Jonathan's Environmental Science Class, Highline College

07/15/2024

"climate change can only be held within limits humans can tolerate if humans decide to live differently. That approach may not have the same visceral appeal as imagining how bad oil execs will feel if they’re ordered not to produce oil. But climate justice is better served, and Western oil companies might actually be weakened sooner, if people could be persuaded — quickly — to buy less and less of the gasoline and other products the oil companies sell.

The energy transition is proving complex, and cause-and-effect are hard to see. One thing is clear, though: The climate and endangered humanity would benefit from more honest analysis and less emotive rhetoric from all sides."

Both demand and supply for coal, oil & gas are about to go into reverse — so why aren’t climate activists cheering loudly?

05/28/2024

Here's an excellent, clear and concise summary of one of the key processes in nature:

While I was a post-grad student, one of the compulsory modules I had to take was called Conservation Skills. During one of the lessons, the…

12/14/2022

A great visual for conveying an important fact.

Earth compared to all its water and air.

From space, Earth looks like a water planet, with oceans covering more than 70 percent of its surface with an average depth of 14,000 feet (4267 meters). However, if every drop of water in the world was collected into a sphere, it would be just 869 miles (1400 km) across – barely big enough to cover Eastern Europe.

The image also shows all the air in the atmosphere (5140 trillion tonnes of it) gathered into a ball at sea-level density.

Illustration: Félix Pharand-Deschênes, Concept: Adam Nieman.

09/13/2022

Native American wisdom on fire's role in ecosystems....

09/04/2022

Western science catching on to what Indigenous people have been saying for decades....

To many Indigenous peoples, who used the trees for houses, clothes, weapons, tools, medicines, art and canoes, they’re know as the Tree of Life.

06/11/2022

New story on how beavers improve habitat for many other species:

The project to relocate beavers to parts of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is intended to improve wildlife habitat, especially for juvenile salmon.

04/14/2022

An excellent example of peer-reviewed research. Note the clear statements of competing interests and study funding at the end.

Several independent comparisons indicate regenerative farming practices enhance the nutritional profiles of crops and livestock. Measurements from paired farms across the United States indicate differences in soil health and crop nutrient density between fields worked with conventional (syntheticall...

02/04/2022

We discussed this issue every quarter in my class. The business and finance majors sometimes paid attention. Hope my successors are still covering it...

Indigenous communities have long argued for rethinking risk when it comes to climate, rights

12/20/2021

Remember the importance of the bottom of the trophic pyramid!

Sonya Dyhrman is studying how organisms at the very base of the food chain will adapt to a changing ocean climate.