Feb 19, 2021Member-onlyClimate Change Messes with TexasThe discussion around the catastrophe in Texas is politically informative but it misses the main point. The strong polar cold that has dipped into the south of North America is a manifestation of climate change. Texans should plan to upgrade their grid and improve the ability of their power sources…Climate Change5 min readClimate Change5 min read
Dec 28, 2020Member-onlyThe false summit of climate change progressAs a novice backpacker in the Pacific Northwest there were several times when I mistook the peak in my near field of view to be the top of whatever mountain that was my destination. The phenomenon of the false summit is something that most people have experienced as a metaphor…8 min read8 min read
Dec 13, 2020Member-onlyCourses on climate change at UF for spring 2021All of my courses on climate change for… — 1 min read1 min read
Aug 10, 2020Member-onlyHacking the planet so a few rich people can get richer“Geo-engineering holds forth the promise of addressing global warming concerns for just a few billion dollars a year.” Newt Gingrich 2008 “Solar geoengineering solves everything! It’s great! We don’t need to bother to cut emissions.” President Trump 2017 “The main findings are that any implementation of stratospheric geoengineering could end…5 min read5 min read
Jul 15, 2020Member-onlyWhite guys and aliens“An invasive species is defined as a species that is: 1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and, 2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.” - USDA legal definition “A thing is right when it tends to…6 min read6 min read
Jun 18, 2020Member-onlyBurning down the house — global environmental consequences of tyranny in the United StatesAs a nation we have passed a political tipping point. The effects of decades of divisive rhetoric from right wing media and craven zero-sum political manipulation of race and economics by the GOP will be with us for decades to come. …6 min read6 min read
May 16, 2020Member-onlyDeath Taxes and Science DenialIndelible in my memory is that day that I lost my political virginity. In March 2007 I was just beginning to deliver an invited talk on the science of climate change to a joint committee of the Florida legislature when a conservative senator rose from his seat and called me…5 min read5 min read
May 11, 2020Member-onlyThe economy of nature and the case for big governmentI am an economist. As a professional ecologist I have been trained in the economy of nature. It is only those economists that service the financial industry who treat the human economy as if it is separate from the economy of nature. Since the time of Adam Smith the evidence…4 min read4 min read
May 8, 2020Member-onlyTheir money and your life — the clarity of climate change and COVID-19There are several parallels between the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, but perhaps the most disturbing is the intentional disregard of the value of human life in favor of money. This is hardly the first time since the end of WWII that money vs. lives has defined our daily lives…6 min read6 min read
Sep 7, 2019Member-onlyDorian and his family welcome you to the AnthropoceneIt is obvious that all weather now occurs in a human-altered climate. Thus, the question is not if a weather event has been caused by climate change, but rather which features of that event are attributable to climate change. Attribution is a rapidly growing branch of climate science that is…Climate Change6 min readClimate Change6 min read
