Back to the Stuttering Transition – One Scale Down from Sovereign States:...
One of the lessons that I learned at the Vancouver conference was to start thinking a bit smaller when talking and writing about the global energy transition. From the beginning, I have referred to...
View ArticleBritish Columbia and the Stuttering Transition
Last week I focused on various localities worldwide that are taking steps to limit the use of fossil fuels through carbon pricing – either in the form of Emission Trading Systems (ETS), also known as...
View ArticleBack to the United States: Smaller Scope, Bigger Hope?
Lately I have been looking at Canada’s progress in the stuttering energy transition, however the United States might be a better focal point for assessing the impact that bottom-up policies (from...
View ArticleGuest Blog by Denis Ladyzhensky: My 4 Hours of the 4 Day Forum on Sustainable...
I got involved in the second annual SE4All (Sustainable Energy For All) forum through an email from Brooklyn College’s Magner Center. The United Nations staff needed interns for the event so they asked...
View ArticleTexas
Carbon taxation in any form will probably never make it in Texas. It’s a red state that likes its independence, especially when a Democrat presides in Washington. Historically, its residents have...
View ArticleNIMBY: Wind vs. Fossil Fuels
Last week I focused on Texas. In spite of its strong inclination toward state autonomy, reluctance to implement new taxes, and its heavy dependence on fossil fuels, it is playing a vital role in the...
View ArticleNIMBY as a Business Strategy
The June 9, 2015 blog focused on traditional NIMBY arguments in the context of attitudes toward wind farms. The main issue I raised was that if we are making the statement that we object to wind farms...
View ArticlePredicting the Future and its Impacts
In the last blog (June 30th) I started to investigate the impact of the recent large drop in global oil prices on the global energy transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources. The sharp...
View ArticleThe Drop in Oil Price and What it Means
The test of any major transition is in its response to a sharp perturbation. Often such disturbances come in the form of a major war. Fortunately, the present global energy transition is being tested...
View ArticleThe Extended Golden Rule
Last week I looked at how Pope Francis used the Golden Rule “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt 7:12) as an anchor for his call for global change. I ended with an attempt to …...
View ArticleCOP21- Anticipations
The COP21 meeting is over, as is my student’s final exam, 60% of which depended on an evaluation of the conference. What’s next for my students and the world at large? My class material for next...
View ArticleAssessment: Shenzhen’s Mudslide and a Prognosis for the Planet?
Figure 1– Shenzhen Mudslide New Year’s Eve is around the corner, which makes this a great time to reflect on the last three months and follow up on my Fall Assessment (September 22, 2015). As far as...
View ArticleCOP21: Industry Commitments to Sustainability and Using Consumer Pressure to...
Last week’s blog looked at Unilever’s CEO’s attempts to make his company sustainable. Unilever is not alone in promising to be more environmentally friendly in the long term. One of the less discussed...
View ArticleState Destruction and the Cuban Embargo
My small series of blogs regarding Cuba cannot possibly have a global impact on these issues, so what am I doing writing it? In last week’s blog I warned about the dangers of a country (or group of...
View ArticleThe Politics of the Anthropocene Part 1: The Triggers.
Last week I listed three articles that prompted me to shift my focus from the ongoing 2016 presidential campaigns to the more abstract aspects of politicizing the Anthropocene, but I did not have time...
View ArticleEducating for the Anthropocene: Trying to Climb Over the Obstacles
In previous blogs I have tried to summarize the transformation of the international educational system that is needed to accommodate the coming global shift to the Anthropocene (May 3, 2016): The real...
View ArticleAssessment – Fall 2016: Global Issues, Personal Perspectives and Climate Change
Shana Tova! The Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) is here. For me, it’s a family celebration. According to tradition, we are entering into the year 5777, but nobody that I know of dwells too much on the...
View ArticleThe Second Debate: Kenneth Bone Saves the Day
I am running behind. My intention this week was to cover two of the most contentious issues in this election period – not only within the US but globally: immigration and trade. I discussed immigration...
View ArticleAudience Assessment: End of Year Test
2016 is about to end. It was a very challenging year around the world. Certain factions gained ground internationally, winning significant majorities in publicly elected government. In some senses,...
View ArticleImpact Assessment: Self-Inflicted Genocide and the Toronto Principle
In the beginning of November I got an email from a student at the University of Pennsylvania that said the following: My name is Richard Ling, a student at the University of Pennsylvania and member of...
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