Latest Articles
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Ubiquity Is the Mother of Reinvention
Labeling and certification move beyond organic in U.S. With the U.S. organics industry going mainstream, a coterie of anti-The-Man farmers are getting out, eschewing federally regulated “organic” certification and creating terms and systems of their own to address eco-friendly agricultural practices not covered by the federal regs. The Food Alliance has created a certification process […]
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Read Chris Mooney’s two recent columns on climate-change skeptics.
Chris Mooney is on a roll lately. I finally got around to his piece in the latest issue of Mother Jones, and it's an absolute must-read. Lots of people have the vague impression that there's a sort of climate-skeptic cottage industry out there, funded largely by a few large financial interests, particularly ExxonMobil. Well, they're right -- check out this chart.
There's nothing wrong, of course, with industries trying to advance their views on economic and policy issues, but this is a coordinated attempt to "do science," or rather, create the illusion of scientific controversy around an issue on which there is in fact overwhelming scientific consensus.
Also check out Mooney's latest column in the American Prospect, which highlights some of the more obvious absurdities in James Inhofe's recent speeches on "Four Pillars of Climate Alarmism." In particular, Inhofe is cherry-picking from a report that draws heavily on another report he hated so much he tried to sue to block its release.
Inhofe faces this predicament because of his, and the right's, cavalier treatment of serious scientific documents. If climate-science reports are deemed too "alarmist," as the "National Assessment" was, they are viciously denounced. If the reports are subtle and contain plenty of language about scientific uncertainty that can be quoted out of context, they are misrepresented as throwing the scientific consensus into question.
Clown town.
Update [2005-4-19 12:41:23 by Dave Roberts]: If you get tired of seeing the same old oft-debunked climate-skeptic arguments used again and again, stay entertained with Deltoid's Global Warming Skeptic Bingo! Fun for the whole family.
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A Matter of Great Export
Arctic Refuge oil could be sent overseas A portentous U.S. commitment, sold with slogans about freedom and national security, that turns out to be all about the oil industry. No, not that one. We’re talking about drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Drilling proponents cite the fact that the U.S. imports most of the […]
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So tell us … what’s your dirty little environmental secret?
I know this is going to come as a shock to you all, but someone needs to speak the truth. It seems that environmentalists have a bit of a reputation for being holier-than-thou — even, dare I say it, evangelistic. In our zeal to save the planet, we both scare and bore our fellow citizens, […]
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The Best “Science” Money Can Buy
ExxonMobil plows millions into funding for 40 climate-skeptic groups In 1998, the American Petroleum Institute outlined a strategy to sow the seeds of doubt about global-warming science “with Congress, the media, and other key audiences.” “Victory will be achieved,” read an API memo, “when … recognition of uncertainty becomes part of the ‘conventional wisdom.'” Since […]
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Good news and bad
A day late, but never a dollar short: Mike's week in review.
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What’s your secret eco-sin?
Environmentalists have a reputation for being self-righteous, holier-than-thou prigs. And yeah, well, they frequently are. So in the spirit of humanizing and soul cleansing and all that, we've asked a few greens, including writers Bill McKibben and Terry Tempest Williams, to confess their environmental sins. And we're asking you to do the same!
Leave your deepest, darkest environmental sins in comments. We promise, you'll feel better afterward.
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An African wildlife reserve is saved, thanks to Corneille Ewango
Corneille Ewango. Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize. In the vast Democratic Republic of the Congo, dense equatorial rainforests line the sprawling basin of the Congo River. Corneille E.N. Ewango, a Congolese botanist, has a particular appreciation for these lush stands, which represent about half of the continent’s tropical forests. To him, they are a scientific puzzle, […]
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Forgive Me, Gaia, for I Have Sinned
The secret sins of environmentalists Environmentalists have a reputation for being self-righteous, holier-than-thou prigs. And yeah, well, they frequently are. So in the spirit of humanizing and soul-cleansing and all that, we’ve asked a few greens, including writers Bill McKibben and Terry Tempest Williams, to confess their environmental sins. And we’re asking you to do […]
