environment – Page 8 – Nullius in Verba

The Cost of Coal

A recent tweet trumpeted a report that 250,000 Chinese died in 2013 due to smog from coal (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/12/china-coal-emissions-smog-deaths). The report on the deaths came partly from Greenpeace, of course. There is little question that coal is dangerous. It is dangerous to mine. Its emissions are a problem; coal ash is more radioactive than nuclear waste.Continue reading “The Cost of Coal”

The Cost of Coal

Well latte duh, latte duh.

For most of humanity’s existence, our kind have worried about getting enough to eat. So we may see it as a good sign that now some of our species are worried about not getting organic milk in their lattes and frappes. “Where oh where shall I ever find a frappe made with organic milk?” oneContinue reading “Well latte duh, latte duh.”

Kinsey photo of loggers

This is from GettyImages. It is a circa 1920s photo by photographer Darius Kinsey (1869-1945). The GettyImages site says Kinsey, “was a photographer active in western Washington State from 1890 to 1940. He is best known for his images of loggers and all phases of the region’s lumber industry.” #90019216 / gettyimages.com

Let’s Get Vertical: Factory Farming

Agriculture has one hell of a footprint, occupying 37.6 percent of earth’s land area, or about 0.7 hectares (1.7 acres) per person to feed our world’s current population. “There is no activity that humankind engages in that has a bigger impact on the planet than agriculture,” Jack Bobo, Chief of Biotechnology and Textile Trade inContinue reading “Let’s Get Vertical: Factory Farming”

My Day at Monsanto R&D

If there is one thing we can all agree on it’s that food is a good thing. Food is what provides our bodies with the vitamins, nutrients, carbohydrates and proteins that fuel our daily lives. James Beard said,“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” Former cook, food writer and snarkicist, Anthony Bourdain says thatContinue reading “My Day at Monsanto R&D”

More Antioxidants. Less Filling.

Last Friday a group of researchers announced their findings ahead of their report on the nutrition of organically produced food to be published in the British Journal of Nutrition. The study is titled “Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses,”Continue reading “More Antioxidants. Less Filling.”

Whack a bee – Neonics edition

It’s time once again for everyone’s favorite game show: Environmental Whack-a-Mole! What Black & White Green scare do we have for scientific experts to bat down with nuanced arguments today, Johnny? Johnny: “This time It’s Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that’s in the news once again. Many greens want to ban a particular class of syntheticContinue reading “Whack a bee – Neonics edition”

Golden Rice. Golden Opportunity.

You people in the developed world are certainly free to debate the merits of genetically modified foods, but can we please eat first?” – Dr. Florence Wambugu The blind girl lurched toward me across the parking lot at Tirta Empul temple, mewling. I guessed she was ten to thirteen years of age, and shorter thanContinue reading “Golden Rice. Golden Opportunity.”

The relationship between fire and drought in California 1987-2012

These graphs were posted without data points highlighted here last week in part because the governor of California called for additional fire staffing due to the state’s severe drought and I was curious if a correlation existed between low than average precipitation and fire: The Governor’s drought State of Emergency directed CAL FIRE to “hireContinue reading “The relationship between fire and drought in California 1987-2012”