Newspaper headlines by their nature are expected to state what happened, not what did not happen, because what did not happen is not, after all, news. Unlike the headline above. But the truth of the modest deal that emerged between 190 nations negotiating at Cancun, under the auspices of the United Nations, is that theContinue reading “Cancun talks do not end in failure”
Category Archives: climate
Acceleration of drought in Mexico accelerating illegal immigration?
That's the startling argument advanced by Thomas Elias in today's Ventura County Star: a new study published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences appears to establish a coming (and possibly a present) link between global warming and illegal immigration from Mexico,..the study led by atmospheric science Prof. Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton UniversityContinue reading “Acceleration of drought in Mexico accelerating illegal immigration?”
Into the Fossil Intensive future: When could we reach 4C?
It's possible the world will not manage to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases, and instead stomp on the fossil fuels and speed up global warming. That's what it looks like right now, with the black diamonds below representing observed emissions, and tracking towards the upper end of estimates: Today the world's oldest continuously operating scientific body, theContinue reading “Into the Fossil Intensive future: When could we reach 4C?”
How to prevent the Sixth Extinction
39% of species alive today, according to an assessment by an international group of conservation scientists, face annihilation in the Sixth Extinction. That's total destruction of these species this century. In effect, we are our own [killer] asteroid. To prevent this planetary disaster, Ted Rall has an idea: Incidentally, his description of the Nagoya ProtocolContinue reading “How to prevent the Sixth Extinction”
Entertainment conquers reality: objective proof found
For decades the witty H.L. Mencken had a good time bemoaning the tase of Americans, decrying the booboisie. the philistines, the "swinish multitudes," but also insisting that "The United States…is incomparably the greatest show on earth." In his book Life the Movie, a decade ago, the critic/writer Neal Gabler took this idea a step further, arguingContinue reading “Entertainment conquers reality: objective proof found”
Climate scientists not pushing back against denialism, says American Geophysical Union
A story Sunday in the Los Angeles Times reported that climate scientists were joining in an effort to "push back" against a rise tide of climate change denial. The story said that Monday the American Geophysical Union would announce an effort by 700 scientists to "speak out as experts." But today the AGU said no,Continue reading “Climate scientists not pushing back against denialism, says American Geophysical Union”
“We will not leave our problems for our children unresolved”: Marco Rubio
Senator-elect Marco Rubio gave a fascinating speech Tuesday night in Florida. It's been widely broadcast, major portions even on All Things Considered, but hasn't been available in print on the Web (not that I have found, anyhow). So here, as a public service, let me present the two-edged sword of Republican idealism and denial. Americans believeContinue reading ““We will not leave our problems for our children unresolved”: Marco Rubio”
Climate change and income distribution: real change vs political
The big changes underway in this country are not political, despite the headlines. Divided government: What a shock! Never would've seen that one coming. A much bigger change has taken place in the nature of our economy, and in the nature of our atmosphere, and these are changes the Tea Party can't face, and thusContinue reading “Climate change and income distribution: real change vs political”
Why did Valero invest $5 million in Prop 23?
As part of a story I wrote a couple of weeks back on Prop 23, I looked briefly at the story from the perspective of Valero, the Texas oil company that has poured millions — five million, to be precise — into the initiative, which is intended to gut AB 32, California's Global Warming SolutionsContinue reading “Why did Valero invest $5 million in Prop 23?”
Global warming: Americans don’t like to think about it
Why have I been spending so much time on culture and not climate lately? Because not only is the news discouraging, it seems American's can't handle the truth. Take a look at this recent on-line poll from Scientific American. Yes, on-line polls are driven by the self-selecting and so untrustworthy. But as a snapshot ofContinue reading “Global warming: Americans don’t like to think about it”
Kit Stolz 