For a long time now, James Hansen, chief NASA climatologist has been something of a voice in the dark, saying that, to avoid cataclysmic climate change, we must stabilize the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at no more than 350 parts per million (ppm). That is to say, essentially, that for every one […]
global warming
What if I’m right about climate change?
A couple of weeks ago, I posted about what I’d say if I turned out to be wrong about climate change and we’d erroneously made a huge effort to prevent it. Well, a couple of years ago, I was messing around with Photoshop and I made the below. It pertains to what we might say […]
What we’d gain if we built things to last
Lots of nights we have talks about Teddy. Isabella wants to know about when her mom was little and how she played with Teddy, too. As things age, they collect stories. Stories of our families that connect us to them. In my own case, I have a pair of my grandfather’s cufflinks and his watch. […]
Are we just a green bubble that has burst?
Recently, The New Republic published an article by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger of the Breakthrough Institute calling the trend towards lower consumption coupled with the search for meaningful life no more than a public opinion bubble that has burst. They argue that individual lifestyle change–of which I am one of the chief national proponents, […]
The difference between hell and heaven
My dentist Gary is one of my best friends, and I visited his office today. I joked with him, “Why do you have to make your living by tearing my mouth apart?” Actually, he’s great at his job, but that’s another story (email me if you’re looking for a great New York dentist). The point […]
Antarctic Wilkins ice shelf breaks away
Read here. Need I say more?
A primer on what it would take to fix climate
We’ve all been seeing what Obama believes is necessary for the economic bailout, but what is needed for the climate bailout? Here are the five policies that, according to New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, the new CEO of ClimateWorks, Hal Harvey, says we need: First, building codes: “California’s energy-efficient building and appliance codes now […]
To save the planet, we’ll have to bury the party political hatchet
I’m sick of inter-party animosity. I’m tired of progressives who won’t listen to a person who identifies as conservative. I’m tired of conservatives who won’t listen to a liberal. How unlikely is it, anyway, that either the classical liberal or conservative ideologies provides the best policy solution for every situation? Doesn’t it make sense that […]