Gore Blames Obama and Media for Lack of Climate Progress
Has President Obama done enough to combat climate change? Former Vice President Al Gore certainly doesn’t think so, and has ignited a firestorm in the media following his article in Rolling Stone in which he lays into Obama for his mediocre achievements in climate and energy policy. “Firestorm” may be a bit of a stretch, but his article is very critical of United States politics, mainstream media, and the mediocre climate policy... Read More
Cargill Salt Pond Development a Bad Idea for San Francisco Bay
On a recent trip to Coyote Hills, a park on the east side of the San Francisco Bay, with a class of kindergarteners, we learned about marshland and a bit about salt ponds. Standing on the top of a hill, we looked out across the bay, and touching a flower one boy remarked that it “feels beautiful.” I was reminded of the mind of 5 year-olds and how sometimes they hit each other without realizing and you have to remind them to be aware of their surroundings. Coyote... Read More
The Fukushima Nuclear Crisis and Risk Perceptions
The earthquake and ensuing tsunami that occurred in Japan last month was a horrific event. The ongoing atomic crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power station is also alarming, but I think a good bit of perspective on actual vs. perceived risk is in order before rushing energy decisions that could affect the fate of the planet. We are facing unprecedented, multiple challenges at once. The first challenge is finding ways in which to dramatically slow... Read More
Rising Global Food Prices and Political Instability
World food prices hit a record high in January – the highest since the FAO began monitoring in 1990. Some experts are saying that the popular protests across the middle east are in part due to these rising food prices. A drought in China that has damaged the winter wheat crop, and flooding in Australia has caused food prices to spike are partly to blame. Rising food prices were to blame for riots across the globe in 2008. With a rising global... Read More
Dalai Lama Says to Focus on Climate Change, not Politics in Tibet in Leaked U.S. Cable
In August 2009, the Dalai Lama told the US Ambassador to India that the political goals surrounding Tibet should be put on hold for 10 years and instead be refocused on addressing climate change. The leaked cable states: The Dalai Lama argued that the political agenda should be sidelined for five to ten years and the international community should shift its focus to climate change on the Tibetan plateau. Melting glaciers, deforestation, and increasingly... Read More
Did deforestation and tropical storms cause Haiti’s earthquake?
A tropical storm system over Haiti Long before Haiti’s January 12, 2010 earthquake devastated the capital Port-Au-Prince and much of the surrounding towns and villages, the country was already wrestling with a legacy of environmental degradation and deforestation that has denuded what was once a richly forested landscape. This deforestation has been identified as a primary culprit in Haiti’s stunted development. It has limited crop production... Read More
A Look at Haiti’s Environmental Vulnerability
The following short video from worldfocus was published in February, 2009, but is as relevant today as ever. Prioritizing ecological restoration and supporting environmentally sound infrastructure and development projects will be critical if the country’s long term recovery efforts are to reduce vulnerability to natural disasters such as the earthquake on January 12, 2010, or the hurricanes and tropical storms of August-September 2008. Read More
Port-au-Prince, Haiti: An Environmental Catastrophe
A view of the dwellings that fill the hills surrounding Port-au-Prince (Scott MacKenzie, March 2009) At 4:53 p.m on January 12th a 7.0-magnitude earthquake centered just 10 miles west of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince violently shook and toppled an already dire situation there. Reports coming out of Port-au-Prince are that the city has been largely destroyed. Hospitals, schools, government buildings, UN’s MINUSTAH headquarters, and homes... Read More
Home – The Movie
I just finished watching a stunning visual documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand called HOME. The film, released last summer and available to watch free online, shows our planet in all of its natural beauty through high definition aerial photography. But accompanying this natural beauty, are images depicting a wide range of the global environmental problems routinely discussed here such as deforestation, climate change, water shortages, and poverty. By... Read More
Linking Water Security and Climate Change
In the backroom of the Barcelona round of negotiations leading up to Copenhagen, a small group convened to discuss the role of freshwater security in addressing climate change. It has been a difficult item to get on the agenda. International climate negotiations are packed with political interests vying for exposure and consideration, and water is as politically sensitive a topic as any. But it is also one of the most important, and linking the two... Read More
