Food for Thought
“Religion, as distinguished from modern paganism, implies a life in conformity with nature. It may be observed that the natural life and the supernatural life have a conformity to each other which neither has with the mechanistic life...A wrong attitude towards nature implies, somewhere, a wrong attitude towards God...[We should] struggle to recover the sense of relation to nature and to God.”
T.S. Eliot
Tag Archives: research
Biodiversity and the limits to growth
We hear frequently in the news these days that earth is in the midst of a mass extinction. To many people this is difficult to believe, thanks in part to the vigorous efforts at obfuscation by the likes of Bjorn … Continue reading
The promise of biofuels: a lot of hot air?
I suppose we should have known it was all too good to be true. What could be wrong with using plants for fuel? They take carbon out of the air, so burning them up in the tank just puts it … Continue reading
A climate for conflict
As the evidence for ongoing climate change has grown incontrovertible, there is increasing urgency to the question of what these changes hold in store for us. Some wondered why Al Gore and the IPCC should be awarded the Nobel peace … Continue reading
I propose a toast — even at the expense of scientific productivity
And now, as the Pythons say, for something completely different. I realize that this is a bit peripheral to the mainsteam content of this blog but (as another famous person said), “I’m the decider”. In our profession of science, probably … Continue reading
The man who changed the world
199 years ago on this day, the 12th of February 1809, a child was born in the town of Shropshire in the West English midlands, and grew up to change the world. Charles Darwin spent a unique life studying nature, with the … Continue reading
The new flight from Eden
Fresh air, wildlife, purple mountains’ majesty. This country’s national parks have long been considered a jewel in the crown of American democracy – all accessible to anyone for a nominal charge or even for free. And ever since ol’ Teddy Roosevelt … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Biophilia, Education, Politics, Sustainability
Tagged kids, research, soul
3 Comments
Irie
[Editor's note: Spent the last week in Jamaica, stalking the elusive social shrimp for an ongoing biogeographic study supported by the National Geographic Society. "Irie" is a Jamaican, and more specifically Rastafarian, general purpose word that is said to refer … Continue reading
Declining ocean health: It’s the economy, stupid
I know, I used the same subtitle for another recent post. But I’m not recycling titles out of laziness — well, not entirely anyway. I do so here to highlight the simple, yet perversely (and perhaps intentionally) misunderstood theme whose centrality … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Oceans, Politics, Sustainability
Tagged economics, fishing, food, natural capital, population, research
10 Comments
Marine biodiversity and food security
[Cross-posted from The Earth Portal, which includes images, FAQs, and a timeline] Harvesting of wild fish and shellfish from the oceans provides an important source of protein to earth’s population, particularly in the developing world, and is a major contributor … Continue reading
Ocean biodiversity and the future of seafood: Take 2
In November 2006, fourteen marine scientists and resource economists (including yours truly) led by Boris Worm of Dalhousie University published a paper in Science documenting the functional importance of marine biological diversity and linking it in particular to sustainability of … Continue reading
