The nuclear meltdown in Japan and the recent oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico may seem unrelated, but they’re not. Both catastrophes occurred because we’ve made three fundamental mistakes in the way we generate energy. 1) We have relied on centralized power plants that use dangerous fuels to meet energy demand. Most countries that can afford it […]
Can a simple stove help solve something as complex as climate change? The United Nations Foundation and its partners at the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other institutions and organizations think so – at least, in part, which is why they’ve launched the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. This new partnership between […]
When are we going to stop pretending we can live with the consequences of drilling and burning oil? Why don’t we ask the eleven people who were killed when the oil rig they were working on exploded last week in the Gulf of Mexico? Or the fishermen whose livelihoods are about to be destroyed by […]
Solutions to climate change are usually discussed in terms of what’s best for business or politics. But what about what’s best for those who have the most to lose as climate change worsens: namely, women, especially those living in the poorest regions of the world? A report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and […]
Still on the fence about whether climate change matters to you? Here are ten reasons why it should: 1. Poison Ivy. Poison ivy leaves have gotten bigger and their toxic oils more potent because the plants are thriving in hotter conditions. As climate change increases, it will be easier to get poison ivy and harder to […]
If we have any hope of protecting the environment and ourselves, we must get climate change under control. The nations of the world are meeting in Copenhagen in December to try to hammer out international agreements to reduce the greenhouse gases that have caused the world’s temperatures to soar, endangering the systems upon which all life depends. […]
Global warming is overheating the planet. Globalization is heating up politics and radicalizing local economies. And overpopulation is putting pressure on the planet, economies and politics, making for a dangerous equation whose solutions aren’t entirely clear. In his new book, Hot Flat and Crowded: Why we need a green revolution and how it can revitalize […]
The powerful earthquake that ripped through Japan yesterday should send a powerful signal to Americans that nuclear power is not a solution to our energy woes. The earthquake not only killed nine people and injured somewhere between 8,000 and 13,000 more as it flattened houses and buckled highways. It also struck Kashiwazaki Kariwa, the world’s […]
