Climate-Change

The Arithmetic of Sustainability ← Series Home The current discourse surrounding sustainable energy is frequently dominated by “twaddle.” Everyone agrees that transitioning away from fossil fuels is crucial, and individuals are encouraged to “make a difference,” yet many of the actions and proposals suggested simply don’t add up when scrutinized numerically. This high level of “twaddle emissions” arises because public debate often becomes emotional—concerning wind farms or nuclear power, for example—and people rarely discuss concrete numbers. If numbers are mentioned, they’re often cherry-picked to create an impression, sound impressive, or score points in arguments, rather than genuinely contributing to thoughtful discussion. ...

Arid Ambition: Conquering the American Desert 1 Arid Ambition - Part 1: John Wesley Powell and the Folly of Settlement 2 Arid Ambition - Part 2: The Syndicate That Stole a River 3 Arid Ambition - Part 3: The Gods of Concrete and the Pork Barrel 4 Arid Ambition - Part 4: Teton and the Price of Engineering Hubris 5 Arid Ambition - Part 5: The Mirage of Augmentation and the Looming End ← Series Home The quest to conquer the American West transformed the landscape, leaving behind monuments of concrete and a history defined by political manipulation. Massive engineering works, like Hoover Dam, were built with such exquisite care they might outlast skyscrapers and cathedrals. Yet, the ultimate price of this conquest was the illusion of limitless water. The civilization established in the arid West is less a permanent domain and more accurately described as a precarious beachhead. The odds of sustaining this highly engineered civilization remain low. ...

Sweetwater Seas Under Siege: The Great Lakes' Ecological Catastrophe 1 Sweetwater Seas Under Siege - Part 1: The Seaway's Paradox: How a Dream of Commerce Unleashed Ecological Ruin 2 Sweetwater Seas Under Siege - Part 2: The Great Salmon Swindle: How One Biologist Traded Native Fish for a Sport Fishing Fantasy 3 Sweetwater Seas Under Siege - Part 3: Toxic Tide: How Microscopic Mussels and Farm Fertilizer Killed Lake Erie's Recovery 4 Sweetwater Seas Under Siege - Part 4: The Chicago Barrier: Inside the Billion-Dollar Battle Against the Carp at the Continental Divide 5 Sweetwater Seas Under Siege - Part 5: Water Wars and Genetic Fixes: Charting the Destiny of North America's Greatest Freshwater Reserve ← Series Home The Sweetwater Seas Under Siege - Part 5: Water Wars and Genetic Fixes: Charting the Destiny of North America’s Greatest Freshwater Reserve ...

The Illusion of Planetary Calm and the Geologic Accident The complex, technological civilization built by humanity has flourished against a recent backdrop of relative climatic and geological calm. However, this perceived stability often relies on a profound denial of the Earth’s true, dynamic, and dangerous nature. Citizens in prosperous nations frequently dismiss great natural catastrophes as ephemeral events occurring only in distant lands, a lack of true empathy bolstered by insulation from disaster. Yet, the dynamism of the Earth—the very geophysical features that make it life-giving—also renders it extraordinarily hazardous. Mankind exists and thrives only by what amounts to a geological accident. The catastrophic events that await our race are not exotic anomalies, but merely “run-of-the-mill natural phenomena writ large,” deeply rooted in the planet’s 4.6 billion years of history. ...