John Kerry, Prince Charles and The Economist's Ocean Davos
"The Economist World Ocean Summit" in Half Moon Bay California at the end of February drew hundreds of attendees. A mix of global leaders, ocean luminaries, philanthropists, billionaires, the National...
View ArticleAddress Climate Change by Empowering Women
International Women's Day is a time to celebrate women's achievements, but it's also a good time to draw attention to problems too often overlooked by policymakers and begin discussing constructive...
View ArticleBad Reputation
The toxic industrial spills in West Virginia and North Carolina over the past weeks have delivered the first hard lesson of 2014: Never take safe drinking water for granted. And yet the natural gas...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Over Two Million Comments Filed Against the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline
In a chilly March wind, protesters marched along the snow-splashed streets of Washington to deliver more than two million comments opposed to building the Canadian-backed Keystone XL tar sands...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Preparing for extreme weather and long-term drought
By Karen A. Lefkowitz Are you ready for extreme weather? Last week was National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a scientific...
View ArticleIn the Darkened Sea, a Deaf Whale Is a Dead Whale
Is this what it has come to? The most powerful Navy in the world is refusing to protect whales and dolphins during its training and testing operations. Despite all of its resources, innovation, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Elephants Today Have No Place to Hide
When I was a kid my pals and I used to love elephant jokes like -- How many elephants fit in a Volkswagon? Four. Two in the front and two in the back. Or my favorite -- Why did the elephant paint her...
View Article'The Great Invisible' at SXSW -- The Story of the BP Well Tragedy
Yesterday afternoon, Margaret Brown's new film, The Great Invisible, premiered at the State Theatre at SXSW in Austin. It is the story of the BP well blowout in the Gulf in 2010, and follows several...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Matters for Climate
Following the close of the thirty day public comment period, the National Interest Determination (NID) process will continue as federal agencies consider over 2 million comments concluding that the...
View ArticleThere Is No Quick-fix for California's Drought
Short-term solutions could have long-term impacts Despite recent rain, California is still in the midst of an historic drought. The past year has been the state's driest on record since 1895. We have...
View ArticleFrom Farms to Solar Farms: Women Are Leading the Fight on Climate Change
On March 6th, we celebrate International Women's Day, so it's only fitting to also celebrate some of the many ways that women are helping to solve one of the biggest challenges of our time: climate...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Safe Climate Caucus Pumps up Advocacy and Action
When I first wrote about the Safe Climate Caucus, they were new on the scene. Last year, the agenda of the Safe Climate Caucus was to have a member of the House of Representatives speak daily on the...
View ArticleFunds for Tracing Gulf Seafood Slated to Run Out at Year's End
This article is published in The Louisiana Weekly in the March 10, 2014 edition. Louisiana seafood vendors were hurt by the 2010 BP spill, fishing closures and consumers' fears that Gulf shrimp,...
View ArticleMoral Pollution
When asked to define pollution, I usual reply "excess," advocating that not all things are polluting in or of themselves, but become so in excessive quantities -- thus natural sugar is a body health...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Large Dams Are Uneconomic, Scientific Study Finds
"We find that even before accounting for negative impacts on human society and environment, the actual construction costs of large dams are too high to yield a positive return," a new report states....
View ArticleCome Spring, I'm Giving It Away for Free
You wouldn't know it from the weather but spring is right around the corner. It's time to think about letting in some of that nice fresh air and getting some cleaning done. But ugh. You're surrounded...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Climate Change and a Brave New World: A Lesson from the Netherlands
If almost half of the United States were below sea level, like the Netherlands, we might take climate change a lot more seriously. As far as the Dutch are concerned the verdict is in. The North Sea...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Calamari Safari
Capturing the first video of a giant squid in the deep-sea was the thrill of a lifetime. How I came to do so, working 600 miles south of Tokyo on a luxury yacht owned by a billionaire hedge fund...
View ArticleFake Fights About Big Forces
Oh dear, I thought this morning upon reading "Is the Wolf a Real American Hero?," an op-ed piece in The New York Times by Arthur Middleton, a post-doctoral student. This is going to make lots of people...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Climate Chatter: Kerry Statements and the Waffling Winds of Changing Positions
Sen. John McCain embraces his then-Senate colleague, John Kerry, during his confirmation hearing for secretary of state. When it comes to climate change, the two men sometimes embrace the same policy,...
View Article