A Few Words on Socialism
From Newsweek: “DEVIN NUNES TWEETS ‘WELCOME TO SOCIALISM,’ WARNS OF PLASTIC ‘STRAW POLICE’ AT CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT.”
Yes, “socialism” is a dirty word today, much like “liberal” was 20 years ago. A couple of points: (more…)
Tagged with: maintain a healthy environment
From Kansas Tech Maven Fritz Maffry: Notes on Electric Transportation
Parity and then angle up on the adoption hockey stick curve
Most indicators are illustrating that change is going to now come much faster than expected, meaning faster adoption at much higher volumes. The sheer product deluge and increasing price competition are looking significant. More on electric transportation here. (more…)
Land Management and Climate Change
When a friend reminded me of ecologist Allan Savory’s Ted Talk (below) it occurred to me how few people are talking about desertification and what our civilization should be doing about it. (more…)
A Key Tip for Corporate Videos
I’m doing a writing project for a start-up in the renewable biofuels space, which has caused me to check out many dozens of competitors’ websites. Here’s one that bears comment; note the video, and how the company’s CEO starts with a diatribe on his company’s honesty and transparency.
Had I been directing this video, I would have strongly recommended against this, for a host of reasons: (more…)
Applying Science in the U.S.–Don’t Expect Too Much
The piece to the left here was posted to social media by Paul Scott, co-founder of Plug In America, whom I met when I was asked to moderate a panel on electric transportation almost exactly 10 years ago (April, 2009). I publish it here because of the conversation that follows, and the hopes that readers may find it interesting. (more…)
Discussion with Prospective Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Based Truck Manufacturer
This morning I received a generic, vanilla business plan from a fellow in Dresden, Germany (pictured) that contemplates the manufacturing and sales of a line of trucks with hydrogen fuel cell drive trains. My opinion is that no attempt to enter this business from scratch could possibly work, and especially one that doesn’t contemplate some secret sauce, i.e., an exciting idea that holds some potential level of promise. As I explained to him: (more…)
Question: United Nations on Climate Change
While maintaining global temperatures within 1.5 ° C of pre-industrial conditions is imperative to halting a runaway train that will destroy our planet’s capacity to support organized civilization, our practical capacity to accomplish this goal is very much a matter of political will. (more…)
Melting Glaciers: Their Meaning and Impact
The countless glaciers of Kazakhstan and other countries in Central Asia feed the continent’s great river basins, which form the water sources for hundreds of millions of people. This brilliant and beautiful piece published by the New York Times tells the story of these folks, and predicts their future prosperity as climate change continues to accelerate over the coming years and decades. I hope you’ll check it out.
Comment on Sea-Level Rise from Glenn Doty
I’m taking the liberty to republish this comment Glenn wrote on social media, as I think it brings clarity to the discussion of sea-level rise associated with climate change. – Craig
This (model of sea-level rise) is fun for the sake of curiosity, but it is not constructive for the current political debate.
The likely sea-level rise in the next century is between 1-2 meters. Split the difference and call it 5 ft. There will be monster storm damage, greater tides, droughts, floods… greater weather variability affecting vulnerable crops, and FAR worse migration problems from a flood of climate refugees… Those are the stakes. (more…)
Tagged with: sea level rise
