Reading Time: 4 minutes In March 2020, something unsettling transpired in the global economy. Okay, a few somethings. But while most of the world remembers the sweeping COVID-19 lockdowns, what happened between Saudi Arabia and Russia around oil production is not common knowledge. And yet, as Vladimir Putin has launched a military invasion of Ukraine, we cannot forget the […]
Environment
Posted inClimate Crisis
Who’s afraid of an environmental crisis?
Reading Time: 5 minutes When my grandfather died, his books and magazines were packed up and shipped halfway across the country. In that treasure-trove of old reading, I found science-fiction paperbacks, ancient Greek plays, early 20th-century poetry and philosophy, the occasional beaver magazine (which my father hastily took from my curious nine-year-old hands), and… MAD magazines from the 1970s. […]
Posted inEnvironment
‘Acts of God’ and the climate crisis: Who’s responsible?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Religious believers often invoke the name of the Almighty in their speech. Survivors of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes thank God for protecting them…and apparently absolve Him of blame for failing to protect those who perished. They may justify that in their own mind by believing they were more righteous than the […]
Posted inClimate Crisis, Environment, Politics
What Do Some People Have Against the Environment?
Reading Time: 8 minutes For some reason, the environment is a trigger idea for right-wingers. The problem is that, as I have stated a number of times, the right takes free-market economics very seriously, but free-market economics cannot arbitrate for negative externalities. Negative Externalities What this means is that, if a company wants to make widgets, they have costs […]
Posted inClimate Crisis, Environment, Politics
Biden’s Landmark Environmental Positioning
Reading Time: 3 minutes Just one more on politics (though this is about the environment) before I get back to talking God. I wanted to write this earlier this week but didn’t have the time. I did say this elsewhere: Holy crap, I’m sad enough to be watching the climate press conference on the White House from John Kerry […]
Posted inClimate Crisis, Environment, Politics
The Election: Talking Energy, Foreign Policy & Demographics
Reading Time: 9 minutes I have written an awful lot on this election and there will be some more post mortem examination to take place. This piece will be an analysis of a right-wing commenter, Person223, who comments here regularly and who at least gives a little more substance than most every other right-wing (religious) commenter here – thanks […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Politics
Libertarianism, “I’m Alright, Jack”, the Free Market and Pandemics
Reading Time: 3 minutes Something that I have noticed about libertarians is that they invariably seem to be people who have everything alright, thank you very much. It just so happens that their health is fine and they have a pretty good job. Many of them are comfortably middle class, and those who are working class are often convinced […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Politics
Brexit: Can’t Say I Didn’t Warn You
Reading Time: 9 minutes Brexit seems something of the distant past, in a bygone era. It has been eclipsed by a global pandemic that has ostensibly let Bresiteers and Leavers completely off the hook. There were a number of things I clearly predicted that would come about. All of my predictions are coming true. Here are the main things […]
Posted inClimate Crisis, Environment
Planet of the Humans
Reading Time: 2 minutes Michael Moore is like Marmite – you either love him or hate him, generally speaking. Those on the right particularly hate him for his obvious leftism. Here, his latest film concerns Jeff Gibbs’s journey considering climate change and corporate America, particularly in terms of energy – renewables and fossil fuels. The film is available free […]
Posted inEnvironment
While virus rages, U.S. Cabinet whisperer blames gays, tree huggers
Reading Time: 4 minutes Behind the Trump administration’s dangerously slow response to the coronavirus pandemic is science denial and mistrust of expert opinion.