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Is climate change good for us now?
Chris Wright, the secretary of the Department of Energy, did not deny climate change in his Senate confirmation hearing. “The solution is to evolve our energy system,” he said. “I am for all energy systems that can better human lives and reduce emissions.” But what he really meant is what… Continue reading
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Whale tales and climate change
I recently visited the blue whales in the Sea of Cortez near Loreto, Mexico. These majestic mammals, the largest among us, are 85 feet long. They are an endangered species. There used to be 250,000 of them. Now only 10,000 or so remain. Their diet entirely consists of krill, tiny… Continue reading
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We can cut our carbon footprint with individual actions
I was just in central California right before the Los Angeles fires started. The effects of climate change are all around us. And the only solution is to dramatically cut down on the use of fossil fuels. But how do we do that when our federal government seems to be… Continue reading
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We should avail ourselves of clean energy incentives while we have them
The Inflation Reduction Act was one of President Joe Biden’s great accomplishments and an opportunity for real progress on climate change, and President-elect Donald Trump wants to get rid of it. “I will rescind all the unspent funds under the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act,” Trump said in a speech before… Continue reading
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A live Christmas tree can be a sustainable choice
I grew up in the upper Midwest surrounded by forests. Every Christmas we would go into the nearby woods to cut down a tree. I can still remember how wonderful the fresh cut northern Balsams smelled. The Christmas, or Solstice, tree is an old tradition. It started with Nordic and… Continue reading
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Neanderthals couldn’t reverse changing conditions, but we can
This month marks the fifth year that I’ve been writing this climate change column. It was originally published in the Albuquerque Journal North in November of 2019. In the last five years there has been progress on climate change, but as most of us know, we are not moving fast… Continue reading
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Truth, science and our planetary survival are on election ballots
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change defines a tipping point as a critical threshold in a complex system that when exceeded can lead to change that is irreversible. We know that all our planetary tipping points are related to rising temperatures. The challenging factor is that we do not fully… Continue reading
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Project 2025 would radically change our government and devastate the environment
In the last few weeks as the hoopla of an election year has taken focus, we have seen the stark contrast of two distinct versions of the future presented by our two major parties. Not only does the viability of our democracy hang in the balance but the livability of… Continue reading
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Cutting emissions, using renewable energy key to survival
It is hot and it will only get hotter. “July 21, 2024, was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth. The historic day comes on the heels of 13 straight months of unprecedented temperatures and the hottest year scientists have seen,” reported Sarah Kaplan recently in the Washington Post. Temperatures… Continue reading
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Ill-informed legislators are trying to limit lab grown meat options
Don’t tell me what kind of meat to eat. There is yet another cultural war going on in this country. As recently reported in Inside Climate News and other publications, red state lawmakers are trying to restrict the sale of protein cultured from animal cells, better known as lab grown… Continue reading
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The wisest choice for discretionary travel is to avoid flying when you can
I will begin with the premise that we all would do what we can to prevent the devastating effects of global warming, that is, if it seems reasonable. But what is reasonable? For many people anything that requires a significant change in behavior is not reasonable. The Guardian, in an… Continue reading
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Is ‘cloud brightening’ an answer to the climate crisis?
Earth Day 2024 has come and gone and in the last year there were some accomplishments. At COP28 in Dubai a deal was finally reached to globally transition from fossil fuels, which will require rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse emissions. Key participants agreed to the goal of tripling renewables… Continue reading
