Another edition in my wildly popular series. Not really! It's just that Wa-Po columnist Joel Achenbach is so funny, when he rants against a rantable subject, he must be linked. Here goes: Air Schlep To save the company a couple hundred bucks I eschewed the slightly expensive Southwest flight to Houston and instead bought aContinue reading “Against flying: Joel Achenbach”
Category Archives: activism
Denier claims Russian heat wave “random numbers”
According to the Russian Meterological Center, the heat wave and forest fires afflicting that nation are the worst seen in at least a thousand years. Russia has recently seen the longest unprecedented heat wave for at least one thousand years, the head of the Russian Meteorological Center said on Monday…. “We have an ‘archive’ ofContinue reading “Denier claims Russian heat wave “random numbers””
Against Flying: two arguments
Mother Jones this past issue concluded with the most eloquent discussion of the carbon cost of flying in I ever have read, but amazingly, you don't even have to read the piece, only look at this charticle: A relatively modest trip by plane outweighs all sorts of other worthy efforts to reduce emissions. That's oneContinue reading “Against Flying: two arguments”
Union of Concerned Scientists misses a climate beat
Rarely if ever in my life have I found fault with the Union of Concerned Scientists on any point, but in a story their site published today about climate change and the American Pika, I think they tell only half the story — the alarming half. In their words: Signs of spring are beginning toContinue reading “Union of Concerned Scientists misses a climate beat”
Earth Day, 2010
In honor of the cold beauty of Earth Day 2010 in California, and in honor of the yosemite pool on Flickr…
Try, try again for a climate bill in Washington
For all the flaws of the climate bill that passed the House but ground to a halt in the Senate this past winter, the need for action to reduce the risks of costs of climate change remains as acute as ever. The practical attitude towards this central question, as expressed recently by Ron Brownstein, anContinue reading “Try, try again for a climate bill in Washington”
The duty to nature (great enviro speech of l990)
Mr. Chairman, since the last World War, our world has faced many challenges, none more vital than that of defending our liberty and keeping the peace. But the threat to our world comes not only from tyrants…it can be more insidious though less visible. The danger of global warming is as yet unseen, but realContinue reading “The duty to nature (great enviro speech of l990)”
Insurance Industry Debunks Climate Change Deniers
From a report by an international group of multi-billion dollar insurers attending the Copenhagen conference, led by Munich Re, against climate change denier claims: Business knows how to keep it simple. What does the international insurance industry want? An agreement to reduce emissions — now. What we need now is leadership. It is up toContinue reading “Insurance Industry Debunks Climate Change Deniers”
Science and poetry: what they have in common
While confronting — on the page and in person — those who wield shotguns and bulldozers, John Kinsella in Poetry drops in a fascinating digression about what poetry and science have in common: The language of poetry, even in its most lyrical modes, is a language of specific usage—poetry is about arrangement, selection, and presentationContinue reading “Science and poetry: what they have in common”
Evan Bayh: in this economic climate, we must ignore climate change
The Senate will not act on climate change in 2010, if conservative Democrats in the Senate like Evan Bayh have their way, and Yglesias, for one, is not happy about it. He writes: Evan Bayh, too, seems like he wants to write a blog about congressional politics: “We need to deal with the phenomena ofContinue reading “Evan Bayh: in this economic climate, we must ignore climate change”
Kit Stolz 