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Ways to reduce and prepare for climate change, while conserving peak natural resources and preventing pollution and waste.

Tilling the Soil in 2012, part 2

By February 10, 2012
Somos Event Header

It’s hard to keep track of the number of ways the United States continues to find to shoot itself in the foot. For instance, did you know that US meat and milk exports failed to pass European standards for drug residues last year? There oughta be a law, and in the EU, there is. Since when do Americans fit the definition of international law breakers? It would appear since we began dosing farm animals with more drugs than we can keep track of. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) … [Read more...]

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Tilling the soil in 2012, part 1

By February 9, 2012
Honey Bee

It’s all in a day’s work for family farmers of the 21st century:  Colony Collapse Disorder, dealing with Monsanto’s threats, global warming disasters, the government crackdown on family farms, genetically-engineered crops. Where once American plowmen had merely to contend with unpredictable weather, infertile soil, inaccessible water supplies, poverty, accidents and disease, today’s food producers face a further cornucopia of sophisticated and bewildering attacks from all sides. That … [Read more...]

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Resources and anthropocentrism

By February 6, 2012
Trash Heap

We see finite substances and the living planet as materials to be exploited for our comfort. We treat resources as our entitlement. Examples of intense anthropocentrism are so numerous in the English language it seems unfair to pick on this one word from among many. And, as with most other cases, we don't even think about these examples, much less question them (cf. sustainability, civilization, economic growth). My only justifications for singling out resources are the preponderance … [Read more...]

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One hundred and thirty-eight in the shade

By January 2, 2012
Excess baggage tag

According to Mark Twain, "civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities." We can hope western civilization is just about done with the mindless multiplication of anything, much less unnecessary nonsense. And we can, and should, work toward that goal. In light of the likely near-term extinction of Homo sapiens if western civilization maintains its current course, I'm an unapologetic fan of terminating western civilization as quickly as possible. Consider, for … [Read more...]

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We messed up, but you can still save the planet

By December 16, 2011
Cliff

I’m writing this on behalf of my generation, the generation that has shaped the modern world. With miraculous electronic devices, endless supplies of consumer gadgets and toys, international burger chains and the power of consumerism, we've created a world of plenty and endless progress. It’s a lie, of course; an illusion; and deep down, you know this. You know that this has all been done with a fuel source that’s about to run out. You know that in creating a cornucopia for humans … [Read more...]

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Fahrenheit 11

By December 6, 2011
Couch in desert

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has been dropping some climatic bombshells lately, and people the world over have taken note. The Agency, widely known for its cautious approach to forecasting energy use, says the numbers  now speak for themselves. What are they saying? So far, the figures say it’s time to end developed countries’ dependence on fossil fuels, and fast – we’ve got five years before the new climate reality gets locked into place. Temperatures are trending … [Read more...]

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Three paths to near-term human extinction

By November 9, 2011
Out of time

About a decade ago I realized we were putting the finishing touches on our own extinction party, with the shindig probably over by mid-century. During the intervening period I've seen nothing to sway this belief, and much evidence to reinforce it. Yet the protests, ridicule, and hate mail reach a fervent pitch when I speak or write about the potential for near-term extinction of Homo sapiens. I hear how: We're different. We're special. We're too intelligent. We'll find a way out. We … [Read more...]

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Time to step up

By October 25, 2011
350 Candles

Next on the climate change agenda: Durban, South Africa, the location of the next round of global climate talks. The first phase of the Kyoto Protocol expires next year, by which time a new agreement needs to have been reached. Climate agreements are important because the signatory nations commit to reaching certain goals by a certain time. This being the case, it's always a source of great disappointment to American environmentalists that, while the US signed Kyoto, it has never honored the … [Read more...]

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Philosophy and conservation

By October 7, 2011
School of Athens

This essay is excerpted from Guy McPherson’s (2011) memoir, Walking Away from Empire: A Personal Journey. Asking a contemporary scientist in possession of a Ph.D. any question about philosophy typically draws a blank stare or, occasionally, an inquisitive gaze. Philosophy rarely is taught in science classes at any level of education, including the Ph.D. Across campus, a dose of science is taught in the philosophy department, but practicing scientists rarely are involved in the … [Read more...]

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To fight climate change, we need to understand humanity

By September 6, 2011
Banksy graffiti

The evidence is gaining increasing clarity: We've reached a crossroads unlike any other in human history. One path leads to despair for Homo industrialis. The other leads to extinction, for Homo sapiens and the millions of species we are taking with us into the abyss. I'll take door number one. Fortunately, the former path gives us one final chance to rescue humanity. And I'm not considering merely our own species. Consider, for example, these definitions of the word humanity from the … [Read more...]

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