Category Archives: disaster

The risks of profit dependence: McKibben and Toles

In the Guardian on Friday, Bill McKibben published an essay:  …Because the one thing we've never really imagined is going to the supermarket and finding it empty. What the events reveal is the thinness of the margin on which modernity lives. There's not a country in the world more modern and civilised than Japan; itsContinue reading “The risks of profit dependence: McKibben and Toles”

All Things Considered: Misjudging a catastrophe?

As a fan of National Public Radio, as someone who knows most of the reporters on All Things Considered by the sound of their voice, and as a reporter who knows how difficult it can be to get a fast-moving highly-technical story right, I tend to cut NPR some slack. But I must say, theirContinue reading “All Things Considered: Misjudging a catastrophe?”

What does this devastating earthquake say about God?

It's an age-old question that has arisen again, after the earthquake in Japan, in a most unlikely place — a remarkable front-page think piece by Scott Gold and Hector Becerra in the Los Angles Times this past Saturday morning.  Not having the ability to look at the event from the inside, because they weren't on the scene,Continue reading “What does this devastating earthquake say about God?”

Japan Earthquake: 1000x stronger than Port-au-Prince quake

A couple of striking facts from a briefing on the earthquake in Japan, and the subsequent tsunami:  According to Dave Applegate, of the US Geological Survey, this quake, measuring "almost nine" on the Richter scale, substantially ruptured the earth's crust, tearing it up for 150 or more miles. Applegate said the energy released by theContinue reading “Japan Earthquake: 1000x stronger than Port-au-Prince quake”

Hansen sees rapid sea level rise this century

Back in l981, as a relatively young man, a physicist named James Hansen led a team that reported in Science on Climate Impact of Increasing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide. The paper predicted that the warming signal would emerge clearly from the noise of natural variability by the end of the century. In the 21st century, saidContinue reading “Hansen sees rapid sea level rise this century”

Ocean acidification and coral reefs

A concluding remark from a talk this morning by Ken Caldeira on ocean acidification:  My personal opinion is that without emissions mitigation coral reefs on this planet will not be sustainable by mid-century.  For the gloomer, a look at the science from the NRDC. Jeez. This may be harder to face than global warming. 

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”

Horrific Flooding in Asia — as predicted by the IPCC

One-fifth of Pakistan is now underwater, the headlines say. Thousands have died, and this is expected to go down as one of "the worst natural disasters in history." But how "natural" is this disaster, really?  Just an hour ago the Associated Press posted the first news story to look at the flooding in Asia, theContinue reading “Horrific Flooding in Asia — as predicted by the IPCC”

Quote of the week: California earthquake edition

From an eminent seismologist at UCLA, on why we should pay attention to earthquake studies, even if they can't predict the exact time of a powerful earthquake likely to hit California in coming years: "Suppose you are the minister of the defense, and you are told the enemy is mobilizing its forces and will attackContinue reading “Quote of the week: California earthquake edition”