It’s Smart Business to Develop a Climate Change Strategy
Climate Change Threats Are Real, Not a “Hoax” The threats and impacts from climate change today and for the future to communities urban and rural, large and small, and both Republican- and Democratic-leaning are very real. Being a non-believer does not omit you from climate change’s repercussions. Negative impacts are happening, intensifying and becoming more […]
Yes, Powering the Globe with 100% Renewable Energy is Possible!
Caveat: This is a more technical article than most written about climate change issues, personal and corporate sustainability. It’s worth reading but you have been forewarned. Are Renewable Energy Sources Enough? This article addresses the question of whether wind and solar energies are capable of satisfying the world’s energy consumption demands. The general scientific consensus […]
The Global Climate is a Common (Pool) Resource
Why It Is Important To Manage “Free” Resources The inclusion of the word ‘pool’ is apropos. Think of the Earth’s atmosphere and its life-giving property, Oxygen. This element is essential for giving us the ability to breathe and thus live. Like a public swimming pool, everyone has free access to it, and has the ability […]
Why is Clean Water Important Anyway?
Current Water Events There’s been so many “water” stories and in various forms in the news lately. Here are three more recent current event articles about water flooding, water scarcity, and the importance of maintaining water quality…all across the world. Water Scarcity due to Severe Drought: https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/africa/cape-town-water-crisis-trnd/index.html Water-logged Cities and attendant Water Contamination Issues: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42856634 Water Quality […]
An Equation, Multiplication, and Environmental Impact
A Positive Caveat? The title sounds a bit ominous to the discussion laid out below. It’s not. I’ll even try to make math fun, which it is, when it’s easy to understand. What is the IPAT Equation? I’m referring to the IPAT equation. It’s an equation developed in the 1970’s by the early environmentalist thinkers, […]
Does the Proliferation of Microplastic Pollution Concern You?
What are Microplastics Anyway? The effects of microplastic contamination in aquatic environments has received limited study historically and has become only a recent concern. Microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 mm in size, cover a spectrum of shapes, and are derived from a variety of sources including microbeads (found in cosmetics), manufacturing pellets and synthetic […]
The Skinny on Carbon Tax
What, another tax? Carbon Tax versus Cap-and-Trade: the quick on each. Borrowing phraseology from The Week Magazine, the below may be seen as ‘Boring but Important’ and also…critical at this moment in history. Perhaps, more relevant, given the momentum in Oregon to vote on some form of a Cap-and-Trade for Industry during the legislature’s short-session […]
Extreme Weather and Water Scarcity
The Summer of 2017 We are seeing quite a bit of extreme weather conditions here in the U.S. in just a short two-week period. I’m referring to Category 4 Hurricane Harvey that made landfall on August 25, devastating downtown and surrounding Houston, Texas; the scorching heatwaves that have been roiling parts of the U.S., most […]
A New Carbon Platform: Ethereum?
The Skinny on Fossil Fuel Fossil fuels are carbon energies. Those carbon energies are gas, natural gas, oil and coal. Don’t forget: shale gas (a.k.a. horizontal drilling and hydro fracking) is also included in this mix. So, when we hear talk about carbon taxation, that’s what it is referring to: our use of gas, natural gas, oil, and coal […]
A Preference for Positive or Negative Feedback Loops
Systems Thinking and Tackling Complexity It is important to understand a concept of systems thinking as it applies to planetary climate change. That concept is ‘feedback loops’. Systems thinking is an analytical approach to understanding complex problems within a defined system (e.g., the federal government, a city, a corporation, a family unit) where interactions within the system […]