My new book Abolish Oil Now! just came out a few days ago. I've been working on it for two years, so I'm glad that it has come out in time for the COP26 United Nations Climate Change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, starting at the end of October. This is the 26th year that leaders of the world's nations have met to avert the threat of runaway climate disruption. And despite … [Read more...]
Recyling is Dying. Good Riddance.
First they stopped coming for the plastic bottles, and I did not speak out -- Because I don't use many plastic bottles. Then they stopped coming for the cardboard, and I did not speak out -- Because I can burn my cardboard in the chiminea in the backyard. Then they stopped coming for the aluminum cans -- And since I drink cold beverages from cans, that's when they … [Read more...]
No Better Chance than Covid to Read ‘The Plague’ by Camus
Is The Plague the greatest novel of the second half of the twentieth century? I'm not sure, but the 1947 existentialist classic by Albert Camus is entertaining and powerfully written. And these days, it's got special appeal, which is why sales of the book have skyrocketed since the pandemic hit. Camus Knew What Environmentalists Ignore Environmentalists have claimed … [Read more...]
Trump is our Worst Kleptocrat, but He Won’t Be our Last
Donald Trump is an especially brazen version of a kleptocrat, the kind of ruler who uses his public office to enrich himself, his family and his cronies. Trump's no-shame approach to pilfering public coffers may horrify Americans, who are used to a more genteel and discreet approach to self-dealing by the rich and powerful, though tinpot dictators from Nigeria to Brazil are … [Read more...]
How to Talk to a Climate ‘Skeptic’
We originally published this piece in September of 2010, but because we still get comments from climate science deniers, as a service to our readers, we've just updated it and published it again. -- Editor We've all had the experience: Arguing with somebody who doesn't believe that climate change is real. You know there's no way to win. You'll never convince a real science … [Read more...]