Since the pandemic hit, the world’s altered attitude to fossil fuels is throwing doubt over the industry’s futureThe UK’s North Sea oil industry may have survived one of the darkest market downturns in history during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the deep…
On the future of walls, or The Wall
Space may be the endless frontier, but here on Earth, we define space in the modern sense as something enclosed. Walls, fences and barriers enclose space, define it and make it legible. In fact, the sense of limits is so strong these days with place that we often have to add qualifiers like “open space” […]
Air conditioning is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th Century. It’s also killing the 21st
When did indoor air become cold and clean? Air conditioning is one of those inventions that have become so ubiquitous, that many in the developed world don’t even realize that less than a century ago, it didn’t exist. Indeed, it wasn’t so long ago that the air inside our buildings and the air outside of […]
Is the best way to solve climate change to “do nothing?”
When it comes to climate change, it might seem that a book entitled “How to Do Nothing” would not only be irrelevant, but also downright obscene and even dangerous. Not to mention that after more than a year of pandemic living, many people are understandably fatigued at the prospect of continuing to keep their lives […]
Bill Gates offers direction, not solutions
Bill Gates has solved many problems in his (professional) life, and in recent decades, he’s been dedicated to the plight of the world’s poor and particularly their health. Through his foundation work and charitable giving, he’s roamed the world solving problems from malaria and neglected tropical diseases to maternal health, always with an eye toward […]
Can the world really just fall apart?
Books on climate change, as diverse as the library is, tend to fall into a couple of categories. There are the field guides and observational accounts that chronicle the destruction of our world and make it legible for readers worldwide. There are the policy and tech analyses that splay out options for the future, deliberating […]
Now that summer is forever, here are 6 books on climate change to sharpen your intuitions and models
The climate is finally hitting a climax. Decades of discussions and reports by scientists have yielded pathbreaking works by writers like Elizabeth Kolbert, and today, climate fiction and non-fiction are even becoming global bestselling works. Everyone wants to read about collapse, dystopia, the aftermath — it’s in the very air we breathe after all, what […]
温暖化が地球にもたらす「悲惨な未来」を食い止めよ：国連IPCC報告書を読み解いて見えてきたこと
国連の「気候変動に関する政府間パネル（IPCC）」による最新の報告書では、産業革命前からの気温上昇が今後20年以内に1.5℃に達する可能性が示されている。この予想が意味するところは、さらに多くの極端な熱波や干ばつ、大雨や洪水の発生、海面上昇だ。そして訪れる「悲惨な未来」を食い止めるには、いますぐ二酸化炭素をはじめとする温室効果ガスの削減に本気で取り組まなければ、手遅れになってしまう──。IPCCの報告書を読み解くと、そんな危機的な状況が浮き彫りになっ…
How a hot blob off New Zealand is contributing to drought in South America
Study reveals the vast patch of warm water has produced a dry ridge of high pressure across the south Pacific, blocking storms from reaching ChileA vast patch of warming water off the coast of New Zealand – referred to as a “warming blob” – has contrib…
Animal Rebellion paints Buckingham Palace fountain red
Group linked to Extinction Rebellion says Queen has ‘blood on her hands’ over hunting and animal agricultureAnimal rights activists linked to Extinction Rebellion have painted the fountain outside Buckingham Palace red, accusing the Queen of having “bl…