In September, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), among the most conservative scientific organizations on Earth, issued a report concluding that global warming is irreversible without geo-engineering. Yet, as Earth System Dynamics recently pointed out, known strategies for geo-engineering are unlikely to succeed and that "climate geo-engineering cannot … [Read more...]
About Guy McPherson
Before it goes dark, let’s live
For my initial forty years on Earth, I was an unrepentant idealist. Surrounded by students I loved, pursuing a life of excellence rooted in inquiry, striving to serve humanity and the living planet, I cared about humans and other species to the point of heartbreak. I pinned my dreams on people and believed they would rise to the occasion. No more. Color me cynical in the … [Read more...]
Hopium for the masses, renewable energy edition
As Derrick Jensen points out, this "culture as a whole and most of its members are insane." For my part, I continue to be surprised at the number of people who believe in infinite growth on a finite planet. I continue to be amazed at the number of people who believe a politician cares about them, and that their favorite politician will act in their best interests. I … [Read more...]
How to respond to climate chaos
Just when I think the climate-change situation can become no worse, additional information appears on my screen. Six self-reinforcing feedback loops have been documented since last month's essay on the topic. The four-minute video embedded below describes the dire nature of climate chaos and indicates how individuals might respond to the information. Guy-3Min from … [Read more...]
As the Empire declines it gets nastier
Any empire requires three elements for its own survival. As an empire declines, it becomes necessary to push harder on all three fronts: obedience at home, oppression abroad, and destruction of the living planet. I present a few examples of each phenomenon and embed a brief video clip at the end. Obedience at home was the subject of a recent essay in this space. Those … [Read more...]