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
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
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
Multiple Natural Disasters Strike Indonesia
Mt. Merapi, photographed from Mt. Merbabu (Photo: S. Neil Larsen 2009) There has been some terrible and alarming news out of Indonesia in the past few days. First, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck just south of the Mentawai Islands, a popular surf destination off the west coast of Sumatra, generating a tsunami that has already claimed the lives of at least 113 people. 800 miles away in the central part of Java, Gunung Merapi, one of the most active... Read More
A “systems” view of pollution from the Russian fires
Sometimes our perspectives, well, lack perspective. This short animated video from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech offers a powerful view of how carbon monoxide pollution spreads throughout the atmosphere. The satellite readings that produced these videos were taken over a period of three weeks, from mid-July to early August. The Russian fires have led many in the country to rethink their stance on climate change. Embedded video... Read More
Assessing Environmental Recovery and Opportunity in Haiti
Denuded hillsides in rural Haiti (Photo: Scott MacKenzie) The long road to recovery is under way in Haiti, but it will be an arduous and difficult journey. Beyond the devastation wrought by the earthquake, the country will have to continue to deal with many of the ills that plagued it prior. It is well known by now that Haiti had (and continues to have) the highest poverty levels in the western hemisphere. The nation severely lacks even the most basic... Read More
Haiti Regeneration Initiative
A video from the Earth Institute discussing ecological restoration efforts in Haiti, and how the work has adjusted to new realities on the ground as a result of the January 12, 2010 earthquake. A Future for Haiti: Science and Solutions for a Beleaguered Nation from Earth Institute on Vimeo. Read More
Catastrophe in Chile vs. Haiti and the Built Environment
When I was younger I remember feeling the Loma Prieta quake while at an after-school program, and then upon returning home, heading next door to see my neighbor’s swimming pool still thrashing about. It was a peculiar sight. (Photo: Creative Corps / Flickr) That sense of peculiarity has returned to me these last couple months. First the earthquake in Haiti occurring a little less than a year after I was in the country assisting with a post disaster... Read More
Weekly gRound-up: 2/28/2010
A Massive Earthquake Rocks Chile – Why the Discrepancy in Damage and Death? The 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile yesterday was 501 times as powerful as the earthquake that leveled Port-au-Prince, yet the death toll in Chile has been almost insignificant in comparison – >250,000 vs. 704 (at last count). The differences in geography, development, and preparedness are described by The Washington Post. Also check out USGS shake... Read More
A Drive Through Water, Weather, and Erosion in Southern California
Everything always looks a bit brighter after it rains This past week my girlfriend and I headed south through California to enjoy a little retreat together before an extended time apart. It is a drive I have done countless times, but it is considerably more enjoyable with company. We started off in Davis, and drove all the way south to San Diego, with plans to head back north through Los Angeles and then Santa Barbara on our way home toward San Francisco,... Read More
The New Security Climate: Environmental Vulnerability
The recent earthquake in Haiti has highlighted a whole host of issues related to development, poverty, the environment, and security. Countries in which natural resources are mismanaged, degraded, or heavily exploited are more susceptible to the devastation brought on by environmental change, and when extreme events and conflicts do occur, these countries are far less likely to effectively respond to the crisis. Even before the earthquake in Haiti,... 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
