We've all had conversations with fellow members of the chattering classes, chewing on this or that dismal development, when somebody says something to which all nod yes, and move on. They mention the O-word. That's right, overpopulation.
I am in Los Angeles helping out with an expected but...
We've all had conversations with fellow members of the chattering classes, chewing on this or that dismal development, when somebody says something to which all nod yes, and move on. They mention the O-word. That's right, overpopulation.
I am in Los Angeles helping out with an expected but regrettable family emergency having to do with life span. It seemed appropriate somehow yesterday when I read the front page of the the LA Times, followed the lead story's jump, and found myself staring at some amazing graphics and a throbbing beat of statistics. The story continues for five pages inside! And that was only the first of five parts running, I presume, this week in hte printed editions. Even with huge pics, that is a lot of text. The chief stat that hit home with me is how many of us there are compared to ancient history (when I was born there were about 2.5 billion living people. Now it's about 7 billion plus, climbing fast) and the consequences should things...
We've been reading all of a...
We've been reading all of a sudden for the last week or two - unless you live in Thailand where gigantic rainfall totals in the north and overflowed reservoirs were already, ominously, in the news - about Bangkok's sandbags. A giant pool of water is following gravity, pushing to get past the city and to the sea via the overwhelmed Chao Praya River channel. The countryside upstream is underwater. Is it global warming? Yes, no, maybe, why not?, and is that the right question?
Michael Lemonick, the once and still sometime Time Mag. science writer, now based at the ClimateCentral analysis, journalism, and advocacy (...
©2010 Knight Science Journalism at MIT. All Rights Reserved.
