Category Archives: Environment
Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change
There was a small glimmer of good news on climate change last week: The International Court of Justice ruled that nation states have legal obligations under climate treaties and customary international law to protect “the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.” Continue reading
The Trees Are Speaking
The Trees Are Speaking is a wonderful book about the old-growth salmon forests of Oregon, Washington, Vancouver Island and Maine and about the people trying save them. It explores the beautiful yet surprising connection between trees and salmon that sustains these forests and may very well help sustain us too. Continue reading
The Carbon Footprint of Using ChatGPT
There’s a growing concern that our increasing use of artificial intelligence is putting a strain on electricity grids around the world. More use of AI means companies like Google, OpenAI, and Meta are building more data centers stuffed with more … Continue reading
The Year Without Summer
The eruption of Mount Tambora in April 1815 is the largest known eruption of the last 2,000 years. It knocked weather patterns across Europe and the eastern US out of kilter. Crops failed. Unrest followed. The Year Without Summer details Tambora’s impact on people, economics, politics and climate. Continue reading
Medicine Wheel for the Planet
Medicine Wheel for the Planet is equal parts autobiography and ecology. Jennifer Grenz, an Indigenous ecologist and professor at the University of British Columbia, tells the deeply personal story of her struggle to bridge the worlds of her Indigenous ancestry and knowledge and her Western scientific training, Continue reading
What If We Get It Right?
What If We Get It Right? is a different kind of climate book. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson interviewed twenty people – scientists, activists, journalists, policy experts, entrepreneurs, and artists – for their visions of the future. They discuss what the world might look like if we implement the climate solutions we already have. Continue reading
Trump’s Executive Orders Aim to Gut US Climate Policy
Trump signed a blizzard of executive orders (EOs) over the last week. Some are vicious and cruel (rolling back protections for transgender people), others are blatantly unconstitutional (ending birthright citizenship). In this post, I’ll take a look at the executive orders that affect US government policy on climate change. Continue reading
COP29 Wrap-Up: Calamity on the Caspian
The official COP29 press release hails a “Breakthrough in Baku,” [1] but I think “calamity on the Caspian” would be more accurate. The results of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change … Continue reading
Solving for Climate — Hannah Ritchie’s Podcast
For anyone who enjoyed Hannah Ritchie’s book Not the End of the World, she’s launched a new podcast called Solving for Climate that explores climate solutions. Full launch details on her Substack here. The first couple of episodes are out … Continue reading
Vote No on Washington’s Initiative 2117
If you live in Washington State, there is something you can do this November to make a direct personal impact on climate change. Vote NO on Initiative 2117. I first saw the effects of climate change during a family vacation … Continue reading
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