It’s good to see Jim Stack still hard at work helping folks understand the rapid migration to renewable energy and electric transportation. Linked above is a piece he wrote for Quora, the popular question and answer blog. (more…)
Who’s up for a little climate algebra?
Greenland lost 11 billion tons of ice the other day. What contribution did this single event make to sea-level rise? (more…)
What happens when scientific integrity runs into political interference? More specifically, can a scientist, fired by the Trump administration for doing her job, successfully sue for wrongful termination? (more…)
I had to laugh when I saw this headline this morning. The author apparently is either unaware of or not compelled by the two thousand year old aphorism: “De mortuis nil nisi bene dicendum,” or “Of the dead let nothing but good be said,” meaning that it’s socially obnoxious to say bad things about dead people. (more…)
What Teddy Roosevelt said here lies at the very core of the deep divide in current-day American politics. While about 60% are on board with TR, about 40% believe the precise opposite, i.e., the United States becomes better by ignoring the needs of the hungry and sick, making rich people richer, systematically eroding the rights of women and minorities, and destroying the environment for profit.
Maybe Roosevelt was wrong. Maybe Trump’s face will be carved on a national monument. I doubt it, seriously.
In response to my post Environmental Crossroads, an old college friend writes, “Pretty black and white, Craig. Or is it red and blue?”
It’s largely red and blue, unfortunately. How a matter of science became a political issue I’m not sure. Regardless of my politics, you’d have a hard time convincing me to ignore the nearly unanimous findings of the people, e.g., climate scientists, environmental biologists, toxicologists, etc., who have spent their entire careers studying a certain subject.
This is cool, and I wish it were this obvious to most people, but sadly, it isn’t. Daily life-as-usual for most Americans means a limited and vague awareness of environmental issues. These issues tend to occupy a low priority for us, due to the mistaken belief that all this stuff will take care of itself, simply because it always has in the past. Keep in mind that the future always looks like the past, until it looks like something else entirely. (more…)
What are the good things about living in the 21st Century, and how does it compare, say, with the late 20th? Are people more honest and trustworthy? Is government more transparent and attuned to the needs of the people it serves? Are stress levels lower? Are we safer from nuclear war or environmental collapse? Are our children more affluent? Is leisure time more abundant? Is society more just and harmonious? The answer to all these questions is no. (more…)
I love this meme. So true.
Our attempt at public transportation here in the U.S. is spotty. (more…)
Question: This past week, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed an order making Wyoming native William Perry Pendley the acting director of the Bureau of Land Management. What is so predictable, yet so ironic about this assignment?
Answer: Can be found at Clean Energy Answers.
Relevance: Here’s a hint: It’s the equivalent of making a coal lobbyist the administrator of the EPA.
