Author Archives: Kit Stolz

La Nina is Back: Drought Ahead?

According to experts surveyed by the Sacramento Bee, the weather pattern known as La Niña is back again this year, and it's likely to bring us a third year of drought.   This year's La Niña looks stronger and longer-lasting, said Bill Patzert, a climatologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. "The dice are prettyContinue reading “La Nina is Back: Drought Ahead?”

The Privilege of the Grave: essay of the year

Today David Brooks nominated some worthy magazine pieces to remember from 2008, but surely all living writers of 2008 were trumped by the magnificent essay published in last week's New Yorker by Mark Twain, The Privilege of the Grave, the opening to which you can read below. No short writing could be more to theContinue reading “The Privilege of the Grave: essay of the year”

A Day for Firewood

A chore I secretly enjoy is gathering firewood. Especially at this time of year, during dry periods, when it's relatively warm, bug-free, gorgeous amidst the fallen leaves and the weathered stones. Spent the day stomping around the creekbed, sectioning a fallen sycamore trunk with brief bursts from a roaring chainsaw, carrying the sections up intoContinue reading “A Day for Firewood”

Church of England Invests in Al Gore

And not a token amount, either — more than $200 million, according to Religous Intelligence: The Church of England’s Church Commissioners have gone green, investing £150 million with former US Vice-President Al Gore’s environmentally minded investment firm, Generation Investment Management. The First Church Estates Commissioner, Andreas Whittam Smith reported that in late September the CommissionersContinue reading “Church of England Invests in Al Gore”

Dick Cheney vs. Laura Bush: Who Will Win Bush’s Vote?

Okay, so according to Juliet Elperin, the Wa-Po's top-notch enviro reporter, the Prez is considering designating a vast area of the Pacific, stretching more than 2,000 miles across the Marianas, for "no-take" protection as a "marine monument." Interestingly, Laura Bush likes the idea, and has even requested briefings on the matter from scientists, but —Continue reading “Dick Cheney vs. Laura Bush: Who Will Win Bush’s Vote?”

Drought in the Southwest Can Last for Decades — or Centuries

One of the interesting reports coming out of the American Geophysical Union conference this year was on "abrupt" climate change. For a long time the Dust Bowl droughts of the l930's, which were indeed severe, were considered the worst the Southwest could expect. But now, based on tree-ring and pollen "proxy" studies, scientists can withContinue reading “Drought in the Southwest Can Last for Decades — or Centuries”

Why This Global Warming Book is Different: A Review of Dire Predictions

More books on global warming have been published in the last couple of years than anyone in their right mind (or even, anyone in the field) would want to read. Many of them are very good: Australian biologist Tim Flannery's The Weather Makers tells the story from an evolutionist's point of view with great passionContinue reading “Why This Global Warming Book is Different: A Review of Dire Predictions”

Climate Change in CA: What Has Happened Already

From the California Department of Water Resources White Paper, pdf, dated 10/08: While the exact conditions of future climate change remain uncertain, there is no doubt about the changes that have already happened. Analysis of paleoclimatic data (such as tree-ring reconstructions of streamflow and precipitation) indicates a history of naturally and widely varying hydrologic conditionsContinue reading “Climate Change in CA: What Has Happened Already”