Climate Change

The twin epidemics of autoimmune disease and mental illness are linked to local biodiversity loss. — You are a person. You are also an ecosystem. Your skin, gut, orifices, and organs are collectively home to trillions of microorganisms. These microorganisms are not freeloaders. They contribute to your health in crucial ways, many of which science is only beginning to understand. For example, we now know that…

If we avoid peak oil, will we just run out of other materials, instead? — Many people complain that renewable energy is actually rebuildable energy. After 10 years, batteries wear out. After 30 years, solar panels need replacing. People also worry that switching off fossil fuels will require mining huge amounts of rare metals. It’s a popular complaint on the both sides of the political…

Because it’s Here to Help Us — I’m scared to write this. And that’s how I know it’s probably a good idea to do so: because its going to contain some information that will help me — and you — survive. We desperately need to change our relationship with fear. Since the basic function of fear is…

It isn’t always easy to tell, but here’s how to find out — In a recent article in The New Climate published on Medium, a comment by Mark Krauss asked three questions aimed at determining if EVs are really better or not when it comes to carbon. I’m going to try to answer his questions here. But first, here are the questions from…

All species interact with the planet in a gazillion ways. Obviously. Except that us humans, over millennia, have created layers of physical and conceptual/mythical abstractions atop the planet. Today we’re at a juncture where we interact only with these layers, by and large, and hardly with the planet. This is…

What are you offering us, Ron? — Governor Ron DeSantis, now officially a candidate for the Presidency in 2024, doesn’t seem to have a clue what being President actually entails. …

Does climate change really not pose a risk? Let’s look at the numbers. — At a recent event, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said that climate change does not pose a serious risk to financial systems, and the large banks don’t need to worry about it. To be clear, he does believe that climate change is real, just that it isn’t a risk, at…

Like the Titanic, the planet is sinking. Meanwhile, who are we in this real-life movie? — It’s a well-known scene from the Titanic. No! I’m not talking about poor Jack, who might have fit in the floating door with Rose, nor about the historical incongruity of having supposedly authentic Picasso paintings on the ship. (Seriously, how did we let this one pass?) I am talking about…

New research shows that a global treaty designed to protect the ozone layer has postponed the occurrence of the first ice-free Arctic by as much as 15 years. In 1985 scientists discovered an ozone “hole” over Antarctica. The ozone layer shields us from harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation. Swiftly, the…