dysnomia.us

enviro stuff

This is very wonkish, and it represents a reformist (as opposed to revolutionary) approach to climate change, but it’s an example of where the debate should be. Not “is it happening?”, but “what can we do about it?” The answer is probably “a lot more than any politician has been willing to say yet,” but you knew that.

• The breakthrough technology illusion

And that is why the analogy of a massive government Apollo program or Manhattan project is so flawed. Those programs were to create unique non-commercial products for a specialized customer with an unlimited budget. Throwing money at the problem was an obvious approach. To save a livable climate we need to create mass-market commercial products for lots of different customers who have limited budgets. That requires a completely different strategy.

This second one is going to be worth following, I think:

• Arctic Sea Ice Not Only Covers Less Area, It’s Thinner Too: New Data Shows

• Natural resources top agenda at polar summit

And in case you missed this earlier in the week:

• Giant mass of Antarctic ice ’set for collapse’

And more cheerful news:

• Depletion of Prey Fish may be Starving the Oceans

OK, tomorrow will be better news. Maybe some pirates, and I’ve already got a zombie lined up for you.