He was one of the first to warn us the world was getting hotter. He’s not happy he was right. In the autumn of 1969, a young doctoral student thumbs through a magazine published by his alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Vietnam War is raging. Richard Nixon is president. The[...]
Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category
April 20th, 2021 - 12:27 pm § in Environment, Science
What if you predict a global threat, and turn out to be right?
Brace for a ketchup shortage
We’re still in a pandemic, and supply chain disruptions continue. Restaurants may reopen soon, but diners may be eating ketchup-less french fries. “After enduring a year of closures, employee safety fears and start-stop openings, many American restaurants are now facing a nationwide ket[...]
Is climate denial on its last legs?
Not really. Republicans and their brainwashed followers will be around for a long time. But the industry coalition that has funded and supported climate denial for decades appears to be cracking apart, according to this article in The Atlantic. Here’s an excerpt: “If you read a lot of cl[...]
Curious otters clobber trail camera (video)
Return to The-Ave.US Home Page[...]
China doesn’t have all the world’s “rare earths”
“Rare earth” elements are metals that figure prominently in “green energy” technologies because of their use in electronics and electric motors (some are highly magnetic). For technical details, read Wikipedia article here. “Rare earths” aren’t actually rare[...]
February 18th, 2021 - 8:40 pm § in Environment, Misc.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Texas flapjacks
How to cook when the power’s out. Return to The-Ave.US Home Page[...]
February 16th, 2021 - 6:34 pm § in Environment
What makes the Texas power blackout unique, and why it won’t happen elsewhere
Big chunks of Texas are without power in the wake of an epic snow and ice storm gripping much of the United States. The immediate cause for the grid’s failure is freezing temperatures, but this happens every winter in northern states (and Scandanavia), and they don’t lose power to the en[...]
January 29th, 2021 - 10:13 pm § in Environment, Humor
Surfin’ duck steals the show (video)
This Aussie waterfowl has a unique affinity for waves. (Read news story here; for video of surfing dogs, click here.) Return to The-Ave.US Home Page[...]
January 29th, 2021 - 9:51 pm § in Biden, Business, China, Donald Trump, Economics, Environment, Foreign Affairs
What China’s Xi told Davos attendees
Whenever Xi Jinping speaks, the world listens, and on January 25, 2021, China’s leader spent 25 minutes seeking to exert white-glove persuasion on virtual attendees of this year’s Davos World Economic Forum. Davos is an invitation-only confab of political and business VIPs at a fancy Swi[...]
January 25th, 2021 - 11:34 pm § in Environment, Science
Mother Earth’s disappearing ice
“Ice is steadily disappearing across much of the world, and a majority of the losses are driven by climate change,” a Scientific American article published on Monday, January 25, 2021, concludes. (Read it here.) The article says the melt rate has risen over 50% since the 1990s, from 800 [...]