched at the beginning of 2008, Eco-Patent Commons makes available royalty-free, patented technologies for reducing pollution and waste, curbing
Green Patents That are Free to All: Eco-Patent Commons Read More 👉
Why is expanded offshore drilling not the lasting solution to the U.S.’s energy problems? Besides many of the other valid reasons (decades to get to market, potential environmental devastation, oil as a global commodity), Satish Nagarajaiah offers another one: Billions and billions of dollars in potential storm-related losses. A civil and mechanical engineering professor at
Expand Offshore Drilling? Three Words for You: Katrina, Rita, Gustav Read More 👉
Magicians Penn and Teller are whizzes when it comes to performing offbeat, weird, funny and gross sleights of hand and other tricks. But they’re neither scientists nor fair and objective journalists (not that many of today’s so-called “mainstream” journalists are either). So it pays to view their scam- and myth-debunking efforts with a healthy dose
Recycling is B.S.? B.S.! Read More 👉
It’s hard for me to be shocked anymore by a news report, feature article or scientific study on climate change. I get it already: it’s upon us and accelerating faster than even the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) says. But Belfast Telegraph reporter Johann Hari’s recent account of global warming in Bangladesh hit me
Climate Change is Already Killing a Whole Country Read More 👉
Remember the scene in Apocalypse Now where Marlon Brando’s character, the crazed Colonel Kurtz, tells Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) of the shock he felt upon realizing the strength of his enemies? “And then I realized… like I was shot… like I was shot with a diamond… a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I
Are Disaster Capitalists Seeking Profit from Climate Change? Read More 👉
Has it ever occurred to you that the whole concept of private property might be innately harmful to the natural environment? While I’ve always recognized that indigenous cultures viewed the land as a blessing to all, not as something belonging to individuals, I never really made that concept personal until now. Now, in the context
Is Private Property Anti-Environment? Read More 👉
Whether or not we’re actually in a recession (it feels like one from where I’m standing), there’s been a lot of discussion about if that could be a good thing for the environment. The pro side’s argument goes like this: Yes, because people spend less during a recession. That means fewer miles driven and flown,
Is Recession Good for the Environment? Read More 👉
No matter what new energy proposal someone makes, it’s bound to attract an outcry of NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard). (My recent post about the U.S. generating all the energy it needed via a 100-mile-by-100-mile solar installation in the Mojave Desert, for example, evoked some protest.) So I thought it might help to pose the
What Do I WIMBY (Want In My Backyard)? Read More 👉
Of all the solutions to climate change, dwindling resources and a degraded natural environment, one consistently seems to have all the appeal of a dirty word. It’s the “c” word. As in “conservation.” Now, I appreciate all the diligent researchers and inventors working so hard to create the ultimate “green” bullet, whether it’s a never-exhausting
Let's Talk About the 'C' Word Read More 👉
I’m really looking forward to summer, and not just because I’m the warm-weather type. This past winter’s snow and cold — and yes, we’ve had some unseasonably cool weather even in Florida, where I live — has filled the global warming deniers with more hot air than you’ll find in Bill O’Reilly’s sauna, and it’s
Climate Trends Trump 'Silly Season' Read More 👉
Water is essential for life, but humans are placing a growing burden on this natural resource … risking our own future well-being. More and more news comes out every day about the dangerous game we’re playing with our water supplies, and a growing number of people are warning water could become just as volatile an
Taking Water for Granted? Think Twice Read More 👉
Human exhalations are contributing to the ongoing increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels that are driving climate change, according to a new study released today from the University of Northwest Florida (UNWF). The four-year-long study by atmospheric scientist Lawrence Meany concluded that human respiration and conversation could be responsible for up to 12 percent of
Yet Another Climate Change Cause ID'd Read More 👉
The recent news that Lake Mead has a 50-50 chance of going dry in the next 13 years was scary enough, but there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of ominous Earth news these days. Based on recent research, here are some of the odds we’re facing: Amount of coral reefs that will be in
Got some bad news for all those countries trying to hammer out a successor to the Kyoto Protocol: aiming for carbon dioxide emissions reductions of 25, 50, even 75 percent in the coming decades ain’t gonna cut it. The only way to stabilize Earth’s climate, according to new research, is to cut carbon emissions to
50, 75 … Do I Hear 100 Percent Emissions Cuts? Read More 👉
Most of Earth might be covered with water, but the large population of bipedal animals that crowd the planet’s land masses is doing its best to leave its imprint on the oceans as well. A new study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) finds that humans have had a heavy impact on more
Oceans are Hurting: Thanks, Humans Read More 👉
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and Stirling Energy Systems (SES) have set a new world record for solar power generating efficiency. On Jan. 31 of this year, scientists testing a new solar dish system at Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, set an efficiency record of 31.25 percent, compared to the
One Giant Leap for Solar Power Read More 👉
Lake Mead has a 50-50 chance of becoming a dry lake bed by 2021, according to new research from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UC San Diego. Marine physicist Tim Barnett and climate scientist David Pierce reached that conclusion after analyzing the region’s current and planned water usage and taking into account the ongoing impact of
R.I.P. Lake Mead, U.S. Southwest Read More 👉
New research from the National Science Foundation suggests a warming Earth could mean a significant increase in voracious, plant-eating insects. Scientists studying the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a period about 55 million years ago when global carbon dioxide levels spiked rapidly, found that plant fossils from that time show noticeably more insect damage than plants
Climate Change to Bring Plagues of Insects? Read More 👉
Cities and their even larger, fast-growing siblings — megacities (more than 10 million people) and hypercities (more than 20 million people) — aren’t just products of human civilization that dramatically affect their surrounding ecosystems. They’ve emerged as unique ecosystems in their own rights. In “Global Change and the Ecology of Cities,” published in the Feb.
The Rise of Urban Gaia? Read More 👉
If a U.S. presidential debate on science and technology sounds too wonky for words, think again. That’s the message supporters of Science Debate 2008 are trying to hammer home. Science and technology not only contribute greatly to the nation’s bottom line (about half of U.S. gross domestic product over the past century, according to the
Beyond Talking Points and Spin: Group Seeks Presidential Debate on Science Read More 👉
It’s not too late to get involved in what organizers are calling an unprecedented U.S.-wide teach-in focused on solutions to global warming. Organized by “Focus the Nation,” the teach-in — scheduled to culminate on Thursday, Jan. 31 — aims to get millions of students, teachers, people of faith and other citizens together in various locations
Focus the Nation … on Global Warming Read More 👉
While coral reefs around the world are increasingly threatened by pollution, climate change and development, scientists in Bonaire are investigating a coral reef success story. Aimed at kicking off the International Year of the Reef, the Bonaire 2008 expedition launched earlier this month and runs through Jan.30. A team of researchers from several universities is
Exploring a Coral Reef Success Story Read More 👉
How do we meet the world’s future energy demands? Not an easy question, but it gets even more complicated when you factor in another critical need: water. While water hasn’t always been factored into energy discussions — or vice versa — the two are “inextricably linked,” according to Sandia National Laboratories. That’s why researchers there
Energy Takes Water, Water Takes Energy Read More 👉
I never thought I’d consider nuclear power a desirable solution to climate change until I read James Lovelock’s latest book, “The Revenge of Gaia: Earth’s Climate Crisis & the Fate of Humanity” (see my previous post on the issue here).
Devil's Advocate: 10 Green Arguments for Nuclear Power Read More 👉
A growing chorus of voices is touting nuclear power as the energy solution that can help curb global warming. I’ve never been one to sing that tune, but I’m no longer as certain as I once was. My doubts arose after reading James Lovelock’s “The Revenge of Gaia: Earth’s Climate Crisis & the Fate of
Is Nuclear Power the Answer to Climate Change? Read More 👉
The British government manipulated its public consultation proceedings on plans for new nuclear power plants to ensure “particular and limited answers,” according to a new report from the Nuclear Consultation Working Group. Government officials say new nuclear facilities are needed to replace others going offline over the next two decades and are an important part
Critics Call U.K. Nuclear Power Plans 'Misleading' Read More 👉
Is it my imagination, or has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gone out of its way this year to live down its name? Already criticized by many green types for doing more to protect the Bush administration agenda than the environment, the EPA made 2007 a banner year … in a bad way. One of
EPA Protects Something … But Not Environment Read More 👉
Imagine a vast source of energy as clean as wind power but without the NIMBY factor of wind farm projects like the one in Cape Cod. The source? South Florida’s Gulf Stream. Researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) recently established Florida Center of Excellence in Ocean Energy Technology are working on a pilot project that
Tapping Undersea Energy, Wind-Style Read More 👉
The Vietnam-era poster that said, “War is not healthy for children and other living things,” had it right. Modern warfare can wreak environmental havoc like never before, according to the upcoming issue of World Watch magazine. In the January/February 2008 issue, author Sarah DeWeerdt explores the unprecedented levels of environmental destruction caused by recent conflicts
War … Not Healthy for Gaia Read More 👉
How do you prepare for “high impact-low probability” events? That’s a phrase that crops up regularly in global warming research and insurance industry talk. It’s also one that’s given me increasing pause, especially since I’ve begun reading Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.” Taleb’s argument is this: that it’s
Messing with Probabilities, Impacts, Black Swans Read More 👉
The next time someone says something to you about “business leading the way” in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building a sustainable future, email him a copy of the Florida Chamber Foundation’s latest blueprint for transitioning the Sunshine State into a 21st Century leader. The report, “New Cornerstone Revisited,” was rightfully derided by at least
Businesses Blindly “Lead the Way” for Florida Read More 👉
The more we learn about the Earth’s ecosystems, the more we discover how elegantly, beautifully and mind-numbingly complex are the interactions among humans, animals, plants and their environment. Life, it turns out, really does come with myriad butterfly effects. That’s what makes a project just getting under way in the South Pacific so ambitious and
Know Your Ecosystem, Save Your Ecosystem Read More 👉
Just when you think you’ve heard it all, along comes a new study that finds yet one more way in which we humans can screw up the environment: get divorced. Actually, as weird as it might sound at first, the discovery — published in this week’s online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy
If You Love the Earth, Stay Married Read More 👉
You’ve got to hand it to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. Even though he’s cut from the same political cloth as fellow Republican Sonny Perdue, Georgia’s governor, Crist is doing a lot more than praying when it comes to dealing with climate change. Still, you could understand if Crist and his fellow 18 million-or-so Floridians —
Climate Change Could Leave Florida Hotter, Smaller Read More 👉
If you’re green-minded, it’s easy to hate coal. What’s not as easy, though, is discovering that — as light an environmental footprint as you try to leave every day — you’re probably part of the coal problem. After all, coal might be dirty, deadly and environmentally destructive, but it also has a purpose, one of
How Many Mountains Have You Destroyed? Read More 👉
Once again, another report has come out showing that — with the right actions — we could see a meaningful reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the next couple of decades. Once again, the news raises the same question as previous reports: will we ever see enough political will to make the possible become reality?
Looks Good on Paper: Study Says Emissions Cuts Don’t Have to Harm Economy Read More 👉
If you remember the ’70s, you also remember Chiffon Margarine teaching us that “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” Today, though, we’re learning a new lesson: “It’s not as easy to fool Mother Nature as some presumptuous humans might think.” Take, for example, one of the hot new technology fixes being proposed for global
It’s Not Easy to Fool Mother Nature Read More 👉
Coal might be a four-letter word, but it’s proving to be an addiction that’s not only hard to kick but that keeps getting worse. Last year, people around the globe burned more coal than ever before — a record 3.09 billion tons of oil equivalent, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. That’s
Global Coal Addiction Keeps Growing Read More 👉
Anyone who keeps up with the science of global warming knows that carbon dioxide alone isn’t the problem. Besides that and the other greenhouse gases (methane and nitrous oxide, for instance) we spew into the atmosphere, there’s also the threat of feedback loops and other mechanisms that could magnify the impact of those pollutants even
Drought’s Impact on Carbon Cycle Equal to Millions of Cars Read More 👉
“Small but mighty” is a phrase that comes to mind when watching the short film, “Justicia Now,” and the people it profiles. The 30-minute documentary, produced by the social justice-minded media organization Mofilms, follows the powerful movement of indigenous peoples in eastern Ecuador who have taken on ChevronTexaco in what could be one of the
“Justicia Now” Documents “Rainforest Chernobyl” Read More 👉
Environmentalists already have good reason to despise bottled-water companies, but local economic development folks might now have reason to question the industry too. That’s the message from opponents of a proposed Nestle water-bottling facility in McCloud, California, a small community with natural springs fed by the glaciers of Mount Shasta. McCloud’s defenders today released an
Bottled Water Not So Hot for Economy Either, Report Finds Read More 👉
Fellow blogger Joshua Hill has already expressed his aggravation with the U.S.’s efforts to water down the latest climate change assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, but things might be even worse than they already sound. A new report from The Climate Institute in Australia examines the latest research on climate change and
IPCC Climate Report Might Underestimate Risks Read More 👉
China regularly takes its fair share of heat for its pollution problems, tainted seafood and lead-based toys, but maybe it’s time to give it some credit too. While the country is on pace to pass the U.S. as the world’s top emitter of carbon dioxide, it might also be on its way to becoming the
China Poised to Become Clean-Energy Leader? Read More 👉
Technology can undoubtedly make the world a better place. Where, after all, would we be without the wheel, agriculture or email? Still, there’s almost always a flipside to technological advances. The wheel improved not only travel, but warfare. Agriculture made food more reliable for humans … but also, eventually, helped give rise to confined animal
Geoengineering: Quick Fix, or a Way to Go from Bad to Worse? Read More 👉