Articles by David Roberts

An NYT profile of climate modeler Gavin Schmidt

The New York Times makes climate modeling the very essence of urban chic in a glowing profile of Gavin Schmidt, founder of RealClimate. Don't hate him because he's beautiful, people.

Defending the author from an unfair review

Sorry for the egregious lack of blogging this week -- a bit swamped with other stuff. Once I get that clone in the mail next week things should pick up around here.

I thought twice about whether to post on this -- I don't make a practice of kvetching about our own content -- but I must say I found Naomi Schalit's review of Richard Louv's new book rather uncharitable. Crabby, even. Lamentable.

Of course the idea that it's good to get kids out into nature isn't going to come as a revelation to a committed environmentalist. The book isn't written for them. But I'd wager even plenty of parents who self-identify as environmentalists find themselves, and their kids, stuck inside way more than they'd like. They face the same problems other parents do: restrictive neighborhood covenants, sterile suburban development, litigiousness, TV and video game ubiquity, and media-driven fear of the danger kids face if left unsupervised. The structure of modern life exerts a pull indoors.

To parents just trying to get by -- not "environmentalists" -- it's not a simple thing to take a step back and question something fundamental about the way life is structured. When you're in the trenches, those kinds of things are invisible, taken for granted. Sometimes it takes somebody digging up that instinct, that intuition, and validating it: Yes, you're right, it really is bad that your kids never interact with nature. More importantly: Here's what you can do.

From Pam to Pitt

We particularly look forward to the melons appetizer Everyone from brawny Texas firefighters to glitzy Hollywood celebs is going veggie, which just goes to show tofu’s power to bring not only indigestion, but peace to the world. Maybe the fellows from Engine 2 should stop by the latest chichi bistro and eat from Pam’s menu. […]

On his book, Last Child in the Woods

This is the second part of my interview with Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. The first part is here.

Louv is not just interested in healthier kids and families, though that's obviously his abiding passion. He also realizes in a way few other environmental leaders seem to that connecting kids with nature is vital for the future of the environmental movement and, well, the environment. As he says below, kids learn about environmental problems earlier and earlier these days, slowly coming to associate the environment with doom and hopelessness.

But this next generation has perhaps the greatest challenge ever faced by humanity: to remake society in a sustainable way. They need hope, and they need that sense of wonder and visceral connection that comes only from getting out into nature.