Brazil has experienced a major surge in deforestation and fires this year in the Amazon rainforest. The forest almost never burns on its own so the vast majority of fires are caused by humans. I wrote about some of the economic and political forces that have led to this upswing in burning this summer.
This Land is our land
Another major report is out from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This one looks at how our use of land affects the climate and how changes in the climate will affect the land, and ultimately, all of us.
Grounded
Odds are, if you fly on a somewhat regular basis, your air travel is the largest component of your personal carbon footprint. For some travelers, it has created a sense of shame and alarm. I wrote about what the science says about the climate impacts of air travel and unpacked some of the ethical questions embedded therein.
Raise your hand
Across four hours over two nights, climate change barely received 15 minutes of airtime at the first 2020 Democratic presidential debates. And the time that was devoted to the issue wasn’t spent well. That’s a pretty strong case for why climate change deserves it’s own debate event.
I've got a plan for that
It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has not one plan, but several, devoted to fighting climate change. But what’s interesting is that she doesn’t treat it primarily as an environmental issue. Rather, her proposals so far tackle it as a public lands issue, a national security concern, and as an opportunity for economic development. And according to Warren, the root cause of the problem is corruption.
Plastic Isn't Fantastic
If we keep throwing out plastic at our current rates, there will be more plastic in the ocean by mass than fish in the coming decades. The convenience and cost of plastic has made the material ubiquitous, but the fact that it’s synthetic means that nature struggles to dispose of it. But scientists discovered a new bacterium that could live off plastic and break it down. The race is now on to find a way to consume plastic before it consumes the world.
Our Lady
When the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire, I called up a researcher who studies fire risk in structures. He told me about how years of neglect, ongoing renovations, and age contributed to the fire that destroyed much of the cathedral’s roof. Our excellent graphic designed Javier Zarracina also whipped up some excellent visuals of the structure.