How many of you garden or farm on some level or another? I can’t actually see your hands, but I’m going to guess that at least some of you do, and a smaller number are involved in farming and agriculture. For those of you who don’t, where do you think crops come from? Well, seeds, …
Category Archives: environmental issues
Environmental Dystopians: An Underutilised Genre
In the plague of dystopians (particularly in the YA world) that’s currently upon us, there’s one thread within the genre that I’d really like to see more of: environmental dystopians. I can think of only a handful off the top of my head (which doesn’t mean there aren’t more), and of those, many had elements …
Survival of the Westest: Climate Change and the Global South
While the BBC might think that a factual statement about rising temperatures should be redacted from a programme because it’s ‘controversial,’ most of us here in the real world are aware of the fact that the climate is changing, and it’s taking place at a faster rate than would occur naturally. This would seem to …
What are People Eating After the Apocalypse?
Apocalyptic fiction is big, as are shows about recovering from the apocalypse and post-apocalyptic films. Really, one could probably successfully argue that the genre has never truly died, because people have always been morbidly fascinated with the idea of what would happen if the world ended, especially now, when it seems like the financial crisis …
A Hostile Climate: Women and the Environmental Movement
While the domination of social justice movements by old white men is nothing new, one place where it doesn’t get a lot of examination is within the environmental movement. While women in the movement express frustration with the state of affairs and work on programs intended to increase participation by women and promote the development …
The Value of Ancient Forests
There are many ways to think about the value of a forest—from an industrial perspective, it’s about the economic value of the resources contained therein, including millions of board feet of timber, minerals that many be locked beneath the soil, and other potential moneymakers, such as rare plants containing compounds that might be useful for …
The Dark Tale of Kettleman City
I’ve been following the story of Kettleman City for a long time. The Southern California town has flickered in and out of the news as a result of a wave of congenital disabilities residents believe are associated with a nearby waste management facility, and they’ve fought to have the issue recognised, and to get action …
Can We Build a Global Climate Diplomacy?
I seem to be on a bit of a climate change tear lately. I would apologise, but we all know I’m not sorry in the slightest, and I’m going to force you to endure discussions about climate change whenever I see fit because it’s a critically important topic. The next few years in particular represent …
How Institutionally Prepared is the US for Major Disasters?
When Sandy struck the East Coast last year, one of the most horrifying parts of the aftermath was watching communities wait for weeks for even basic assistance. Living without power and other services, people struggled to survive, and grassroots organising was what saved the day; small groups mobilised quickly to provide food and supplies, assist …
Taking Landscaping Up, Not Just Out
In my travels, I’ve noticed more and more urban areas embracing the importance of urban greenspace, and dedicating areas to the cultivation of plants in otherwise harsh urban environments. You’re probably already aware of the many benefits greenspace offers, not just environmentally but socially and emotionally. Plants help scrub the air, maintain stable temperatures, and …
