This video from SustainableMan offers an eloquent essay from Charles Eisenstein, author of The Ascent of Humanity and Sacred Economics. Eisenstein proposes that to change our world, we need to change the story: “The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation.”
Arctic Ocean Rapidly Acidifying
After three years of ongoing research by an international team of scientists, a study commissioned by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme for a first-ever comprehensiveRead More
EarthTalk: Climate Change and Hawaii’s Coral Reefs
EarthTalk® is a weekly environmental column made available to our readers from the editors of E/The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: What’s the prognosis for Hawaii’sRead More
Worldwide Efforts to Combat Drought, Desertification to Take Shape in Namibia This Year
High-level representatives from 195 nations party to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification,, along with civic and environmental groups, will meet in Windhoek to assess progress and plan for future actions to address desertification, land degradation and drought, issues that now affect 168 nations at a cost of some $490 billion, not to mention the loss of lives, health, livelihoods, biodiversity and ecosystems.
The Promise of Climate Change Education Standards
“In order to learn the nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or square, the other features ofRead More
US Insurance Industry Ill-Prepared to Deal with Climate Change Risk, Impacts
Eleven extreme weather events took place in the US in 2012. Each left at least $1 billion in damages in their wake. Besides the costRead More
The Growth of Efficient Buildings
The area of building efficiency affords tremendous opportunities for both economic growth and reduced environmental impacts. Buildings are the single largest emitters of greenhouse gases.Read More
Environmental Success Stories: Mercury, SLCPs and Many More
The overwhelming number of environmental calamities we face overshadows environmental success stories and this undermines efforts to build support for ecological action. People concerned aboutRead More
Video Friday: A Historical Perspective on Climate Change
I’ve noticed increased activity in the “twittersphere” this week trumpeting many of the well-worn memes of climate denial, apparently due to Barack Obama’s mention of climateRead More
Meeting the Climate Challenge: Cities Plan for Worst and Hope for the Best
At the national and international level climate action is stalled under the unyielding weight of factionalism and meeting the diverse agenda of a global community. AtRead More
New Support for the Interconnectedness of the Environment and the Economy
Two new reports reiterate the scientific veracity of anthropogenic climate change while reinforcing the interconnectedness of the economy and the environment. The World Economic ForumRead More
The Water-Energy Nexus in a Climate-Changed World
Editor’s note: This post is a finalist in Masdar’s Engage blogging contest as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Special thanks to Tim Hurst and Nick Aster. The water-energyRead More
Crafting a Positive Environmental Narrative
Positive narratives may be our best hope for fostering desperately needed environmental action. Decades of ecological warnings have failed to produce the necessary societal changes. The enthrallingRead More
Pessimism is Impeding Environmental Advocacy
While it is easy to understand why so many environmentally concerned people are fearful and pessimistic, these attitudes detract from the goal of improving our environment. Fear is well warranted, weRead More
40 Eco-Apps that Put Technology to Work for the Environment
Technology may not be a panacea to solve the climate crisis, but green applications (eco-apps) are helping to drive awareness and foster responsible action. ThereRead More
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Water is synonymous with biological diversity. The UN’s International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD) is celebrated each year on May 22nd, it is designed to increase awareness of biodiversity issues. The theme for IBD 2013 was Water and Biodiversity and its goal was to raise awareness about the mutually reinforcing relationship between water security and biodiversity.
From its creation by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in 1993 until 2000, IBD was held on December 29 to celebrate the day the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) went into effect. The date was later changed to commemorate the adoption of the CBD on May 22, 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit.
Providing water access is a major challenge for sustainable development. Only a tiny amount of the water on our planet is easily available as freshwater and demand is increasingly outpacing supply. In the U.S., the issue of water scarcity is widespread with two-thirds of the country suffering from extreme drought last summer. The UN estimates that 1.2 billion people or almost one fifth of the world’s population live in areas of physical scarcity.
Concerned about the availability and sustainability of water resources now and in the future, experts from around the world have gathered in Bonn, Germany to “synthesize major global water research achievements in the last decade and help assemble the scientific foundations to articulate a common vision of Earth’s water future.”
A “capstone event” for the Global Water Systems Project (GWSP), “Water in the Anthropocene” is expected to result in the recommendation of “priorities for decision makers in the areas of earth system science and water resources governance and management.” Read More→
By Michael Crowe
Years of outrageous gas prices, poor auto emissions, increased global climate change, and celebrity endorsements of the Prius have all of us on the road going green. Almost every major automaker has responded will hybrid and/or electric options, from the compact Ford Focus electric to the full-sized pick-up Chevy Silverado hybrid.
But what exactly are the costs and benefits of buying these “new” used hybrids and EVs? Are they as safe and reliable as gas-powered vehicles? Are maintenance costs for a used hybrid or EV much higher? Should you buy a used hybrid or electric vehicle? Here is a brief overview of the costs and benefits associated with purchasing used hybrid/EV vehicles: Read More→
After three years of ongoing research by an international team of scientists, a study commissioned by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme for a first-ever comprehensive assessment of Arctic Ocean acidification was presented last week at a meeting of Arctic Council Ministers in Bergen, Norway.
The research show that the cold waters of the Arctic sea are more vulnerable to acidification. Cold water more readily absorbs CO2 and combined with the precipitous drop in summer sea ice extent, thus exposing more open water, northern oceans are rapidly acidifying.
“The sea ice has been a lid on the Arctic, so the loss of ice is allowing fast uptake of CO2,” said Richard Bellerby of the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, chairman of the report.
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