Can the party of Reagan accept the science of climate change?

Here is a thoughtful piece by Sherwood Boehlert, a Republican who represented New York's 24th District in Congress from 1983 to 2007. Boehlert notes: I can understand arguments over proposed policy approaches to climate change. I served in Congress for 24 years. I know these are legitimate areas for debate. What I find incomprehensible is the dogged determination by some to discredit distinguished scientists and their findings.

Worth a read for sure.

These guys put the "extreme" in "extremophile"

Whoa. Oregon state researchers have discovered a bacterial ecosystem in the Earth's deepest crust layer. And they think there may be some deeper still. Organisms, like these, that live in extreme environments once thought to be devoid of life are called "extremophiles."

Life is found in the deepest layer of the Earth's crust (New Scientist)

Image from Geological Survey of Ireland. "Imagine a Scotch egg...

Is any part of Earth untouched by humans?

Last week we discussed the idea (brought up by Wilson in Future of Life) that it could be argued that no place on Earth (at least the surface) is now truly "wilderness" or untouched by humans. In other words, it could be argued that the planet is now a human artifact and no longer natural.

This recent Economist article is reminiscent of that:

Time to call the sweep?

Soot gets everywhere. Even into the world’s highest mountains

THE Himalayas and the adjacent Tibetan plateau are sometimes referred to as the Earth’s third pole, because of the amount of ice they host. They are also known as Asia’s water tower. Their glaciers feed the continent’s largest rivers—and those, in turn, sustain some 1.5 billion people. Many studies suggest, though, that the Himalayan glaciers have been shrinking over the past few decades. This has usually been attributed to rising air temperatures, but climate researchers have now come to realise that tiny airborne particles of soot and dust are also to blame. Being dark, they absorb sunlight. And that warms their surroundings...

photo and text from Economist Article

How to Wreck a Planet in 3,000 Years

This is an interesting, though bit depressing, series they are doing on the IO9 blog that shows how much impact humans are having on the planet. Even though the planet is tough and will probably be here a long, long time, these images show that we as a species can do a lot of damage in the mean time:

Terraforming Earth, Pt. 1: How to Wreck a Planet in 3,000 Years

Terraforming Earth, Pt. 2: The Law of Unintended Consequences

Terraforming Earth, Pt. 3: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Good Perspective on the Role of Technology in Human Life

Kevin Kelly (co-founder of Wired Magazine) has a great take on technology and its role in human society. It's reminicent of Susan Blackmore's ideas on technological memes, or "temes" from an earlier post. I think we are in trouble when our technology moves beyond its role as a tool and we allow it to manipulate us. Note especially his nine bullet points mentioned in his short NYT article, Achieving Techno-Literacy.

Image from Lifehacker.

Competitive Enterprise Institute's Take on "World Car-Free Day"

A good example of a "free market environmentalist" or market utilitarian viewpoint. E.O. Wilson calls it a "cornucopian economist" view.

Protest World Car-Free Day -- Take a Drive!

There's a Tragedy of the Commons in North Raleigh!

Well, assuming you consider an aquifer a commons, and I don't see why it wouldn't be. What a mess.

North Raleigh Residents Left High and Dry

Russians Talking Tough on need for more Environmental Education, Ecotourism and Conservation

Interesting article from Russia Now. Recent heatwaves have seemed to have pushed Russian leaders into serious conversations about the importance of ecological goods and services to the Russian economy and people. photo from RT Story

Russia's Brutal Summer Inspires Green Awakening

Finance Site Lists 10 Most Expensive Invasive Species

...and NCSU environmental ethics instructor is pleased with the juicy possibilities of discussion and critique. (Hmmm...examining this article would make a great case study.)

10 Invasive Species That Cost the U.S. a Bundle (DailyFinance)

Huh?

Seems there's this well known guy that loves the outdoors and mountain biking, is a big advocate of windpower, has stated that we are a nation that is addicted to oil, thinks plug-in hybrid vehicles are the wave of the future, and owns a home with a geothermal heat and air system, rainwater cisterns and many other sustainable features. His name is George W. Bush.

Colbert on Peek-A-Boo-ology and Recent Snowstorms

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
We're Off to See the Blizzard
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Skate Expectations

There are '6 Americas' when it comes to global warming

The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies has produced a facinating report called "Global Warming's Six Americas." The study offers that the U.S. has six basic types of viewpoints on climate change. I can see parallels to this with general beliefs on the environment.

MNN has a nice synopis of the study. And Yale has a good video with the study's principal,Dr. Anthony Lieserowitz.

RepRap, Answer to Future Problems or End of Humanity?

When a student emailed me this (thanks Brad), at first I thought it was some kind of internet hoax, but it is not. There are efforts to create a device which can self-replicate itself. It could have great possiblities, such as emailing specs to remote locations, and equipment could be assembled on site. However, there are some obvious fears that it could be a step towards a rather unhappy technological singularity. This article in SEED addresses this.

The unveiling of a 3-D printer that was built to build itself is hailed as a step toward "Darwinian Marxism."

Let There Be (Incandescent) Light

David Henderson, who teaches Environmental Ethics at Western Carolina, has an interesting take on government programs that mandate energy efficiency, namely, bans on incandescent bulbs.

"Congress should regulate matters that require the force of law, such as banning mountaintop removal in coal mining and new coal-burning power plants. Leave people to change their own light bulbs. "

The whole piece is in the Washington Post.

image by thomasbrightbill

ENVIRONMENTALISM IS RECYCLED COMMUNISM AND NAZISM

Ouch.

Objectivist George Reisman's view of environmentalism:

"Environmentalism: The pursuit of individual self-interest causes global warming, acid rain, and ozone depletion. It must be replaced by self-sacrifice for the good of other species—our "fellow biota"—and for the good of the planet, under the auspices of international treaties and a nascent Global Socialist State: the UN. Most of the human race must be exterminated for the benefit of exploited species and the planet. "

Check out the whole blog post to get the full context.

Can we push the Earth too far?

Gaia Hypothesis (at least in my interpretation) seems to imply that the Earth is a resilient system and will maintain its homeostasis --though life might be uncomfortable for humans in the mean time, the planet will go on.

However, a recent article in Nature makes one think.

Earth is outside of Safe Operating Space.

"We are on the verge of pushing nature into a state of instability like nothing humanity has seen before, according to a study published in the journal Nature.

The study, which attempted for the first time to come up with real numbers for a set of conditions beyond which Earth may not be able to recover, found that we may have already crossed several tipping points."

Image from NASA Visible Earth

Kurzweil and the Future of "Nature"

"The Nature Of Humanity Is To Change Nature" Singularian Ray Kurzweil definitely has a unique perspective on technology and nature. Here is a link to a recent interview by the Guardian (reported by the IO9 blog):

RK notes: "The form of opposition from fundamentalist humanists, and fundamentalist naturalists – that we should make no change to nature [or] to human beings – is directly contrary to the nature of human beings, because we are the species that goes beyond our limitations..."

By 2040 you will be able to upload your brain...

Image by otzinoz

Objectivism and the Environment

Dr. Bill Chameides, Dean of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment, discusses the relationship between conservative political ideology and views on the environment and science. He also considers the legacy of Ayn Rand and Objectivism.

Read Dr. Chameides' post in the Green Grok.

A unique perspective on Rand and Objectivism is explained on Max Gladwell, a really slick blog that describes itself as "EcoLibertarian." Who is Max Gladwell? is worth a read.

How to Save Endangered Tigers: Kill Them?

This video story by John Stossel gives an excellent example of a free market environmentalist perspective. It even has an interview with PERC and Conservation International, two organizations we've already covered this year.





Photo from somenametoforget

Good Environmental Ethics Books...

This post is aimed more at my students, but I'm sure book suggestions will be of interest to other readers as well.

Another possiblility for book reports are biographies, memoirs, etc. of people active in the environment. For instance, Unbowed by Wangari Maathai.