Latest Articles

Texas drought threatens to take away pecan pie

First it came for the wine and bacon. Then it came for the coffee and chocolate. Now, climate change (or, to be specific, the drought in Texas that's consistent with weather patterns that climate scientists have predicted) is threatening to take away pecan pie and RUIN THANKSGIVING. According to the Southwest Farm Press, early reports […]

Handy image shows how climate deniers manipulate data

This image from Skeptical Science is a great illustration of how data can be manipulated to serve your purpose. It shows how skeptics point to small declines in temperature by comparing warm years with cold ones seven to 10 years later — but if you trace the trend over 40 years, you see an obvious warming […]

Critical List: Thousands protest Keystone XL; Mongolia shovels coal into China

An estimated 10,000 Keystone XL protesters circled the White House this weekend, as the White House edged towards a decision on the pipeline. The ring of protesters was stacked five people deep. Green groups are threatening the Obama administration with political repercussions if the pipeline goes forward. If environmentalists withhold their support, it could have […]

Encircling the White House — a new beginning is here

About noon, as the organizers of yesterday’s encirclement of the White House to stop the tar-sands pipeline were setting up, someone said, “the flag is flying over the White House, that means President Obama is home.” Said a U.S. Park Police person standing next to me, “it’s not true, sorry to disappoint, but he’s not […]

The creative genius of Occupy Wall Street

Photo: Paul SteinWhat are cities for, anyway? There are as many answers as there are people who love (or hate) cities. They are engines for economic growth, if you ask economist Ed Glaeser. They are breeding grounds for human innovation, if you ask physicist Geoffrey West. If you’re a dictator or a despot — or […]

Ask Umbra: Is fabric compostable?

Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, Does polyester ever break down into molecules that return to the natural state? Does dyed wool compost? Evelyn P.Powell River, B.C. A. Dearest Evelyn, You pose two good questions, though the more I peer into the murky world of textile production and disposal, the more I want […]

Gen Y and Gen X get it right on the environment; old folks don’t

Generation Y is more likely than older generations to support clean energy and environmental protection and to believe climate change is happening and is caused by human activity, according to new Pew polling and analysis. Generation X is close behind. Boomers aren’t so bad either. It’s the old folks, the so-called Silent Generation aged 66-83, […]

Pipeline protesters encircle the White House

An estimated 10,000 to 12,000 protesters converged on the nation’s capitol Sunday to press President Obama to block construction of the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport tar-sands oil from Canada to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.  The rally, which culminated in a human ring encircling the White House, was a sequel to […]

A message of solidarity to the Keystone XL protesters

I wish I could be there, helping you to surround my old workplace. Only unavoidable family obligations are keeping me away; I would be there with you under any other circumstances, and my spirit absolutely is. We have a duty to support the president when he is right (for instance, fighting for the jobs bill). […]

Fact check: Keystone XL tar-sands pipeline will not create jobs

Cross-posted from ThinkProgress Green. Proponents of the dangerous Keystone XL project claim that construction of the 1,700-mile tar-sands pipeline from Canada to Texas will create tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of much-needed jobs across the country. “Jobs for the 99%!” proclaims a website funded by the American Petroleum Institute (API). The Wall […]