Climate Change Up Close
Global warming is already harming real people. Yet many still deny it exists.
On the Newsstand:Global Warming
63% Believe Climate Change is Happening? Not bad!
Last week, the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies released a report called Americans’ Knowledge of Climate Change. The document is the result of an extensive analysis of how well Americans grasp the practical and scientific nature of climate change, and by the fifth page, the authors have declared the quality of the knowledge for 52% of those surveyed ... Read More
10/10/10 Global Work Day
Bill McKibben’s 350.org movement, a grassroots organization that promotes cutting carbon dioxide emissions to 1988 levels of 350 parts per million, is promoting a global day of action on environmental issues this Sunday, October 10th. In a follow-up to the group’s wildly successful “day of political action” on Saturday, October 24th, 2009, this year’s event is a massive “global work ... Read More
China in the Lead: It Matters.
Jeffrey Kalmus contends that I have not argued why my previous post, “China in the Lead,” matters. So now I will attempt to do so, echoing and extending what Max wrote in response to Jeffrey yesterday. The biggest reason – perhaps I assumed it was rather self-evident – why the rapid Chinese clean-energy Manhattan project matters is because it proves ... Read More
Do Conservatives “Just Hate All Taxes”?
In a generally well-written article, HPR staff writer Will Rafey recently addressed the need to raise the gas tax “to make the private cost of driving a car reflect its actual social costs: global warming, air pollution, traffic congestion, and highway maintenance,” and how difficult this has become in the current political climate. I have no disagreement with the thrust ... Read More
The Climate Is Getting Overheated
On Tuesday night I went to the Harvard Political Union’s discussion on climate change, which was centered around the question of what steps the University should be taking to be greener and on the issue of global warming in general. As part of what seemed to be a minority of non-affiliated observers at the event — i.e. not being part ... Read More
Harvard Thinks Big
Harvard Thinks Big was billed as an “important” event. Its Facebook page was ebullient. Expectations were high. “A dream team of 10 Harvard professors will each talk for 10 minutes about the 1 thing they’re most passionate about…Inspired by TED Talks (Ted.com) and motivated by what makes Harvard great — amazing professors, cutting-edge research, and breakthrough ideas…” But somehow this doesn’t go far enough. As ... Read More
Martha Coakley and the Politics of Despair
Here’s the deal: if Martha Coakley loses tonight then it’s good news for Lloyd Blankfein, who’s worried about financial regulation reform, for the super rich, whose taxes will remain low, and for everyone generally interested in preventing Obama from governing this country. On the other hand, her loss is bad news for those of us who care about adequate health ... Read More
Shovel-Ready Spaceflight
Obama neglects the best stimulus of all: space exploration In the past few months President Obama has proposed hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending to lift the United States out of the recession. Employing arguably the most talented engineers and scientists and involving the most cutting-edge research, spaceflight is one of the very best ways in which Obama ... Read More
The One and Only Solution to Global Warming
Yesterday Richard Garwin spoke in the Science Center about the role of nuclear energy in the country’s energy future, and I was once again amazed at how clearly the numbers demonstrate our nation’s strong need for nuclear energy. If we want to stem global warming and continue to grow our economy at a strong pace by continuing to provide low-cost ... Read More
The One True Solution
Yesterday Richard Garwin spoke in the Science Center about the role of nuclear energy in the country’s energy future, and I was once again amazed at how clearly the numbers demonstrate our nation’s strong need for nuclear energy. If we want to stem global warming and continue to grow our economy at a strong pace by continuing to provide low-cost ... Read More
