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Here Today, Oregon Tomorrow

Feds say local recovery plan is enough to save Oregon’s coastal coho Oregon coastal coho salmon will not be returned to the federal threatened species list. The National Marine Fisheries Service says there’s no need for federal protections, crediting improving fish numbers to the recovery plan developed by a coalition of local, state, and federal […]

Already the Kennedy wind controversy is a target of fatuous bloviating

Sigh. The whole flap over Bobby Kennedy and the Cape Cod wind farm is first and foremost a distraction. In anything you've read about it, have you seen any statistics? How many wind farms are being actively fought by locals? How many of those on environmental grounds? Has Kennedy taken stands on other wind farms? What does the environmental impact statement on the wind farm say?

You're unlikely to get any actual information from stories about the hubbub. Instead, expect a bunch of fatuous trend pieces (environmentalists divided!) and fatuous hypocrisy charges (environmentalists won't take their own medicine!). Expect fatuity. The whole damn thing is a big Fatuity Generator.

Exhibit A: Conservative NYT columnist John Tierney addressed the controversy yesterday (yes, I know, you can't read it). Here's an excerpt:

Gaia theorist says we’re all doomed

So, James Lovelock -- he of the famous "Gaia Hypothesis" -- has a rather, uh, grim piece in the Independent today, mainly as advance hype for his new book The Revenge of Gaia.

(The paper also has a follow-up piece that does little but point out the existence of the original piece. Oh, and another follow-up piece, doing the same. And, um, another follow-up piece, in case you missed the first three.)

I'm not really clear on what Lovelock thinks he's trying to accomplish. Does he think people aren't more concerned about global warming because environmentalists haven't yelled loud enough? Haven't been apocalyptic enough? Haven't painted a vivid enough picture of the end of civilization? Does he think becoming even more melodramatic -- "before this century is over billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic" -- is going to snap people awake?

I'm mystified by this attitude, which seems to be widely shared. Just shouting, louder and louder and louder, isn't going to do anything. Lovelock's latest piece is not going to reach anybody who's not already sympathetic. Public opinion polls show that the majority of people believe in global warming and believe it's human-caused and believe it's a threat. What are they supposed to do? Panic? They need to see pathways, from where we're standing now to a place where it will be OK. Lovelock offers no such pathways.

This kind of street-corner "the end is nigh" stuff has, in my humble opinion, largely exhausted its usefulness.

Here are some of the high low points:

And unfashionable.

Getting cancer from chemicals is so last month. Get cancer from being green instead!

Your hybrid, though reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, could be the source of a cancer-causing electromagnetic field! Your tofu, presumably a substitute for overconsumption of meat, could give you thyroid cancer -- deforestation aside! Reading Grist, your indispensable source of environmental enlightenment, could give you cancer! My, you can't take a breath these days without finding out that breathing gives you cancer!

What's a paranoid enviro to do?

The answer to this and many, many, many other questions: Wear silver underwear!

<Segue smoothly into long, profound, philosophical commentary on the detrimental effects of paranoia. End with Hallmark-worthy reflection on living life to the fullest. Accept imminent comments on life-changing nature of post with enviable humility.>

Google.org

Has anyone else seen or heard much about google.org? It sounds pretty amazing.

Google.org includes the work of the Google Foundation, some of Google's own projects using Google talent, technology and other resources, as well as partnerships and contributions to for-profit and non-profit entities. While we continue to define the goals, priorities and approach for Google.org, we will focus on several areas including global poverty, energy and the environment.

Say founders Sergey Brin & Larry Page:

We hope that someday this institution will eclipse Google itself in overall world impact by ambitiously applying innovation and significant resources to the largest of the world's problems.

Something to keep our eyes on.

Coming this March

Fans of the Meatrix will be pleased to learn that the sequel will be released this March. Check out the sneak preview.

And for those of you who're interested in the musical preferences and the like of Moopheus, visit his MySpace page. (And for those of you into the MySpace thang, add Grist to your friends list!)

How much can weary bleeding-hearts give?

This analysis of a Red Cross ad brings up some interesting points about altruism, competition, and people's increasingly limited time and focus.

That's all.

Kotkin: Still mildly annoying

Since most of you aren't subscribed to the Wall Street Journal, you won't have the pleasure of reading Joel Kotkin saying the same things he always says, again.

For the record, he's still pretending that the American preference for suburbs arises ex nihilo, reflecting only the original and uninfluenced desires of American families and not, say, half a century of infrastructure decisions, land-use policies, energy subsidies, anemic public transportation, corporate influence, and cheap foreign labor.

He's also still pretending that the choice is between unchecked suburban sprawl and "underused train systems, downtown condominiums, hotels, convention centers, sports stadia and 'star-chitect'-designed art museums, often at the expense of smaller business, single-family neighborhoods and local shopping areas." Way to use your imagination, Joel!

Beaver Theodosakis, founder of prAna, answers questionsBeaver Theodosakis, founder of prAna, answers

Beaver Theodosakis. What work do you do? I’m founder and president of prAna. What does your business do? prAna’s core business is men’s and women’s lifestyle apparel and accessories. The brand — grown from deep roots in rock climbing and yoga — has always strived for positive change and is grounded in the ideas of […]

We Know Kids Can Be Pests, But This Is Ridiculous

Home insecticides may double risk for acute childhood leukemia French medical researchers have discovered yet another reason to practice nontoxic pest control around the home: It may reduce your kids’ risk of acute leukemia. The team’s study, published today in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found that children in homes where mothers reported using […]