Climate Science and Labor Law
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…)
News Media: “After a Life of Incalculable Harm, Billionaire Climate Denialist and Right-Wing Villain David Koch Dead at 79”
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…)
Teddy Roosevelt Speaks to our Present-Day Woes in America
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.
Tagged with: destroying the environment
Environmental Crossroads – More
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.
Environmental Crossroads
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…)
Infinite Growth on a Planet of Finite Size?
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…)
Public Transportation and Sustainability
I love this meme. So true.
Our attempt at public transportation here in the U.S. is spotty. (more…)
Tagged with: public transportation
Take a Cool Guess—The Fun Quiz on Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability. Today’s Topic: Fabulous Irony at the Bureau of Land Management
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.
America’s Deadly Gun Culture
A first grader who found his grandmother’s loaded gun at school last spring pointed it at another student. The 9-mm handgun belongs to his grandmother, Vicky Nelson, the district’s transportation director, who is permitted to carry the weapon as part of the district’s concealed-carry plan adopted last year to arm administrators and select staff members to protect students from potential gun violence. (more…)
Tagged with: America's Deadly Gun Culture
Wearable Solar
I sometimes ridicule product concepts for which I can’t think of a single use, and wearable solar tries the imagination.
OK, suppose you’re alone, out on a long hike, and you get lost. You’re making so many calls out of desperation for help that your cell battery is depleting. Could happen.
Tagged with: wearable solar
