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The DIY approach to Tracking Fracking
Posted by New York Times: Andrew C. Revkin on November 14th, 2012
New York Times: Given that government resources for environmental regulation (and just about everything else) will be constrained for a long time to come, I`ve been enthusiastic about efforts by the public to take a D.I.Y. (do it yourself) role in tracking pollution or resource issues, whether on the ground or online.
That`s why I loved learning last year how Jamie Serra, a 26-year-old employee of the state legislature in Pennsylvania, created the useful Web site Fracktrack.org as a way to organize masses of...
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Clinton Seeks Intelligence Help in War on Wildlife Traffickers
Posted by New York Times: Andrew C. Revkin on November 8th, 2012
New York Times: The Obama administration, and the State Department in particular, face a long list of urgent issues, from Iran`s nuclear weapons program to trade disputes with China. That makes it hard to maintain a focus on the environment, whether the issue is new approaches to climate diplomacy or endangered species.
That`s why it was encouraging to see Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton take an hour today at State Department headquarters to stress the importance of stemming the booming illicit global...
A Scientist Who Foresaw Sandy Surge Reflects from His Flooded Home
Posted by New York Times: Andrew C. Revkin on November 6th, 2012
New York Times: Klaus Jacob, a Columbia University earth scientist who pretty precisely projected the flooding a big hurricane surge could cause in New York City long before Hurricane Sandy hit, reflects in this video on the impacts on the region - including on his own storm-flooded home in Piermont, N.Y., a tiny town along the Hudson River a few miles north of the George Washington Bridge. (The video was shot by the university.)
My initial reaction was centered on the ironies in such a situation, but listen...
Lessons in Resilience from Hurricane Sandy
Posted by New York Times: Andrew C. Revkin on November 2nd, 2012
New York Times: Following up on my post examining whether we`re stuck with "blah, blah, blah, bang" disaster planning, here`s a discussion of ways to plan and build with the worst in mind.
First, I hope you`ll read "Hurricane Sandy’s Real Lesson…will we learn it?" - a post by William H. Hooke, a senior policy fellow at the American Meteorological Society who`s made the transition to online communication with more facility than some people half his age. (His Twitter feed is at @AMSpolicy; I found the post via...
No Indian Point + No Fracking = More Coal Burning?
Posted by New York Times: Andrew C. Revkin on October 15th, 2012
New York Times: The science writer John Horgan (who`s also a friend and Hudson Valley neighbor) has written a piece for Scientific American laying out the tradeoffs that face New York State, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, if campaigners succeed in shutting the Indian Point nuclear plant and preventing gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Even if energy conservation were pursued more aggressively in the state (a perennial opportunity), scratching off New York natural gas and nuclear power would clearly...
A Chat on Conservation on a Human-Managed Planet
Posted by New York Times: Andrew C. Revkin on July 5th, 2012
New York Times: Monday was the last day of work at the Wildlife Conservation Society for Steven E. Sanderson, the president of the organization since 2001. The society runs conservation efforts and wildlife research projects around the world while managing the Bronx and Central Park zoos and New York (a k a Coney Island) Aquarium. Zoo and conservation work quintupled under his tenure. His successor, who starts work in August, is Cristián Samper, the former director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum...