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Marburger

Presidential science advisor John Marburger has been making some unusually strong and unambiguous statements lately about global warming. Here are my three theories about what could be going on:

1. He's off the reservation, sick of being bashed by the scientific community, and we're soon going to see the phrase "more time with his family" near his name.
2. It's pure greenwashing, an attempt to demonstrate that, despite appearances, the Bush administration takes global warming seriously.
3. Bush has decided that intransigence on warming is becoming a political liability, he's going to make some splashy policy moves soon, and this is an attempt to soften the ground and prepare his supporters.

Which do you think it is?

Just Looking

Forest Service considers sustainability certification In an attempt to stem criticism of its logging and forest-management practices from both timber companies and conservationists, the U.S. Forest Service is assessing a handful of forests to determine if they meet management requirements outlined by two very different sustainable forestry organizations, with an eye toward possible certification of […]

The Prices’ Height

Market notices that natural resources are shrinking fast While some folks in political circles still like to pretend that natural resources are endless, global financial markets aren’t, uh, buying it. Commodity prices recently hit a 24-year high, driven by worries that burgeoning global demand is rapidly outstripping supply. We’ll try to spare you most of […]

Metals Gone Wild

Mercury seriously mucking with wildlife, study finds Mercury contamination of wildlife may be more prevalent than previously thought and influencing ecosystems in unexpected ways, suggests a study released yesterday. Researchers in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada found higher-than-expected levels of mercury in the region’s birds and other animals, supporting the hypothesis that mercury from […]

We’ll Drink to That

Americans prefer their water clean, poll shows “An overwhelming majority” — some 86 percent — of Americans believe clean, safe water is a national issue worthy of government spending, a new poll concludes. The two polling firms (one from each side of the partisan divide) conducting the opinion survey asked 900 adults a variety of […]

Elevate Good Times, Come on!

Last chance to enter the Gristmill Environmental Elevator-Pitch Contest The time has come to close out the Gristmill Environmental Elevator-Pitch Contest. We’ll accept entries until Friday, March 11. On Monday, the finalists will be announced, and readers will be able to vote on their favorite (creator of said favorite will — get this — win […]

PS: We’re all going to die

The latest science news, nicely coinciding with the belching of Mount St. Helens: some time, not sure when, an extra-giganto-huge volcano is going to erupt and kill a buncha people. Might be in Yellowstone, which is 40,000 years overdue for a super explosion and has inspired a BBC docudrama (check out the still of a pick-up truck fleeing the scene). Or might be somewhere else around the world. Might be tomorrow. Or might be thousands of years from now. But whenever it happens, it's going to be ugly. And, scientists say, there ain't nothin' we can do about it.

Is it any wonder people (and when I say "people," I mean me) bury their heads? The planet is scary, the experts who talk about it are scary, and we are helpless.

OK, well, got to get back to writing silly headlines.

Local v. organic

The study showing that buying local food is better than buying organic got covered all over the blogosphere, but Treehugger has a particularly helpful pair of posts up on what to do about it.

Death: A vast rightwing conspiracy?

I think this is a bit cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs, but if you're into that kind of thing, you'll be into it.

(via Sustainablog)

Bill Frist gets one right

Senate majority leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has introduced a bill that would make access to clean water and proper sanitation an explicit objective of U.S. foreign aid. I haven't seen this covered anywhere but Joel Makower's blog, but really, what else do you need?

We'll write more on this in coming weeks.