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Capitalism

In a recent post, I mentioned the common misconception that the only way to fight global warming is to cripple capitalism.

You won't find that misconception more clearly expressed than in this op-ed by Donald J. Boudreaux:

Eat it up

Maybe y'all knew this already, but I read this today and felt sick to my stomach:

Rijsberman said the price of water would have to increase to meet an expected 50 percent increase in the amount of food the world will need in the next 20 years.

Emphasis, and trepidation about the not-so-distant future, mine.

Is a brand-new hybrid SUV a “grand” prize?

As I've mentioned before, I'm definitely not a closet reality TV fan. But if I were, I might note that tonight is the finale of So You Think You Can Dance, a Fox gem by the creators of American Idol, except, you know, with dancing. (I mean, I assume.) Why am I mentioning this here? Well, the winner of tonight's show will go away with a grand-prize package that includes, in addition to a year's contract as a dancer with Celine Dion's Vegas show, a brand-new hybrid SUV.

That's right. A hybrid. Now, you wouldn't know this from looking at the SYTYCD website. And in fact, they hardly even make note of it on the show. (Or so I've heard.) It's kind of mumbled every so often. Here's the thing: I'm psyched that a hybrid vehicle (albeit an SUV) is considered cool enough and flashy enough to be a grand prize for a show with a very-middle-America demographic. But why no hype?

Are people smart enough to abandon the ‘burbs?

A fairly speculative piece on MSN yesterday asks the question, "Could rising gas prices kill the suburbs?" Its talk of infill and vertical cities may be the stuff of urban planners' dreams, but how will it resonate with real people?

Someone I know read the piece and took away this message: Housing prices in the suburbs are about to drop because everyone's going to leave! Sweet!

And if last night's House Hunters -- in which a couple with a baby upgraded from a 2,800-foot house in the 'burbs to an even bigger one because there "wasn't enough room" -- is any indication, it's gonna take a lot more than $3 gas to move us forward.

Oxygen-deprived area kills crabs and fish

In 2002, scientists discovered a large "dead zone" -- a marine area that has virtually no oxygen and thus can't support life -- off the coast of Oregon. Dead zones are occurring with increasing frequency all over the world. Scientists believe that changes in weather -- sound familiar? -- are contributing to the ever increasing size of the Oregon dead zone. This summer's dead zone is one of the worst. Thousands of dead Dungeness crab, sea stars, and other marine life carpet the ocean floor. Check out this video that made Al Pazar, chairman of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission and a crab fisherman himself, "weak in the knees."

IMBY

Residential wind systems gain popularity It’s somewhat ironic, considering all the NIMBY opposition to wind farms, that more and more consumers are seeking out wind power for, well, their back yards. Three-bladed turbines are popping up at personal abodes across the country, with the potential to save consumers 30 to 90 percent on their electric […]

The Grass is Always Meaner on the Other Side

Genetically modified grass found in the wild In what could be the first confirmed instance of a genetically modified plant growing outside a farm in the U.S., EPA ecologists have found an unapproved type of GM grass in the wild in central Oregon. The EPA said the creeping bentgrass (could it sound more evil?), being […]

From Bad to Thirst

Water crisis doesn’t care if countries are rich or poor Water crisis: not just for poor countries anymore. Industrialized nations must make drastic policy changes if they wish to maintain water supplies, warns the World Wildlife Fund today. In cities from Seville to Sydney to Sacramento, water has become a hot political issue as supply […]

Umbra on dropping out of society

Dear Umbra, Although I have always been one to conserve, recycle, etc., it is only in the last year that I have realized the extent of the catastrophe coming upon us in terms of climate change. I am 40-something, live in a city, own an older home with a sizeable mortgage that requires my husband […]

Why “the market” alone can’t save local agriculture

The local-food movement has reached an interesting juncture. Through one lens, things are looking better than ever. According to a USDA report (PDF), the number of farmers’ markets leapt 79 percent to 3,100 between 1994 and 2002. Community-supported agriculture programs — wherein consumers buy a share of a farm’s output before the season starts, sharing […]