Springs Eternal

“The thing is, we actually know what must be done to save our planet, and it is not propping up consumer society. “ All the armies of the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come. —Victor Hugo These past weeks we have been immersed in the changing of the seasons. […]

Environmentalists giving away Earth Day condoms to combat overpopulation

In honor of Earth Day this year, groups are giving out 44,000 “Endangered Species Condoms.” The environmentally friendly condoms will be distributed in an effort to refocus the green holiday back to why it was started: to campaign against “runaway human population growth and overconsumption.” “April 22 is the 44th Earth Day, and this year […]

Energy Crunch: Budgeting for Resilience?

Three things you shouldn’t miss this week The Oil and Gas Weapon Won’t Work – Russia produced 10.6 million barrels per day (mbd), consumed 3.2 mbd, leaving 7.4 mbd available for export. The United States produced 8.9 mbd, consumed 18.5 mbd, and imported 10.5 mbd. Budget 2014: Key climate and energy announcements – Among a few pre-election […]

Overpopulation: An Overlooked Factor in Global Health

New research suggests that population growth is driving numerous global health crises, yet it’s rarely factored into the equation. The world’s population currently stands at 7.15 billion people and has the potential to double in the next 50 years. In the U.S., there’s one birth every eight seconds and one death every 12 seconds. With […]

2nd radiation release at New Mexico nuclear dump

New air sampling data from southeastern New Mexico’s troubled nuclear waste dump indicates there has been another small radiation release. Department of Energy officials say a monitoring station picked up elevated radiation readings around the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad on March 11. That’s nearly a month after a Valentine’s Day leak contaminated 17 workers […]

The true cost of asparagus

The first tender spears of asparagus are always a welcome sight at the farmers market, a sign that spring is on its way. But some of that seasonal excitement is fading, now that bunches can be found on grocery store shelves throughout the winter. “Asparagus has become available year round, whereas before it was just a […]

Oil drilling causing Oklahoma quakes; what will fracking do in Nevada?

Fracking, or drilling for oil by hydraulic fracturing, is coming to Nevada. The Houston-based Noble Energy has 10 permits on file with the Nevada Division of Minerals for mining oil using the technique. The division holds a public hearing Monday at 10 a.m. in Carson City to review new rules for hydraulic fracturing in the […]

The Short Logic of Population Proponents Ignore Real Consequences

Desperately poor Africans have developed a new tactic to break into Western Europe. They are rushing the border of Spain in groups of 1,000 or more, overwhelming Spanish border agents. Italy, meanwhile, has asked for help in dealing with the hordes of illegal immigrants washing up on the shores of Sicily. Australia, under continuous invasion […]

NASA study: Over-population, depleting resources and wealth distribution

  Civilisation could be facing collapse within the next few decades as a result of rising global population,. depleting resources and economic divide. Source: ThinkStock LOVING life? Well, lap it up because the days of driving around in comfy cars, feasting on fancy food and enjoying an aircon-cooled civilised existence could be numbered. With rising […]

Is the Earth overpopulated?

Recently I’ve been facilitating two groups studying global warming. (I will send my annotated 10-book syllabus to anyone who asks for it). Our current discussions are based on Alan Weisman’s new book, “Countdown.” While the book contains statements indicating it is not so simple, Weisman’s main point is that overpopulation is at the core of […]

USGS: Oil, Gas Causes Cascade Of Oklahoma Quakes

Underground disposal of wastewater from oil and gas drilling likely triggered a series of earthquakes in central Oklahoma in November 2011, according to a study from the U.S. Geological Survey that will add to the controversy surrounding the impact of the U.S. energy boom. A magnitude 5.0 earthquake on Nov. 5 near Prague, Oklahoma, which […]

Peak Oil/coal/gas vs Global Warming

According to a commenter on my previous post, the only scenario in the current IPCC projections that results in temperature increasing by more than 2°C from now to the end of the century assumes a total consumption of coal considerably greater than the total amount believed to exist. I do not know if he is […]

Fukushima Radiation to Hit West Coast

Very low levels of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster likely will reach ocean waters along the U.S. West Coast next month, scientists are reporting. Current models predict that the radiation will be at extremely low levels that won’t harm humans or the environment, said Ken Buesseler, a chemical oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic […]

Pollution in China in real terms

Download audio file Reports compiled by Chinese scientists have been reaching us that that pollution in Beijing, and some other major cities in China, where over a quarter of the world’s population now resides, has become so bad that it is dangerous for human life. However this is nothing new.     Jonathan Kaiman, the […]

‘Full Disclosure’ of Frack Chemicals Urged by Energy Department Advisors

An Energy Department advisory board recommended “full disclosure of all known constituents” in fluids used for hydraulic fracturing, according to a draft report released March 6. The “Task Force Report on FracFocus 2.0” from the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) said state and federal regulators should adopt standards for companies making trade secret claims […]

Jam the Pipeline

#NoKXL

Half of the Reactors Operating Today In The US Do Not Meet NRC Regulations

… a Third Of The Reactors In The United States Aren’t Protected Against Flooding If An Upstream Dam Were To Fail … Another 27 Reactors Are Not Protected Against Earthquake Hazards” The risk of a nuclear meltdown in the United States is even greater than it was at Fukushima. Yet the U.S. Nuclear regulatory Commission […]

Why oil drilling in Ecuador is ‘ticking time bomb’ for planet

Alicia Cahuilla doesn’t try to hide her anger. The native Waorani tribal leader stands in front of an exposed, thickly black crude oil pit, as two gas flares burn violently overhead, the stinging stench of crude heavy in the air. Until about 50 years ago, this area, like most of the central Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest […]

Mounting Evidence that Tar Sands Activity is Causing Health Problems

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer from California has connected the dots and is pointing to growing evidence that communities living near tar sands mining and drilling operations, pipelines, and refineries are showing serious health risks and problems.  An issue brief published by NRDC, Tar Sands Crude Oil:  Health Effects of a Dirty and Destructive Fuel, profiles some of […]

How To Take Apart Fukushima’s 3 Melted-Down Reactors

Taking apart the shattered power station and its three melted nuclear cores will require advanced robotics A radiation-proof superhero could make sense of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in an afternoon. Our champion would pick through the rubble to reactor 1, slosh through the pooled water inside the building, lift the massive steel dome […]

Oil from Exxon Valdez Spill Persist Along Alaskan Coast

Small pockets of oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill still persist in pockets along Alaska’s coasts, hidden by rocks that have kept the elements from breaking down the crude oil, scientists reported yesterday (Feb. 27). The Exxon Valdez spill was the largest oil spill in U.S. history until 2010’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, with […]

The World’s Most Densely Populated Cities

50. Tokyo/Yokohama, Japan has a population density of 4,750 residents per square kilometer. Here, we count down the 50 most densely populated cities in the world. (Thinkstock/flashfilm) By 2210, the global population is expected to grow from just more than 7 billion to 11.3 billion — with 87 percent of the population living in urban […]

An Accident Waiting to Happen

The trains roll throughout the day, running east and west along the snow-blanketed tracks of northwestern Montana, dipping low along the southern edge of Glacier National Park. Boxcars, intermodal freight containers, and bulk cargo clamber up and then down the Continental Divide. Night falls, and yet another train emerges from the east, accompanied by a […]

More radiation detected near New Mexico nuke site

More airborne radiation has been detected in southeastern New Mexico from a leak at the nation’s first underground nuclear waste dump. The U.S. Department of Energy said Monday the results are from samples collected last week at numerous air monitoring stations at and around the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad. Last week, DOE officials […]

Alan Weisman presents issues of overpopulation, sustainability

After traveling to more than 20 countries, Alan Weisman found insight on how to achieve a more stable population and solve the problems of overpopulation how to ensure prosperity in the future. Weisman’s new book, “Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth?” addresses the issues of overpopulation and sustainability in our world. […]

Oil Spill Shuts New Orleans Port & Mississippi River

A 25-mile stretch of the Mississippi near New Orleans remained closed Monday after two vessels collided and caused an oil spill on Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The Lindsay Ann Erickson crashed with the Hannah C. Settoon, which was pushing two barges carrying barrels of light crude oil that spilled into the river, U.S. […]

Dying Starfish may be due to Fukushima Radiation

Incredibly, a San Luis Obispo, California “mainstream” newspaper – The Tribune – published a 408-word article Tuesday about the widespread epidemic of dying starfish in coastal tidepools and not one of those words was “Fukushima,” or “radiation.” “The cause of the disease is an unidentified pathogen that causes the animals to look deflated or have […]

Tackling food security with a growing population, climate change and peak oil

With a growing population and improving diets there is a need to double our food supply by 2050. Identify three measures you would take to meet this demand. Identify one of your measures from your list and post your solution into the discussion – be prepared to defend your choice! That is a big question […]

Will the world population peak?

Hans Rosling had a question: Do some religions have a higher birth rate than others — and how does this affect global population growth?

How to Save Water on Fracking

Among the environmental worries posed by hydraulic fracturing, including the release of methane into the air and contamination of groundwater, one has recently escalated: the concern that the enormous quantities of water used in fracking will leave parts of the country parched. In 2012, fracking consumed some 50 billion gallons of water — water that […]

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