What a Simple Graph Shows Us About Global Warming
There’s very little to be said about this article and the chart below. If you don’t believe that the temperature of the Earth is increasing, you’re badly misinformed. (more…)
Are We Headed for Environmental Catastrophe?
Frequent commenter MarcoPolo often derides my concern for our civilization’s future. In response to my post: Will We Survive Long Enough To Enjoy the Fruits of Science? he writes, “Doom, doom, doom I tells you! Down to the abyss, to ruin and the apocalypse! Hmmm. What’s happened that’s so catastrophic? In reality, not very much!” (more…)
More Evidence of Global Warming—But Does It Matter?
Going “clamming” on the beaches of the Northeastern U.S. means hunting for the little guys pictured here, the quahog. But did you know that you could be making chowder out of something that had been alive for more than 500 years?
According to this article in ECO Magazine, examining the isotopes of oxygen at various levels within the clams’ shells is akin to examining the rings of a tree, i.e., one can determine the growing conditions, including temperature, that was associated with each successive year. (more…)
From Guest Blogger Emma Sturgis: Green Home–Roofing Options That Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
Your roof can play a key role in making your entire home more efficient. This can help you keep the thermostat down in the winter and the air conditioner off for longer periods of time in the summer. What are some of the best roofing materials to use if you are looking for greater energy efficiency?
Solar Panels Radiate Heat and Collect Energy (more…)
Some Billionaires Continue to Pour Support into the Cleantech Cause
Numerous 2GE readers tell me about their attempts to reach certain celebrity billionaires with their cleantech ideas. In the privacy of my own thoughts, I believe that unsolicited communications are almost certainly doomed to failure, though, of course, I never say so directly.
I’m reminded of this when I was just now cc’d on a letter to Bill Gates re: a new way of growing plants with a certain type of soil. I respond: (more…)
Love Is Wise; Hatred Is Foolish
If we had to name the most intelligent person who ever walked this planet, mathematician, logician, philosopher and social critic Bertrand Russell would be within the top five of our list. Here’s a video of an interview he gave to the BBC in 1959, including this excerpt, in response to a question about ideas that he would like to pass along to future generations: (more…)
Optimism for the New Year
Here’s a little something I’d like to share with readers who may think I have a gloomy attitude towards the future. (more…)
Tagged with: optimism
Will We Survive Long Enough To Enjoy the Fruits of Science?
According to the Writer’s Almanac:
Astronomer Edwin Hubble announced the discovery of other galaxies beyond the Milky Way on this date in 1924. Before he made his discovery, everyone thought that our Milky Way galaxy was the only galaxy in the universe, and that there wasn’t much outside it besides the Magellanic Clouds, which are visible by the naked eye in the Southern Hemisphere, and which were thought to be clouds of gas or dust. We know now that the Magellanic Clouds are really dwarf galaxies. (more…)
Hey–Who’s Winning That Battle Between Education and Catastrophe?
Yesterday we mentioned this amazing quote from H.G. Wells (photo below):“Civilization is in a race between education and catastrophe. Let us learn the truth and spread it as far and wide as our circumstances allow. For the truth is the greatest weapon we have.”
Here’s an article in the Washington Post that points out exactly how we’re doing along these lines. The bottom line is that Americans generally believe a wide variety of ideas that are laughably, provably false–yet they don’t normally pertain to trivial matters, but rather to things that carry huge importance regarding the form of government we choose. (more…)
From Guest Blogger Lillian Connors: Roads Towards a Sweet Bathroom Greenovation Success
Whether you decide to renovate your bathroom because it’s really necessary, because you want to increase the value of your property before offering it for sale, or simply because you can afford it and would like to improve your living conditions, there are many things you can do to achieve the desired effect without breaking the bank. (more…)
