Crew Commentary
Page 16
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How the Sunshine State can live up to its name, while enabling all to prosper
A Vietnam veteran, William “Coty” Keller is an ecologist and Florida Master Naturalist, working to conserve and restore the natural relationships among living things and the environment. He lives and works in Port Charlotte, FL. Current projects include leading the local chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, eradicating invasive species from the mangroves in the Charlotte […]
Habitats are Not Lost; They are Taken
Habitat loss is the wrong term and sends the wrong message – for habitats aren’t lost. Habitats do not wander off the trail, become confused and fail to find their way home again. Nor do habitats fall through a hole in one’s pocket, or get jostled out of a backpack and get left behind. Habitats are not lost, they are taken.
Going Local on Climate Change
Although it is important to understand the concept of climate change on a global level, it is not necessarily productive to frame the “solution” in the same way, simply because there is no single global solution. We see glaciers melting on one side of the planet and dust bowls gathering on another, and it’s almost automatic to think, “How in the world can I possible change this?”
The City of Sarasota Plans for Climate Adaptation
I often get comments, after presenting the City’s climate-related work to the public, along the lines of “I had no idea the City was working on climate change issues!” So I take every opportunity to share the degree of detail to which the city considers climate projections in planning city infrastructure.
Today’s Climate Change is all about People
There’s no question that humanity is the cause of the rapid rate of climate change. The question is whether or not we are willing to work together (across party lines and the boundaries of counties, provinces, states and countries) to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere; and, therefore, to reduce the harmful impacts of a warming climate. It’s a simple question, with a difficult answer. Are we the parents of the future or the children of the past?
Climate Change is Physics, Not Politics
Several weeks ago a very special event occurred. The Wise Elders of the Republican Party came out for a carbon tax. The depth and seniority of the initial group is truly amazing: James Baker, Secretary of State for George H. W. Bush Martin Feldstein, Chairman of Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisors George Shultz, Secretary […]
Keeping America (and Americans) safe
Based on public pronouncements, one of the key metrics in determining US Policy at present is whether the policy under review will keep America (and Americans) safe. If we want to keep Americans safe, then fund the EPA and support/strengthen their policies to defeat air pollution. Perhaps when we can breathe safer, we will breathe easier.
PROMINENT CONSERVATIVES CALL FOR CARBON PRICING
We must transition from using fossil fuels to using sustainable forms of energy. The federal government could enable and accelerate that transition. Eight prominent conservative thinkers have formed the Climate Leadership Council (CLC) and they are promoting regulations to help make the transition.
The story behind This Spaceship Earth’s Bird’s Eye View video
Tim noticed that the term “sea level rise” is incomplete. When faced with a statistic like “eight inches of sea level rise by 2030”, people dismissed it… thinking it wasn’t a big deal. Tim understood that it was a very big deal. As a scientist he had done the field work, and the calculations. An eight inch vertical rise in sea level translates to hundreds of feet of horizontal “run” across the sands of a flat beach.
Choices, Consequences and Congress
Last week Congress set about the task of repealing one set of regulations aimed at keeping streams safe from coal mining impacts and another to reduce liabilities of escaped methane. The coal industry would have to monitor water quality before, during and after mining activities, and if water quality went down, the mining companies would have to restore the stream to its previous quality/viability/verdancy. The natural gas/fracking operations would have to reduce loss of “fugitive” natural gas from leaks, venting and flaring (the intentional burning off of natural gas). Those operations would incur the increased cost of monitoring for leaks, fixing leaks, and for capturing – not flaring – natural gas.
