I've been to global-warming school. That's right, I'm a proud graduate of  “the first course in Britain that guides you through all you need to know about climate change in just three hours.” On a typically wet and bleak autumn day in London, twelve of us (including the seminar leader, a cheerful guy named Christian) met in a small room on London's South Bank to discuss discussing climate change: how to communicate it to others, how to deal with the overwhelming problem of denial, how to overcome the lack of willingness to adapt. The regularly-held seminar is organised by the Oxford-based Climate Outreach & Information Network [COIN], a charitable trust formed in 2004.  Continue reading A Crash Course in Climate Change

Posted on Jan 6, 2009 at 1:03 PM
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Donna and Larry Charpied are taking me on a hike through a desert wash in Joshua Tree National Park. The California park is one of the most iconic in the country, known for its eponymous trees, the spiky, beautiful cactus that is really a member of the lily family, so named because westering 19th century Mormons believed its arms were gesturing towards the Holy Land, just like the prophet in the Old Testament. Because of recent rains, the wash is profuse with color. “There’s a chuparosa bush,” Donna says, pointing to a lovely outburst of red along the banks. Larry identifies a cluster of chia –the original version of yesteryear’s “chia pet” craze. All around us is the scent of creosote, proud with rain, and desert lavender, so pure, so essential. In the clear turquoise skies above, a hawk rides a thermal, and from a nearby cottonwood tree, some quail sing their desert song. “This is America’s gift to her citizens,” Donna says, taking in the infinite expanse. “But if the court rules in favor of the dump, it’s over.” Continue reading Guardians of Joshua Tree

Posted on Jan 5, 2009 at 10:28 AM
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With near-consensus among scientists that catastrophic consequences of anthropogenic global warming are already on their way, yet little being done to avert it, it’s time for the US to begin treating the climate crisis like the planetary emergency that it is. The new presidential administration has a rare opportunity to seize the moment and reassert American leadership on this crucial issue of security, social justice, and economic well-being. I asked experts working across the energy-policy spectrum on how the professedly green Obama administration can hit the ground running. Continue reading 10 Global-Warming Policy Recommendations For the Obama Administration

Posted on Jan 4, 2009 at 10:41 AM
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By now you’ve hopefully recovered from your New Year’s hangover and are picking up the pieces of the holiday season: recycling the gift wrap, taking down the tinsel and lights . . . but hold on! Don’t discard all those precious corks from the empty wine and Champagne bottles. Following are several easy ways to reuse this durable and beautiful natural material. Continue reading DIY: Put a cork in it

Posted on Jan 2, 2009 at 4:50 PM
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Melting ice, declining polar bears, expanding dead zones, a momentous presidential race, and the final (almost) twelve months of George W. Bush's environmental malfeasance: 2008 will be perhaps best recalled by environmentalists for what it might bring than what it achieved. With both the global economy and the planet still in meltdown mode, and meaningful international action on climate change remaining a distant pipe-dream, we take a trip down memory lane to round up 2008's most important environmental stories month-by-month.

Continue reading 2008 in Review

Posted on Dec 29, 2008 at 4:29 PM
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