Looking at the different levels of development and the alliances among those at the Paris climate talks, we see the challenge of reaching an agreement.…
Could You Like a Carbon Tax?
Our Wednesday environment focus Here is my “To Do” list for reducing carbon emissions: Buy a Prius. Install solar panels. Take the train to NYC. Lower my thermostat to 60 degrees during th…
Opportunity Cost & The Meat Eater's Dilemma
Our Wednesday environment focus: Are you a meat avoider, eater or reducer? On a scale of meat consumption, we can place the avoiders at one end, the eaters at the other, and the reducers in the middle…
An Unexpected Cost of Climate Change?
Our Wednesday Environment Focus By Madeleine Vance, guest blogger and student at Kent Place School; edited by Elaine Schwartz Global Warming has become more than just a threat to the environment. In t…
The Big Impact of a Little Salamander
The woodland salamander made me think of Adam Smith. In North American forests, wherever it is dark and damp, under a rock or a log, a very hungry salamander could be devouring her daily diet. Eating …
Cow Burps and Global Warming
As most of us know, cow burps add to global warming. So too do the methane releases of sheep, goats and other ruminant animals. In a recent opinion piece in Nature Climate Change, a group of researche…
An Unexpected Connection Between Bluefin Tuna and CO2
On the first Saturday in 2013, in Japan, at the Tsukiji auction, a 489 pound bluefin tuna was sold for $1.76 million. As a source of information, what does $1.76 million say to you? One journalist sai…
A New Global Warming Perspective
Because of the holiday, our Wednesday environment blog will appear today. During my daily 4-mile walk, I had an “Aha!” moment listening to 2 Great Courses lectures on the environment. Tal…
Global Warming: A Growing Greenhouse Gas Problem
As most of us know, cow burps add to global warming. The problem is that the demand for cows and other livestock is soaring in developing nations. Producing nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and carb…
A Pollution Tale With 2 Happy Endings
Sometimes green incentives can have unintended consequences. Our story begins in an airport. About to board a flight, an environmentally concerned individual purchases “carbon offsets.” Y…