Last week the price of a barrel of oil hit $100. This raised fears of an economic slowdown akin to the one in the 1970s when oil prices quadrupled almost overnight. That shock was largely responsible for the worst decade of global economic performance since the Great Depression. Today, however, the world is a much […]
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Many smart and well-intentioned people fault government for its injustices and inefficiencies. Because there are few incentives to economize, and many to mislead, waste and moral corruption are endemic to and inherent in political management. No nation has found a way in practice, or in principle, to foster efficiency and equity when decisions are make […]
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This is the season when every environmental group to whom we’ve contributed, the NWF, WS, Sierra Club, and others, send appeals for more funds. If you have ever contributed to these groups, you’ve no doubt been approached to join the Global Warming Crusade. Will this crusade become America’s Fourth Great Awakening? The First Awakening fostered […]
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Last week at the UN’s global warming meeting in Indonesia, polar bear costumed activists passed out huge pieces of cake. They were celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions. I wonder if they understand how their obsessive focus on Kyoto as the “only solution” hinders progress? […]
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I am writing this during Hanukkah, a minor religious holiday in the Jewish religion. Here it has become a Jewish analogue to the Christmas celebrations for they (usually) share the traditional American holiday season. In both traditions, the giving of gifts is customary, although among many Jews gift giving is for children and religious freedom […]
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“Taboo” is a word associated with anthropology. If something is “taboo,” it may not be used, eaten, or discussed due to cultural, rather than legal, prohibitions. Cultural taboos create some tension when they constrain inquiry. However, they continue to survive in the academic, intellectual, and scientific worlds. Although I studied anthropology as a grad student, […]
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I recently read that a Japanese whaling fleet is heading toward Antarctica to kill humpback whales, a species “protected” since the 1960s. This took me back in time. When I was a grad student at Indiana University, nearly 40 years ago, I met the ecologist Garrett Hardin at an AAAS meeting in Chicago. Garrett had […]
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Geoengineering solutions to global warming are receiving ever more attention, and for good reason. Science reported that top U.S. climate scientists gathered at Harvard this month to explore ways geoengineering might lower the global temperature. Mimicking the natural cooling effects of volcanic eruptions by releasing massive amounts of sulfur into the atmosphere is one idea. […]
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As co-founder of Christians For The Mountains, I encourage church folks to enjoy God’s creation and be responsible caretakers. Our primary advocacy mission is to end the practice of Mountaintop Removal coal extraction. Historically, coal has been mined by burrowing underground tunnels from which the mineral is extracted. In recent decades, the advent of powerful […]
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If you had a label, where would you be made? I would be “Made in Valencia” or “Made in California,” or, if we took a broader perspective, I could have one of those little flag logos on my sticker and it would say “Made in the USA.” But would either of these identifiers tell the […]
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