New Anthropocene
Watching the Deniers
Environment shock: how the pace of environmental change destabilises
Originally posted here. Let me begin with an idea that many will find shocking, outrageous or even inconceivable. In order to maintain our complex industrial civilisation it may be necessary for us to entertain the inconceivable: that we have the power to manage the planet’s climate and environment. Indeed, this decision is being forced upon … Continue reading
The God Species review: managing the planet via economic growth, genetic engineering and nuclear energy (Part 1)
Summary: Mark Lynas is a noted science author, environmental activist and has even acted as a policy advisor for the Maldives. His latest work, “The God species: how the planet can survive the age of humans” is an important contribution to the discussion on adapting to climate change (and other environmental challenges). It is bound … Continue reading
The God Species review: managing the planet via economic growth, genetic engineering and nuclear energy (Part 1)
Part one of my review of “The God Species” is up on Generation Adaptation, and I’ve encourage readers to click-on-over to read and comment. A summary: Mark Lynas is a noted science author, environmental activist and has even acted as a policy advisor for the Maldives. His latest work, “The God species: how the planet can survive … Continue reading
Of Plan B and the Hail Mary Pass on emissions: our non-renewable future
(Cross post from Gen Adaptation) For those of us with a keen interest in adaptation – and possible future scenarios – this week has seen two important developments. Firstly, the progress – albeit tentative – achieved at Durban. At first glance, it appears as though we may get a binding treaty to supersede Kyoto that … Continue reading
High confidence, robust evidence: report on a failed experiment in planetary engineering
Of many wheels I view, wheel without wheel, with cogs tyrannic
Moving by compulsion each other: not as those in Eden
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How the “left” can avoid own goals: vigorous debate is a necessity, but physical attacks on billionaires and destroying the work of scientists should be condemned
For over a year I ran a blog called Watching the deniers highlighting the misinformation, lies and dirty tricks of the climate denial “movement”. To some the term “denier” is offensive, that somehow I was equating climate sceptics with Nazi’s. Perhaps using the adjective “denier” was as ill-advised when I started my blogging career… However, … Continue reading
Requiem for the sea: State of the Seas report concludes “negative changes” to the oceans exceed IPCCs worst case scenarios.
Back in my “Watching the Deniers” days I developed a keen interest in the state world’s oceans, as it was through my reading and research I came to have a better understanding of the fragile state of the world’s oceans. In July 2010 I started to become deeply alarmed: research indicated that since the 1950s over 40% … Continue reading
No silver lining in peak oil: is the realisation we’re running out distorting the global response to climate change?
The recent Canadian elections saw the return the Conservative government of Stephen Harper with an increased majority. For many concerned with climate change, this was dispiriting news. For years Harper’s government has been waging a war on climate science. DeSmogBlog has been tracking the activities of the Harper government. It makes for depressing reading, as it means … Continue reading
A carbon tax is meant to hurt a little, but we have a choice: we can change.
The media’s war over the carbon tax continues to wage, with Melbourne’s Herald Sun leading the charge with the headline “Carbonated!” The paper breathlessly warns of how the tax will raise a price on everything.: CONSUMERS face price rises on well-known brands – including Coke, Cadbury, Mars and McDonald’s – as the carbon tax puts … Continue reading
One scary acronym: adaptation at the local level is now our Plan A.
One of the great tragedies of the current debate about the carbon tax in Australia is just how divorced from the reality it is.
While our politicians and media commentariat fight the “carbon tax debate” through the old culture war paradigm (left versus right, Liberal versus Labor, Fairfax/ABC verses News Corp) physics and chemistry blithely continue to do what it does: push global temperatures higher. Continue reading
