Culture & Ethics
One Fish, Two Fish, Old Fish, New Fish
The NY Times has a nice series on a field expedition studying biodiversity in the Amazon. Here’s a sample paragraph to go with the picture above: As they pick through the specimens, bent over the table with their heads close together, they’re carrying on one of those scientific conversations that are conducted so entirely …
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CONTINUE READINGDon’t Call It Skepticism
Dan wants to know why “climate skeptics” don’t seem to care about uncertainty: Let me try just one more time. Suppose you have some symptoms that could be a fatal disease or could be something minor. You’re not certain which it is. Is that a good reason for ignoring the problem? Really? There is a …
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CONTINUE READINGUncertainty and Climate Models
Fred Pearce has a useful post on the uncertainties of climate predictions, including speculation that the next IPCC report may report greater uncertainty than in the past: We are all — authors and readers of IPCC reports alike — going to have to get used to greater caution in IPCC reports and greater uncertainty in …
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CONTINUE READINGGreener on the Other Side?: An Occasional Series Regarding California’s Green Chemistry Regulations
This is the first in a series of postings about Assembly Bill 1879 (AB1879), California’s “Green Chemistry” program. This summer California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) issued draft regulations, the comment period for which is currently open. Let’s start with the mega-view of the nascent program. In the organic statute, AB1879, DTSC was charged …
CONTINUE READINGClimate Change and the Royal Society
Despite claims to the contrary in the blogosphere, the Royal Society’s views seem to be entirely consistent with the IPCC’s.
CONTINUE READINGDoes the Earth Need Chemo?
In a recent conversation, a Berkeley climate scientist compared geoengineering to chemo: you may find out it’s your only choice, but it would be better not to get cancer in the first place. Likewise, we might need geoengineering, but it would be better if we didn’t pump the atmosphere full of carbon. Nevertheless, it’s important …
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CONTINUE READINGCongratulations to Berkeley Law alum Kassie Siegel
Last week, the Daily Journal named Kassie Siegel, Berkeley Law ’00, one of the most influential lawyers of the decade in California. Kassie directs the Center for Biological Diversity’s highly successful Climate Law Institute. I can’t send you to the Daily Journal story, because their web site requires a subscription, but you can read the …
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CONTINUE READINGChilly in Baltimore: Energy Efficiency and Wind Power
I heard an interesting story on NPR today about “district cooling” in which a company in Baltimore uses ice to produce chilled water, which is transported to a number of building in the city for supplemental cooling. What really struck me as cool about this (sorry about the pun) is the fact that this system …
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CONTINUE READINGNanotechnology Regulation: The Future Is Here, Almost….Maybe
Apart from the reporting requirements in Berkeley, California, there is little public health or environmental regulation in the United States directed specifically at nanotechnology. But in California, that may soon change. In draft regulations released this month as part of its Green Chemistry Initiative, the Department of Toxic Substances Control specifically branded nanomaterials as chemicals …
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CONTINUE READINGIt’s All About the Feedback
A fairly common reaction to climate science is to wonder how changes in the concentration of a trace gas can have a substantial effect on the world’s climate. As it turns out, this is exactly the right question to ask. There’s a great post at RealClimate working through the logic. The direct effect of increased …
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