Tag Archives: Environmental Politics
Can people power drive action on climate change?
Oct. 21, 2014— Humans have so much influence over the global environment today that we have crossed a major threshold in Earth’s long history, entering a new stage in geological time which some scientists call the Anthropocene – the “Age of Us”. Experts, journalists, and advocates have warned us about the threats of climate change, Continue Reading »
Naomi Klein or Al Gore? Making sense of clashing views on climate change
October 15, 2014 —Earth is “fucked” and our insatiable growth economy is to blame. So argues Naomi Klein in her intentionally provocative best-seller This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. Klein is the latest among an influential network of like-minded authors who have declared that modern society is at war with nature in a battle that Continue Reading »
Engaging in science policy controversies: Insights from the U.S. debate over climate change
August 4, 2014 —Nearly forty years ago, sociologist Dorothy Nelkin commissioned a series of case studies examining the nature of controversies over science and technology (1978; 1984; 1992). In the decades since, research inspired by these original studies has identified a generalizable set of insights that inform our understanding of today’s leading controversies such as those over Continue Reading »
Peak oil perceptions: How Americans view a the risks of a major spike in oil prices
A strong majority of Americans say it is likely that oil prices will triple in the coming five years and that such a tripling would be harmful both to the economy and to public health. Conservatives and those dismissive of climate change are among the most concerned by the threat of a major spike in Continue Reading »
Knowledge into action: Framing the debates over climate change and poverty
Dec. 1 2009 — In February, 2008, I appeared on a panel about news coverage of climate change at the meetings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Close to 300 attendees packed the convention hall, including journalists, scientists, and science policy advocates. The sense of urgency in the room was electric. Continue Reading »
A new model for climate advocacy: Pragmatism and compromise are needed
November 26, 2013 — In an essay last month in Ensia magazine, Jonathon Foley offered an urgent reality check for environmentalists. Foley contrasted the long-standing ambitions of those arguing for action on climate change who have focused on the “wholesale transformation of the world’s economy and energy systems” with the prevailing dysfunction in Washington and Continue Reading »