Tag Archives: business as usual

The Social Cost of Carbon

Things are changing. My courses start tomorrow. Originally, I was scheduled to teach face-to-face but for a variety of reasons, I’m back to online-only. Many of my colleagues are still scheduled for either face-to-face or “hybrid” teaching, where at least … Continue reading

Posted in Anthropogenic, Climate Change, Economics, Sustainability, US | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Heath Death Indicators

I have been spending most of my evenings watching the Tokyo Olympics.  One of the most frequent questions directed to athletes who have performed outdoors is how they handle the heat. Right now, Tokyo is having highs of 90oF, with … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Extreme Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Breaking With Business as Usual

My last three blogs focused on our collective attempts to limit anthropogenic global warming to an increase of 1.5oC in global temperature or, failing that, no more than 2oC. The series of blogs started with a detailed road map recently … Continue reading

Posted in Anthropocene, Anthropogenic, Climate Change, IPCC, Sustainability, US | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pay Now or Pay Later: The Economic Costs of Climate Change

As an old guy who still teaches students and does scientific research, I have to be up-to-date on the science that relates to what I do. To study and teach climate change, I have to be current not only with … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Economics, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Back to “Self-Inflicted Genocide”: Roger Hallam & the Holocaust

My original plan was to follow up on last week’s blog and look into the recurring complexities of the California fires. In light of the major power outages, some residents have gone so far as to claim that California has … Continue reading

Posted in Anthropogenic, Climate Change, Holocaust | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dubai: City of Contradictions

Figure 1 – The proposed “Mall of the World” in Dubai Last week, I posted some outlines of the trip that my wife and I took over the summer. The trip anchored on three family weddings that took place in … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Expanding Environmental Impact Statements

  I use the cartoon above to teach my students one of the most fundamental tenets of physics, unimaginatively called the “Second Law of Thermodynamics.” A quick Google search will tell you that thermodynamics is, “the branch of physics that … Continue reading

Posted in Anthropocene, Climate Change, IPCC, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Governing Through Denial

The consequences of continuing the business as usual activities that result in climate change are not a mystery. We are in the middle of an avalanche of credible reports about the present state of the world and near future prognoses … Continue reading

Posted in administration, Anthropocene, Climate Change, IPCC, law, politics, Sustainability, Trump | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Balanced Arguments or False Equivalence?

In the July 31st blog and several of the ones following it, I focused on an effort by four Republican senators to investigate federal grant making as it pertains to climate change: “Research designed to sway individuals of a various … Continue reading

Posted in administration, Anthropocene, Anthropogenic, Climate Change, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Domino Effect

Last week’s title was resolutely optimistic, drawing inspiration from the game of bridge and summing up the philosophy behind my teaching. After this summer, however, this attitude is a bit difficult to maintain. One thing I am constantly learning from … Continue reading

Posted in Anthropocene, Anthropogenic, Climate Change, IPCC, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments