Edward Abbey has been gone since the late 1980s. He was then and is still an important voice about lands in the west. Some of his books are iconic, like Desert Solitaire and the Monkey Wrench Gang. He voiced early concerns about development and mining in the west – especially the Red Rock Country of…
Before I get into the most amazing fact about stopping climate change, I need to clarify the 2% limit on global temperature rise that I have mentioned in recent posts. I have been listening to coverage of the Climate Conference in Poland and the people interviewed refer to the goal as 1.5-2.0 degree limit. So,…
A massive federal climate change report that was due next month is out today. It warns of devastating health and economic costs to the US. …
“Last year, shoppers spent $7.9 billion on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. An additional $6.59 billion was dropped on Cyber Monday. This year, Black Friday sales alone are expected to jump to $9.1 billion.” Source Can you guess where most of that stuff came from and how it got here? Nearly everything sold on Black Friday comes from Asia,…
I seemed to have things backward this summer, at least weather-wise! During the cold, wet spring I bundled up in Canada and Alaska. During the dog days of summer, I stripped down as much as I dare, a few miles from the Mexico border. I planned the Alaska trip, but my trip to New Mexico…
Did you read Dune, by Frank Herbert? I cannot tell you much about the plot details, but I still remember the vivid desert scenes and the global windstorms that hampered the heroes. I also remember that they rode on giant sand worms who could navigate through the blowing sand. Dune is the most famous science…
Climate change and environmental decay is not something a person can choose to “believe” or “not believe”. It is not a theology or a political position. Climate change is something we need to understand, based on the facts and evidence collected every day. A person who ignores facts and creates their own views based on…
The last few days I have reflected on my experience in the Black Hills. I visited one other time, 42 years ago. We drove across the upper Midwest, through Iowa. The Badlands and Mt. Rushmore were my first experiences of the west. The trip marks the first time that the western mountains and back country…