The Fundamental Issue
This map from Platts says it all. You can’t make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions without tackling the China problem.
Archive of entries posted on April 2007
Framing: Getting Practical
One of PZ Myers’ criticisms of the whole idea of framing scientific communication is the lack of specifics about how to implement the ideas Matt Nisbet and Chris Mooney are pushing. I’ve been feeling as well that the whole discussion has been a bit lacking in the way of concrete examples (Gavin’s attempt to anchor …
Commuter Rail
Los Ranchos Rail Runner Station Originally uploaded by heinemanfleck. It was beautiful this morning, and I didn’t need my car today for work, so I rode. I did not, however, check the weather forecast re the return trip. When I looked up the weather at 4 p.m. and saw 25 mph (40 kph) winds out …
Defining the Australian Drought
William Connolley stumbles into the minefield that is defining the Australian drought: Australia hasn’t got a mega-drought, only a 10-15% reduction in rainfall. Many commenters complain, mostly offering up the absolutely useless evidence offered by alarmist news stories from the Australian press. Lab Lemming nails it by noting that drought is best defined by societal …
Blue iris 4-20
Blue iris 4-20 Originally uploaded by heinemanfleck. Our big iris bloom is getting underway – my favorite garden time of the year. And, based on previous phenology, right on schedule.
California Drought
A riff on skin moisturizers might seem a bit frivolous by way of explaining California’s current drought conditions, but it would not be the first time the reality of Southern California clashed with its iconic image: Julia Sandoval, an aesthetician at the Ra Organic Spa in Burbank, has been living it up with creams containing …
Water in the Desert
I wish I’d had a camera, but I’ll have to attempt a word picture instead. I was out riding in the foothills with some friends yesterday morning, doing repeats up the road to the Elena Gallegos picnic area. It’s a gentle and persistent climb that winds up an alluvial fan splaying out of the Sandias. …
Framing: The Results
Yesterday I pointed to framing by Bob Loux, head of the Nevada’s effort to block Yucca Mountain. Loux used the nuclear transportation danger frame in a presentation before the Sparks City Council, urging the council to pressure the Walker River Paiutes to block rail transportation of waste to Yucca Mountain. Today, we see the results: …
An Example of Framing
Press release today from the Coal-to-Liquids Coalition: A leading energy developer told Congress today that liquefied coal offers the United States an extraordinary opportunity to take control of its energy destiny in the face of the nation’s growing reliance on foreign fuels and rapidly escalating prices for imported oil. “At today’s prices, coal-to-liquids is economical …
Charging at the Loading Dock
The “loading dock” is a metaphor in the science policy wonk world for a process by which scientists just sorta drop off information for folks, hoping that they somehow find it useful. Mitchell Berger, a New Jersey public health planner had an letter in Science April 6 placing an interesting twist on the issue: It …