Wolves and moose have lived on Isle Royale National Park since the 1940s, the wolves feeding mainly on moose, the moose trying to avoid being killed by wolves. They live in one of America's best wilderness. Isle Royale in Lake Superior, is 45 miles long and 8 miles wide. A new report from Michigan Technical University, Houghton, MI, states that the island’s wolf population … [Read more...]
Carbon Dioxide and Temperature: Who Has Led Whom?
As I wrote in my new book, The Moon in the Nautilus Shell, given the scientific complexities, one can only be rather agnostic about the role that human actions have played and are playing in climate change. A new, important paper in the journal Science casts some fascinating light on the question of whether carbon dioxide change precedes temperature change, and therefore is a … [Read more...]
Radio Interview on AM Ocala Live!
Why is my book called “The Moon in the Nautilus Shell” and why do I write about the “Discordant Harmonies” of nature?In the radio interview I did with Robin MacBlane and Larry Whitler on “AM Ocala Live!” I got a chance to explain these. It led to a discussion about why music and its harmony are a good way to think about what nature around us is really like. And also to tell … [Read more...]
Nuclear Power: More Evidence That It Is Not Environmentally Friendly
More evidence that nuclear power is not an environmentally friendly way to go came to light today. Six underground tanks holding radioactive waste are leaking at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington. (See this New York Times article, February 23, 2013)Hanford was built in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb. As a primary … [Read more...]
Reconciling Economics and Ecology
It is common to believe that economic and environmental considerations run counter to each other --- that actions taken to help the environment always take away from economic gains, and vice versa. But when experts from these two fields work together, both economics and environment can benefit. The Property and Economics Research Center (PERC) of Bozeman, MT. held a workshop … [Read more...]
Renegade Naturalist Radio #6: Charles Beveridge, Expert on Urban Parks & Frederick Law Olmsted
This episode of Renegade Naturalist Radio features Charles Beveridge, widely considered the foremost authority on the life and work of Frederick Law Olmsted.Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) was the visionary urban planner and landscape architect behind dozens of important U.S. city parks in the late 1900s. Starting in 1857 with the design of Central Park in New York City, … [Read more...]
Radio Interview – For Your Ears Only
On January 26, 2013, veteran radio host David Alpern interviewed Dr. Botkin on Radio America's For Your Ears Only. They discussed President Obama’s Inaugural Address and Dr. Botkin’s action items for the president. President Obama surprised many in his Second Inaugural Address by highlighting global climate change and the need to address it, devoting eight sentences of his … [Read more...]
Jim Bohannon Show Interview
Dr. Botkin was interviewed on the Jim Bohannon Show, discussing President Obama's options on climate change and clean energy. It was a bit of a surprise to hear President Obama talk about climate change in his inaugural address, given that the issue didn't really come up during the Presidential campaign. Still, putting it in the speech certainly gives the issue higher … [Read more...]