Articles by JMG

Turning the seas into sterile wastelands

I don't eat meat, or fish, or, as a friend puts it, anything with a face. (This comes up because in the Midwest, when you tell your host you are a vegetarian, you will be asked, "What about chicken? Do you eat that?" So you need a quick summary that describes the boundaries of your food weirdness.)

Occasionally people will assure me that I should be eating fish for the health benefits. After watching an extraordinary documentary feature called Deep Trouble by the BBC, I'm content to stay a herbivore. Less mercury that way too.

Deep Trouble is a lengthy, absorbing, and depressing special feature on a DVD that contained two episodes from the Beeb's magnificent Blue Planet series. The DVD I just watched was from Netflix, and it had the "Tidal Seas" and "Coasts" episodes.

One searches for a parallel to the way we're treating the seas ... about the best one I can come up with is the wholesale slaughter of the buffalo (or bison, I can't get it straight in my head) in the 19th-century western U.S. Massive killing to take only the tiniest, choicest morsels, meanwhile denuding the habitat and the creatures that depended on it.

Vegetarianism: not just about saving land animals.

The green cartopia ain’t likely to happen

Kurt Cobb writes a smart and sensible review of Who Killed the Electric Car? Excerpt follows:

Might want to check the elevation first

So the guy to blame for AOL wants to create a "green resort" in Costa Rica, because if there's anything low-lying countries in hurricane paths need, it's more jet travel by rich gringos eager to experience a little pseudo-green travel.

Anybody listing the lists?

Some people really like lists of things that you can (or maybe should) do for the environment. Some don't.

Those who do can go here.

For those who don't: move along, nothing to see here.