Uncategorized

Wait, THE Steve Johnson?

Today's nomination of Steve Johnson to head the U.S. EPA has been met with a resounding "Uh... who?" Nobody seems to know much about the guy, other than the fact that he's a scientist and has been with the agency for 24 years. ENS's story seems as substantial as any I've seen yet.

And, in a sign of grim things to come, Judith Lewis has this ominous tidbit.

This bears repeating

Warning: there is no merit, journalistic or otherwise, to this post. But recently, while looking through my nephew's Ask magazine -- a cool science rag for kids -- I learned a little something. It seems new research shows that pandas pee on trees while doing handstands. (And hey, if the BBC's reporting it, it must be news.)

In this gloomy world, when all talk is of climate change and other catastrophes, let us simply take a moment to savor that.

Deathy deatherstein

The other problem with all this hooey is that [The Reapers] look at the bunch of suits we got in San Francisco and Washington DC and say, "This is the movement." It's like the blind tourist who touches the elephant's ass and decides the elephant is rather like stale doughnut.

That is one of many priceless lines from "Is Environmentalism Dead, Or Are You Just Stupid?" by Mike Roselle. If the title alone doesn't make it obvious: You should read it.

Umbra on moving to Canada

Dear Umbra, Did you really move to Canada? Did you get resident status? How hard was it to do? ValerieMiddleburg, Va. Dearest Valerie, I haven’t actually moved to Canada. I was being dramatic (lying) and I apologize to all who were duped by my ruse. I was also deeply touched by the hearty if unnecessary […]

A cautionary note

I have been hard on climate-change skeptics on this blog, as I think is entirely appropriate -- most of them have a political ax to grind, and if they want to grind it they should just grind it, without distorting science in the process.

But.

Those of us who would like to see a broad shift toward sustainability should also be wary of trying to use climate science as a magic wand to get what we want. While the basic fact of anthropogenic climate change is fairly well established, there remains considerable uncertainty about the how much's and the when's and the why's. I don't doubt that CO2 plays a big part, but I must confess I'm a bit suspicious of the notion that simply modulating this one variable gives us reliable control over something as extraordinarily complex as climate. I suspect as time goes on the real story will turn out to be much more complicated.

On that note, I would (with some reservations) recommend this post by Philip Stott. I disagree with Stott about a lot of most things, but his cautionary note about the difficulty of separating science from the predilections and preoccupations of the current cultural zeitgeist is well taken.

(Via Jon Christensen)

Bubba, we hardly knew ye

It all started innocently enough. Well, sort of. Nantucket lobstermen hauled up a 22-pound crustacean and sold it to a market in Pittsburgh. The owner, awed by the clawed -- which was nicknamed Bubba and estimated to be 100 years old -- decided to donate it to the local zoo. On Tuesday, the big fella arrived there, and promptly swam to the big trap in the sky.

Lobster author Trevor Corson has a few thoughts about the misguided effort to "save" Bubba, and conservation guidelines in Maine that would have left him in the sea to begin with.

P.S.: You know what would be funny? Dead lobster gummi candy.

10 reasons national parks need help

The National Parks Conservation Association has launched a new campaign called "Faded Glory: Top Ten Reasons to Reinvest in America's National Park Heritage." Reading the top ten list is eye-opening, if somewhat depressing: Funding shortfalls are hurting education efforts, historical preservation, the war on invasive species and poaching, routine maintenance, the list goes on. Give it a look and then follow their directions to take action.

Reefer madness

A U.S. research ship made its way out of Mexico yesterday after banging up a coral reef and potentially screwing with marine life. The vessel -- operated by Columbia University but carrying scientists from several countries -- had spent five weeks using sonic pulses to examine a crater for clues to dinosaur extinction. While whalehuggers asserted that the technology could damage undersea creatures, the crew encountered a bigger problem: it ran aground in mid-February, damaging 20 square yards of reef north of the Yucatan Peninsula. Upon departing, Columbia coughed up $200,000 and blamed the whole thing on faulty charts.

Hasta luego!

And You Thought Clinton Liked Hummers

Feds using terrorism excuse to crack down on eco-activists The U.S. government is using the Patriot Act to go after radical environmental activists — and some unfortunate folks who just happen to look like them — by branding them as “terrorists.” Despite the fact that the Earth Liberation Front has caused no injuries during its […]

Sex and the Single Frog

High rate of frog hermaphroditism linked to pesticides An examination of the sex organs of cricket frogs collected in Illinois between 1852 and 2001 is presumably its own reward. However, in this case it’s also led researchers to a notable conclusion: Heavy use of chemicals such as DDT and PCBs may cause higher rates of […]