I was in London for a few days when the OJ Simpson trial was going on, and, to my astonishment, most of the folks over there were tracking this event far more closely than many Americans. I learned not to …
Author: craigshields
Climate Scientist Speaking in Santa Barbara
If you happen to be within a train ride of Santa Barbara, you may want to join me this Thursday in checking out a talk by Katharine Hayhoe at Westmont College, an extremely high-end interdenominational Christian liberal arts college.
Lovely Photos of Aquaponic Farming
Here’s a nice photo presentation of aquaponics-based farming. I’m ashamed to admit that my initial reaction to this was quite negative. “You’re going to use energy to light the place and pump nutrient-rich water across the plants’ roots? There is …
New Zealand Bans All New Offshore Oil Exploration
Here’s good news from the Kiwis: Though existing offshore oil exploration will be grandfathered, the New Zealand government will grant no new permits for this activity. Needless to say, conservation and environmental groups regard this as a huge win in the battle against climate …
New Zealand Bans All New Offshore Oil Exploration Read More »
Take a Cool Guess—The Fun Quiz on Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability. Today’s Topic: Sustainable Cities
Question: What city (pictured here) won first prize this year in the Global Destination Sustainability Index (for the third consecutive time)? Answer: Can be found at Clean Energy Answers.
Plastics and Air Pollution
My recent piece on waste plastic dealt with the pollution of our oceans. It’s going to take an enormous amount of time, capital resources, and tech R&D to solve this problem. Here’s a video on a subject that may be …
Waste Plastic in Our Oceans
I’m just finishing up a writing assignment for a company in the biodegradable plastics space. The client is in the rare, if not unique position of facing literally zero marketing challenges; prospective customers like Nestles and McDonald’s are beating a …
Lawrence Ferlinghetti Speaks
“Pity” is a well-chosen word here; it’s a shame what has happened to the United States. People all over the world are trying to understand the “Trump phenomenon.” Here’s an explanation I came across just yesterday that has some appeal; …
Ocean Coral Reefs
Here’s a greatly abbreviated version of the science: • Increased concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere come into contact with surface ocean waters and cause a series of chemical reactions that acidify the water.
Feedback Loop of Deep Concern
There are several different feedback loops that concern climate scientists. Perhaps the most obvious is the changes to Earth’s albedo, i.e., its capacity to reflect incoming solar radiation back into space. As the arctic ice melts into liquid water the …
