Tag Archives: Science

Conclusions From COP26

This semester, I am teaching two courses directly related to climate change. I start both with an exploration of the basic science involved. It’s a multidisciplinary topic that requires using first principles to address the overlap of the physical, natural, … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Economics, Energy, Sustainability, UN | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Sputnik and China: US Response to Tech Rivalry

Back in April, I outlined President Biden’s new American Job Plan. Granted, the $2.3 trillion plan was more of a wish list than a proposal; given the 50-50 split in the Senate and the narrow majority in the House, it … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Economics, law, politics, US | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Electricity Through Fusion: Hope vs. Reality

I am finishing writing this blog on D-Day, Sunday, June 6th. This commemorates the day the Allied forces invaded Normandy on their way to liberating the rest of Western Europe from the Nazi menace. On April 13, 1945, they reached … Continue reading

Posted in Electricity, Energy, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Physics of Reality

Spring semester at my school started yesterday. I have a few senior physics students, each of whom will need to produce a research paper. I want their research to reflect some aspect of the world that we live in. It … Continue reading

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Freedom and Liberty

Today is election day. We’ll be voting for state and local officials but the race the whole world is watching is the one for US president. People everywhere are calling this the most important election of our lifetime. Of course, … Continue reading

Posted in administration, Election, politics, Trump, US | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

COVID and Climate: Learning From One to Use On the Other

I have mentioned the concept of “constructive destruction” in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic before (June 16, 2020). By necessity, our status quo is being disrupted, but that also means we are beginning to grow in unexpected ways. At … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, politics, Trump, US | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Presidential Debates and Science

After President Trump refused to take part in the newly virtual debate following his coronavirus diagnosis, the debate was cancelled. However, the debate didn’t stay cancelled, per se; it merely changed form. Originally meant to be one town hall, the … Continue reading

Posted in administration, Climate Change, Election, Trump, US | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Arguing Over Different Realities

The morning after it took place, I got an email from my Australian family about the debate: “Well, from what was shown here what a DEBACLE not a debate. Still laughing about Trump making fun of Biden’s son saying he … Continue reading

Posted in politics, Trump, US | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Simultaneous Global Disasters

About a month ago (August 4th), I wrote a blog that used a Venn diagram to show the overlap of climate change, COVID-19, projected population change, job availability, and socio-economic status. My discussion was relatively abstract. Now, only one month … Continue reading

Posted in administration, Anthropocene, Anthropogenic, Climate Change, Extreme Weather, law, politics, US | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments