Monthly Archives: November 2010

Just call him “Alan Greenspam”

From Grist.com come’s a sign of the times we live in: a virtual arguer. Nigel Leck got tired of arguing with people who were skeptical about global warming science. Noticing that most of them used the same debunked arguments over and over again, he decided to make a Twitter chatbot to answer them automatically. TheContinue reading “Just call him “Alan Greenspam””

Happy Birthday Climategate

My, oh my, how the time does fly. A year ago today, someone revealed more than 1,000 emails of the Climate Research Unit (CRU) of the U.K.’s University of East Anglia. The emails spanned more than 13 years and reveal the researchers worries at how to make their fuzzy data appear to be smoking hotContinue reading “Happy Birthday Climategate”

Hello rainforest, it’s me, organic

I like local produce: local pears, local wines, and ripe local tomatoes. I like buying from the folks who produced them. Maybe it can even put me in touch with the seasons. Those are good things, but buying local food does not imbue such commerce with environmental greenness. And buying organic, may be less green.Continue reading “Hello rainforest, it’s me, organic”

The Week’s Environmental News Roundup

EPA sued over E15 ethanol waiver A number of trade associations have filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency for its decision to allow the amount of corn-based ethanol injected into gasoline to be raised from 10 per cent to 15 per cent. The groups say the EPA’s decision will adversely affect food prices forContinue reading “The Week’s Environmental News Roundup”

CAL Fire seasonal firefighter applications (2011)

The filing period for the 2011 season is November 1, 2010 through January 31, 2011. Fire Fighter I is a seasonal, temporary classification used by CAL FIRE. The Fire Fighter I application period usually occurs between November and January and hiring usually occurs between April and June, depending upon the year’s fire and weather conditions.Continue reading “CAL Fire seasonal firefighter applications (2011)”

This Week’s Environmental News Roundup

One Million Trees Planned to be Planted in Africa’s Mt Elgon Region (Pictured) Women walking down from Mt. Elgon national park with firewood. Cutting down of trees has led to massive deforestation of Mt. Elgon range in eastern Uganda. Photo: © Charles Akena/IRIN A three-year project to increase forest cover and help local communities inContinue reading “This Week’s Environmental News Roundup”

Are biotechnology and sustainable agriculture complementary or contradictory?

The Economist is hosting an online debate. At issue, biotechnology. The statement is: “This house believes that biotechnology and sustainable agriculture are complementary, not contradictory.” Defending the motion is Pamela Ronald, a professor of plant pathology, University of California, Davis. The number of people on Earth is expected to increase from the current 6.7 billionContinue reading “Are biotechnology and sustainable agriculture complementary or contradictory?”

Deforestation changes climate not the other way around

3-year Project for One Million Trees to be Planted in Africa’s Mt Elgon Region Begun A three-year project to increase forest cover and help local communities in eastern Uganda reverse the effects of deforestation has begun. While the project is billed as one to help reverse the effects of climate change (A UK Department forContinue reading “Deforestation changes climate not the other way around”