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Category Archives: Environment
The Illusion of Saving the World
The Illusion of Saving the World At the end of this month, as you probably know by now, an extraordinary hoopla event will descend on Manhattan in the form of a “Climate Action Summit,” summoned by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, to get the nations of the world finally to take seriously the threat of […]
Pesticides in the Dock: Ecological Apocalypse But Business as Usual
Pesticides in the Dock: Ecological Apocalypse But Business as Usual In a new paper published in King’s Law Journal – ‘The Chemical Anthropocene: Glyphosate as a Case Study of Pesticide Exposures’ – the authors Alessandra Arcuri and Yogi Hale Hendlin state: “As the science against glyphosate safety mounts and lawsuits threaten its chemical manufacture’s profits, the next generation of […]
Strike for the Environment, Strike for Social Justice, Strike!
Strike for the Environment, Strike for Social Justice, Strike! Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair A very large chasm exists between those in power, including most of the 2020 presidential candidates, and environmentalists and scientists intent on acting now to resolve growing environmental crises. To reiterate what is known, the United Nations, through its IPCC and the IPBES committees, has […]
The Radical Plan to Save the Planet by Working Less
The Radical Plan to Save the Planet by Working Less The degrowth movement wants to intentionally shrink the economy to address climate change, and create lives with less stuff, less work, and better well-being. But is it a utopian fantasy? In 1972, a team at MIT published The Limits to Growth, a report that predicted what […]
The Word for World is Forest
The Word for World is Forest Every book by Ursula Le Guin is by definition the best book by Ursula Le Guin. And there is no book by Ursula Le Guin that’s not the best book by Ursula Le Guin. But this one, “The Word for World is Forest” may be even better than that! I […]
North America’s Bird Population Is Collapsing – Nearly 3 Billion Birds Have Been Wiped Out Since 1970
North America’s Bird Population Is Collapsing – Nearly 3 Billion Birds Have Been Wiped Out Since 1970 All around us, our world is literally in a state of collapse, but most people don’t seem to care. I spend much of my time writing about the inevitable collapse of our economic and financial systems, but they […]
A Sea Change Moment?
A Sea Change Moment? Tomorrow begins Global Climate Strike Week, led by young people to demand urgent action to address the climate emergency. What many hope will be a sea change moment in the struggle to mobilize a real response to this existential threat had a humble start a year ago when a young Swedish student, Greta […]
Yes, the Climate Crisis May Wipe out Six Billion People Creator of the ‘ecological footprint’ on life and death in a world 4 C hotter. One thing the climate crisis underscores is that Homo sapiens are not primarily a rational species. When forced to make important decisions, particularly decisions affecting our economic security or socio-political […]
Genetically engineered honeybees: Not the dumbest idea ever, but close to it
Genetically engineered honeybees: Not the dumbest idea ever, but close to it In the wake of widespread declines in bee populations, farmers and beekeepers are wondering who exactly is going to pollinate that third of the world’s food crops which require pollination. The declines have been attributed to pesticides, parasites and climate change. In Europe […]
GROWTH: From Microorganisms to Megacities
GROWTH: From Microorganisms to Megacities Vaclav Smil’s latest book explores growth in nature and society. It examines the rules and patterns of growth in four key domains, those of the living world; human energy consumption; human artifacts; and human populations, societies and economies. The author is a passionate advocate of quantitative analysis, and thus Growth is filled […]
A globalised solar-powered future is wholly unrealistic – and our economy is the reason why
A globalised solar-powered future is wholly unrealistic – and our economy is the reason why Over the past two centuries, millions of dedicated people – revolutionaries, activists, politicians, and theorists – have been unable to curb the disastrous and increasingly globalised trajectory of economic polarisation and ecological degradation. This is perhaps because we are utterly trapped in flawed […]
Old Farmer’s Almanac Predicts ‘Snow-verload’ Winter Across Much of US
Old Farmer’s Almanac Predicts ‘Snow-verload’ Winter Across Much of US The Old Farmer’s Almanac is forecasting that portions of the United States will see a “snow-verload” during what has been described as a snowy winter. For instance, it is predicting a “wet and wild” 2019-20 winter in the northeastern U.S. But overall, it is calling for “shivers, […]
Temperatures In The Pacific Ocean Have Shot Up To Dangerous Levels, And Scientists Are Blaming A “Strange Anomaly”
Temperatures In The Pacific Ocean Have Shot Up To Dangerous Levels, And Scientists Are Blaming A “Strange Anomaly” It is being called “the Pacific marine heatwave of 2019”, and officials are warning that it could have very frightening implications if it does not dissipate soon. Right now, there is a vast expanse of water stretching […]
