Newest Ecology
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- Tuesday, Jan 26, 2010
ZNet Article I did not mention Patrick Bond, or anyone else for that matter by name, in my three part series on the Left and Climate Change posted on ZNet on December 24, 25, and 26. Nor did I speculate about the motives or political character flaws of any authors or signers of the “Durban Declaration of October 2004†and the “People's Declaration from Climatforum09†I quoted from and criticized. Forty years ago much of what posed as debate on the Left consisted of impugning the motives and ideological pedigree of those one disagreed with over some particular matter. It is a good thing that much less of this goes on today than was all too common last century. -
- Monday, Jan 25, 2010
Commentary Two decades ago, the garbage barge, the Khian Sea, with no place in the U.S. willing to accept its garbage, left the territorial waters of the United States and began circling the oceans in search of a country willing to accept its cargo: 14,000 tons of toxic incinerator ash. First it went to the Bahamas, then to the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Bermuda, Guinea Bissau and the Netherlands Antilles. Wherever it went, people gathered to protest its arrival. No one wanted the millions of pounds of Philadelphia municipal incinerator ash dumped in their country. -
- Sunday, Jan 24, 2010
Commentary Just about one year ago, Barack Obama was inaugurated as President. Hopes were high among progressive-minded people, including climate activists. Finally, we had a President who got it on the need for action to address the deepening climate crisis. -
- Tuesday, Jan 19, 2010
ZNet Article Patrick Bond replies to Robin Hahnel's ZNet article "Has The Left Missed The Boat On Climate Change?" -
- Tuesday, Jan 12, 2010
Commentary Because misconceptions are commonplace a basic tutorial on the logic and implications of regulation, carbon taxes, and tradable carbon emission permits is useful. Hopefully this will correct some common misunderstandings about what different policies do, and do not do, and help leftists and environmentalists who are not professional economists avoid being brow beaten when debating environmental policy with mainstream economists who often do not share their values and priorities. -
- Saturday, Jan 09, 2010
Commentary Originally published in Yale Environment 360, Sonia Shah writes that in the past dozen years, three new diseases have decimated populations of amphibians, honeybees, and — most recently — bats. Increasingly, scientists suspect that low-level exposure to pesticides could be contributing to this rash of epidemics. -
- Friday, Jan 08, 2010
Commentary While world leaders play the blame game and politicians dither, deadly carbon emissions grow without restraint. The official US government "business as usual" projection is for a 39 percent increase in carbon emissions worldwide by 2030, roughly two percent a year. Given the apparent deadlocks in Copenhagen and Washington, is there anything those concerned about the climate crisis can do to halt this momentum?
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- Thursday, Jan 07, 2010
ZNet Article There have been several recent oil spills and other environmental problems linked to the oil/gas production industry in Alaska. On December 23, a tugboat hit the Bligh Reef, the same reef struck by the Exxon Valdez 20 years ago. The recent grounding may have caused as much as 33,500 gallons of diesel fuel to spill into Prince William Sound. -
- Friday, Jan 01, 2010
ZMag Article An interview with Helena Norberg-Hodge on localization -
- Monday, Dec 28, 2009
ZNet Article Climate change is already causing enormous damage and hundreds of millions of poor people are enduring the consequences. -
- Saturday, Dec 26, 2009
ZNet Article As a US military veteran—USMC, 1969-73, who turned around while on active duty—I have been incredibly frustrated at the impotence of the anti-war movement in the United States to stop the wars in particularly Iraq, Afghanistan and, increasingly, Pakistan. I am, obviously, not alone. Many other people—veterans, as well as many more civilians—also share this frustration. Commentary This is the third and final part of a three part ZNet commentary series by political economist Robin Hahnel posted between Dec. 24-26, 2009. -
- Friday, Dec 25, 2009
Commentary This is part 2 of a three part ZNet commentary series by political economist Robin Hahnel, to be posted Dec. 24-26, 2009. Part 1 was posted yesterday. Part 3 will be available tomorrow. ZNet Article Make no mistake about it, formal negotiations in Copenhagen ended in a train wreck that no spin doctor can put a good face on and was a huge setback for the prospects of averting climate change in an equitable way. -
- Thursday, Dec 24, 2009
Commentary Part 1 of a three part series exploring the Left and climate change to be run on ZNet Dec. 24-26, 2009 -
- Wednesday, Dec 23, 2009
Commentary In Copenhagen, the world's richest leaders continued their fiery fossil fuel party last Friday night, ignoring requests of global village neighbors to please chill out. ZNet Article Detailed accounts from participants in the recent Copenhagen climate summit are still coming in, but a few things are already quite clear, even as countries step up the blame game in response to the summit’s disappointing conclusion. ZNet Article Barack Obama said, minutes before racing out of the U.N. climate summit, “We will not be legally bound by anything that took place here today.†These were among his remarks made to his own small White House press corps, excluding the 3,500 credentialed journalists covering the talks. It was late on Dec. 18, the last day of the summit, and reports were that the negotiations had failed. Copenhagen, which had been co-branded for the talks on billboards with Coke and Siemens as “Hopenhagen,†was looking more like “Nopenhagen.†ZNet Article Democracy Now! interview with Evo Morales -- "We cannot end global warming without ending capitalism" -
- Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009
ZNet Article The last time global negotiations collapsed like this was in Doha, in 2001. After the trade talks fell apart, the World Trade Organization assured delegates that there was nothing to fear: they would move to Mexico, where a deal would be done. The negotiations ran into the sand of the Mexican resort of Cancún, never to re-emerge. After eight years of dithering, nothing has been agreed. -
- Monday, Dec 21, 2009
Commentary As world leaders return from Copenhagen without an agreement that will protect the earth's atmosphere from devastating climate change, we ordinary people are forced to confront not only what we think, but also what we feel. ZNet Article If anything significant was achieved in the Danish capital, it was that the media coverage allowed the world public to watch the political chaos created there and the humiliating treatment accorded to Heads of States or Governments, ministers and thousands of representatives of social movements and institutions that in hope and expectation traveled to the Summit’s venue in Copenhagen. The brutal repression of peaceful protesters by the police was a reminder of the behavior of the Nazi assault troops that occupied neighboring Denmark on April 1940. ZNet Article Contrary to countless reports, the debacle in Copenhagen was not everyone's fault. It did not happen because human beings are incapable of agreeing, or are inherently self-destructive. Nor was it all was China's fault, or the fault of the hapless UN. ZNet Article Venezuelan President’s Speech on Climate Change in Copenhagen -
- Friday, Dec 18, 2009
ZNet Article The only offer on the table in Copenhagen would condemn the developing world to poverty and suffering in perpetuity. -
- Thursday, Dec 17, 2009
Commentary This is the moment at which we turn and face ourselves. Here, in the plastic corridors and crowded stalls, among impenetrable texts and withering procedures, humankind decides what it is and what it will become. It chooses whether to continue living as it has done, until it must make a wasteland of its home, or to stop and redefine itself. This is about much more than climate change. This is about us. ZNet Article Everyone seems to be waiting for someone to break the dam. And everyone knows who that someone is. Because of the size and weight of the United States, and the moral power invested in the current president, it is Barack Obama, and Barack Obama alone, who can rescue the climate negotiations from the dismal bickering into which they have slumped. To save him the trouble, I have written the speech that could turn the talks around. -
- Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009
Commentary Eight million people viewed Annie Leonard's The Story of Stuff video since December 2007, and her new nine-minute Story of Cap and Trade received 400,000 hits in the two weeks after its December 1 launch. ZNet Article Denmark is the home of renowned children’s author Hans Christian Andersen. Copenhagen is dotted with historical spots where Andersen lived and wrote. “The Little Mermaid†was one of his most famous tales, published in 1837, along with “The Emperor’s New Clothes.†-
- Thursday, Dec 10, 2009
ZNet Article Unless we re-think the export-oriented capitalism that's causing all of our climate problems, the Copenhagen conference will be nothing more than a Band-Aid. - All Newest Ecology
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Featured ZNet Ecology
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- Tuesday, Jan 26, 2010
ZNet Article I did not mention Patrick Bond, or anyone else for that matter by name, in my three part series on the Left and Climate Change posted on ZNet on December 24, 25, and 26. Nor did I speculate about the motives or political character flaws of any authors or signers of the “Durban Declaration of October 2004†and the “People's Declaration from Climatforum09†I quoted from and criticized. Forty years ago much of what posed as debate on the Left consisted of impugning the motives and ideological pedigree of those one disagreed with over some particular matter. It is a good thing that much less of this goes on today than was all too common last century. -
- Monday, Jan 25, 2010
Commentary Two decades ago, the garbage barge, the Khian Sea, with no place in the U.S. willing to accept its garbage, left the territorial waters of the United States and began circling the oceans in search of a country willing to accept its cargo: 14,000 tons of toxic incinerator ash. First it went to the Bahamas, then to the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Bermuda, Guinea Bissau and the Netherlands Antilles. Wherever it went, people gathered to protest its arrival. No one wanted the millions of pounds of Philadelphia municipal incinerator ash dumped in their country. -
- Sunday, Jan 24, 2010
Commentary Just about one year ago, Barack Obama was inaugurated as President. Hopes were high among progressive-minded people, including climate activists. Finally, we had a President who got it on the need for action to address the deepening climate crisis. -
- Tuesday, Jan 12, 2010
Commentary Because misconceptions are commonplace a basic tutorial on the logic and implications of regulation, carbon taxes, and tradable carbon emission permits is useful. Hopefully this will correct some common misunderstandings about what different policies do, and do not do, and help leftists and environmentalists who are not professional economists avoid being brow beaten when debating environmental policy with mainstream economists who often do not share their values and priorities. -
- Saturday, Jan 09, 2010
Commentary Originally published in Yale Environment 360, Sonia Shah writes that in the past dozen years, three new diseases have decimated populations of amphibians, honeybees, and — most recently — bats. Increasingly, scientists suspect that low-level exposure to pesticides could be contributing to this rash of epidemics. -
- Friday, Jan 08, 2010
Commentary While world leaders play the blame game and politicians dither, deadly carbon emissions grow without restraint. The official US government "business as usual" projection is for a 39 percent increase in carbon emissions worldwide by 2030, roughly two percent a year. Given the apparent deadlocks in Copenhagen and Washington, is there anything those concerned about the climate crisis can do to halt this momentum?
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- Monday, Dec 28, 2009
Blog Post As millions come to grips with the claimed agreements emerging from the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change, it's impossible to resist the suspicion that politics can provide no solution to the serious environmental and ecological problems facing the -
- Saturday, Dec 26, 2009
Commentary This is the third and final part of a three part ZNet commentary series by political economist Robin Hahnel posted between Dec. 24-26, 2009. -
- Friday, Dec 25, 2009
Commentary This is part 2 of a three part ZNet commentary series by political economist Robin Hahnel, to be posted Dec. 24-26, 2009. Part 1 was posted yesterday. Part 3 will be available tomorrow. -
- Thursday, Dec 24, 2009
Commentary Part 1 of a three part series exploring the Left and climate change to be run on ZNet Dec. 24-26, 2009 - All Featured ZNet Ecology
Featured ZMag Ecology
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- Monday, Feb 01, 2010
ZMag Article A report from December's historic UN climate talks (COP15) ZMag Article Alternative vision articles on the economy, ecology, education, and mental health -
- Friday, Dec 04, 2009
ZMag Article A faux disarmament plan and the pro-nuclear lobby -
- Tuesday, Sep 01, 2009
ZMag Article Climate politics and prospects in a crucial time frame -
- Wednesday, Apr 01, 2009
ZMag Article The limits of industrial energy and the potential of alternatives -
- Wednesday, Oct 01, 2008
ZMag Article Andrej Grubacic interviews Raj Patel on the global food system. -
- Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008
ZMag Article Nobody, except for a small lunatic fringe, still disputes that human-caused climate chaos endangers all of us. Further, most serious scientific and technical groups who have looked at the question have concluded that we have the technological capability today to replace greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels with efficiency improvements and clean energy—usually at a maximum cost of around the current worldwide military budget, probably much less. The question therefore is: what's stopping us? - All Featured ZMag Ecology
Ecology CommentsForum Post Hi Michael B., I just noticed this while looking in our new forum system. I would be happy for you to review. Please send to me when done...   Forum Post Speaking of celebrities, I think it is telling that so many celebrities who are not leftist radicals but fairly standard Hollywood liberals appear in "A People Speak." Zinn wrote with such a mild manner that I think he made non-radical liberals more comfortable but at the same time I think there are a alot of people who express admiration for Zinn who really don't understand his radicalism. There are a couple of non-radical liberal acquaintances on my facebook friends list who paid tribute to Zinn when he died and one young lady even allowed that she was very sad but I wonder if either of them have actually read any of his works. I remember an English professor at my undergraduate institution who expressed warm admiration for Zinn but she is a fairly standard liberal. Perhaps "A People's History" is going to become or has already become a book that you read, or pretend to read, if you want to seem sophisticated and part of the counter-culture. Perhaps some people have not read Zinn but have heard that he tells history from the point of view of ordinary Americans and think that it is a very nice thing even if they haven't read much about Zinn's interpretation of specific historical events and phenomenon.It's not a knock on Zinn but I can't imagine Ben Affleck and Matt Damon getting celebrities together to do a movie about one of Chomsky's books. Zinn probably had more mainstream acceptance than Chomsky because he often wrote in the manner of a kindly Catholic priest and didn't have the level of intellectual fierceness as Chomsky. And Zinn wrote little on Israel-Palestine, which is understandable and not a knock on him.. But if he did write on Israel-Palestine I'm sure he would not have been given a column in The Progressive.The quote from Zinn at the end of this article demonstrates why Zinn had a certain level of acceptance that Chomsky didn't have. He writes with such a mild manner. He says " I wish President Obama would listen carefully to Martin Luther King.....What would Martin Luther King do? And what would Martin Luther King say?’ And if he only listened to King, he would be a very different president than he’s turning out to be so far." Of course, I think Zinn knew that politics dosen't actually work that way. Substantial progressive change won't come about merely ("if only") when Obama starts paying attention to MLK's radical ideas. But Zinn chose the tactic in that interview of criticizing Obama in rather grandfatherly fashion and some folks might find that manner of speaking more palatable than Chomsky's more blunt appraisal. Forum Post Perhaps Goodman thinks that people who have never heard of Zinn who read this article might become interested in Zinn if they see he has credentials like being mentioned in Good Will Hunting or that a "star studded" cast appeared in a movie based on his work.Goodman did a better job covering Zinn's life in the segment of the show where Chomsky and Anrove and, I think Naomi Klein, appeared to discuss Zinn's life. Zinn had such a rich life it is difficult to fully impart that richness in a short article but I think more important than the celebrity connections were things like his work against the Vietanam war (e.g. getting beat up by the cops), his battles with John Silber, (the right wing lunatic former president of Boston University), how a People's HIstory has been taught in classrooms in this country (how many I would be interested to know), how the presence of the book has influenced efforts to teach kids history, how the book has caused controversy among elite intellectuals, the resistance to using the book as a textbook in schools, the resistance of some parents when Zinn was invited to speak to high school classes, and so on. Forum Post I am a daily user of the ZCom site, and I hadn't noticed the poll until yesterday. Since I like to participate in active debates, I usually navigate directly to the ZSpace page. But the poll isn't visible there. I went to the ZNet page proper last week, where I saw the "Endorse our proposal" box. I read it and being quite excited about it, I immediately clicked on the "Endorse" link... which means that I completely overlooked the last paragraph where the poll is mentioned.So for me, the poll was completely overshadowed by the "Fifth Internationale" proposal!I finally noticed a link to the poll yesterday; I can't even remember where. Anyway, I've started taking the poll. Forum Post Chris - such great comments. I concur on everything you say. I also did not really like that line on Obama and King, which didn't quite match up all that well with the wise counsel in A People's History or with HZ's wonderful recent political writings like this one. "Zinn had such a rich life it is difficult to fully impart that richness in a short article." I agree and so I really question the purpose of them putting up a 726-word quick-hit "star-studded" essay like the one above. (Do it right or don't do it at all ...and think twice about letting our underlings disregard the fact that your title has [again] already been used by a non-celebrity). Funny thing on left-liberal celebrity culture: that earlier and much better DN! reflection on Zinn's remarkable life (with NC, AW, AA, and NK) was broadast with AG speaking/interviewing from the posh Sundance Film Fesitival.I interact with more rank-and-file left sorts (left Marxists and left anarchs, working lass folks) who certainly value much of DN!'s content but can't relate to flying out to Sundance one day and Copenhagen the other day and so on (I wonder if AG will do a piece on her carbon footprint, which must be quite impressive) and who yes tire of the parade of "names" and folks with holy P(iled) h (igh and). D(eep) degrees (I gave mine to Goodwill). We are levelers on the whole and not very impressed by all the jet-setting, the fancy educational certificates, and such...I will add that I heard AG speak before hundreds at the ISO's socialism conference in Chicago last July and she opened with flattering comments about Obama's supposedly virtuous noble community-organizer past and about his supposed openness to being pushed left. These comments elicited well-deserved eye-rolling and one audible groan at the table where I sat. (I understand the tactical nature of AG's early response to Obama but I think it was already long past time to have abandoned such sillness by then.)Fortunately AG was followed by Jermy Scahill, who came out and said that Obama "is an Orwellian character. He makes people think war is peace." And of course AG has since had plenty of folks on to explain how terrible Obama has been...not however the leading left author on the Obama phenomenon, himself a non- [and in fact anti-] celebrity... Forum Post the folks who made the documentary Golden Rule have contacted DN numerous times to get on the show and not even response. unless matt damon or someone of notoriety is involved they dont care. maybe if AG knew chomsky plugs the shit out of Tom Fergusson, who is a professor too!, and who features widely in the documentary and whose book by the same name is the focal point of the film, then maybe she would have them on and talk about the investment theory of politics.maybe if alec baldwin reads the book aloud she will have them on. -
- Monday, Feb 08, 2010
- All Ecology Comments
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ZWriter's on EcologyEcology Intro / ClassicsEcology Blogs
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- Monday, Dec 28, 2009
Blog Post As millions come to grips with the claimed agreements emerging from the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change, it's impossible to resist the suspicion that politics can provide no solution to the serious environmental and ecological problems facing the -
- Friday, Oct 02, 2009
Blog Post think climate finance is boring? think again. -
- Monday, Sep 28, 2009
Blog Post report from the first day of the Bangkok UNFCCC climate negotiations. -
- Wednesday, Jul 08, 2009
Blog Post Nature degraded to create economic mastery over a world of slaves. Psychotic. -
- Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Blog Post Here are some estimates for total allowable fossil fuel and a call for a global moratorium on all new fossil fuel prospecting. -
- Thursday, Apr 02, 2009
Blog Post Why the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is integral to transitioning to a green economy. -
- Monday, Mar 16, 2009
Blog Post Carl Davidson's Discussion of the green and solidarity economies, with an overview of 'Green Collar Economy' by Van Jones. - All Ecology Blogs
Ecology Video
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- Saturday, Jan 17, 2009
Video George Monbiot challenges Jeroen van de Veer, chief executive of oil and gas giant Shell, on ethics, greenwash advertising, renewable energy investments and gas-flaring in Nigeria.
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- Friday, Jan 18, 2008
Video An interview at the United Nations climate change conference in Bali, December 2007. -
- Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008
Video The Scam Called Carbon Trading... - All Ecology Video
Ecology Audio 
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- Thursday, Jun 25, 2009
Audio New research released by Argentina's top medical school has found that a chemical used in soy farming could be harmful to human health. The study has alarmed policy makers in the South American nation which is one of the world's largest producers of soy beans. FSRN's Marie Trigona reports from Buenos Aires. -
- Saturday, Apr 05, 2008
Audio A talk about the science of climate change and its political implications. - All Ecology Audio
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