Jared Diamond. I will always think of Jared Diamond as the man who, for the better part of the late 1990s, somehow made the phrase "east-west axis of orientation" the most talked-about kind of orientation there was -- freshman, sexual, or otherwise. His 1997 Pulitzer Prize-winning book Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies began with a simple question -- "Why did Pizarro conquer the Incas and not the other way around?" -- and then managed to tell, over the course of only 400-odd pages, the history of why humanity has turned out the way it has. For …

Dear Umbra, If an environmentalist has about six hours per week to devote to activism, what should the person do to make the biggest, most positive impact? Some people (like myself) think that climate protection is a key leverage point -- but is it? If yes, why, and what is the best way activists can help protect the climate? (And what's a leverage point anyway?) AnnGraton, Calif. Dearest Ann, Such a good question, and so important that I asked a real expert about it. Dr. Allen Hershkowitz is a senior scientist at Natural Resources Defense Council, as well as a …

Church of England going green The Church of England has joined the battle against global warming. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will unveil his green vision for the church and begin discussion on the issue of climate change during a General Synod meeting scheduled for Feb. 17, the day after the Kyoto Protocol goes into effect. In an accompanying report titled "Sharing God's Planet," Williams asks that each parish complete an "ecological audit" and introduce green policies, such as using organic bread and wine for Holy Communion, selling fairly traded products at church events, car pooling, and recycling waste. He …

Dear Umbra, Can you recommend a paper magazine dedicated to environmental/social-justice issues that has the same kind of light touch and zany humor that Grist has? I've found that getting really good reading material into the house and just leaving it around is a sure way to hook my two children, who are both avid readers. They're both computer literate, but won't go to a website I recommend, whereas they do read enticing stuff that's left around -- devour it, in fact! I'd really appreciate any pointers you could give us. We're in New Zealand, but I wouldn't mind importing …

"Natural family living" is a growing trend Parents of today's youngest generation are increasingly choosing to raise their kids in more natural, even old-fashioned, ways, say supporters of a lifestyle called "natural family living." This parenting approach involves trusting instincts over published experts and using more natural means to feed, medicate, and nurture children, which can translate into gentler effects on the environment as well. Organic and locally grown food choices often play an important part. "We're willing to pay a little more not to have pesticides in our bodies and our kids' bodies," says Amy Williams-Derry, a Seattle mom. …

Michael Crichton,author of State of Fear. Photo: HarperCollins Publishers. Michael Crichton's State of Fear is an attempt to meld serious politico-scientific critique with a modern techno-thriller. It's an ambitious undertaking, but to paraphrase Thomas Edison, success is 1 percent ambition and 99 percent not writing an awful book. Crichton's novel, alas, is unilluminating as a critique and unsatisfying as a thriller. In many books of this ilk, authors work up a certain level of suspense by following several characters' storylines at once, cutting back and forth at each cliffhanging juncture. In State of Fear, however, the reader is shackled throughout …

State of Fear by Michael Crichton, HarperCollins Publishers, 624 pgs., 2004. Michael Crichton's new novel State of Fear is about global-warming hysteria ginned up by a self-important NGO on behalf of evil eco-terrorists ... or by evil eco-terrorists on behalf of a self-important NGO. It's not quite clear. Regardless, the message of the book is that global warming is a non-problem. A lesson for our times? Sadly, no. In between car chases, shoot-outs, cannibalistic rites, and other assorted derring-doo-doo, the novel addresses scientific issues, but is selective (and occasionally mistaken) about the basic science involved. Some of the issues Crichton …

Celebrities popularize commercial extreme truck Move over Hummer. The hip new thing in celeb vehicle bling is the International CXT, or commercial extreme truck. The hugemongous pickup weighs more than twice as much as the Hummer H2 and sits at the height of an 18-wheeler; more important, it can tow a 20-ton yacht and lug another six tons in the truck bed. Celebs like trucker-hat enthusiast Ashton Kutcher who pimp this ride can also expect to get 7 to 10 miles per gallon of diesel fuel and pay up to $120,000, depending on how fully equipped they want it -- …

Enterprising hybrid owners tinker to get better mileage Hybrid vehicles have been touted as the Next Big Thing in efficient transportation. So what's the Next Next Big Thing? Maybe hybrids with a twist. A handful of engineering students at the University of California at Davis and other mechanically inclined greens have been tinkering with existing hybrids to boost their mileage by giving them increased battery capacity and a plug. The result is cars and SUVs that are still powered by a gasoline/electricity mix but whose internal-combustion engines switch on later and less often than those of unmodified hybrids -- and …

I am, like most enviros, somewhat conflicted on the subject of ecotourism, and I wish I knew more about it. In the end, I'm inclined to think that the damage such tourism does to the ecosystems where it takes place is outweighed by the simple fact that it offers a source of revenue other than resource extraction. There is, of course, good ecotourism and bad ecotourism -- if you, as an aspiring ecotourist, want to know which is which, MSNBC's 12 tips for ecotravelers is a good place to start.