The Jeepney Journey: Learning from a Bottom-Up Approach to Resilient Cities in the Philippines
Can an innovation in charging vehicles turn into the vehicle for more innovation?
Tag: cross-post
A new face for palm oil? How a small co-op is changing the industry in Honduras
Expanding oil palm plantations are among the top reasons for deforestation globally–this co-op is changing the industry.
How does one jump-start a movement?
…in a way, Professor Robert Reich has been trying to do so for his entire career.
The thermodynamics of mineral wealth, fossil fuels and drugs
A first lesson, taken strictly from ecological economics and its use of thermodynamic laws, is very telling about the history of resource exploitation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Energy quality and energy surpluses often determine the development of social and cultural patterns, and the unidirectional character of energy can dictate the economic and social arrangements through which wealth accumulation occurs in society.1,2 Consider the unidirectional flow of water (and…
Deconstructing the Keystone XL Report
On Friday, the U.S. State Department released its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Its central finding—that the project would have little impact on climate change—was a disappointment to many in the environmental community. After all, the project would bring dirty oil from the Alberta tar sands (see above) to the Gulf Coast of the United States and clear the way to an even more carbon-intensive…
UC’s investments in fossil fuels are hurting the planet
Today, UC Berkeley and most institutions are financially invested in destroying our future. This may sound a little bit surprising to some — even unfounded. Let me explain. When it comes to climate change, the scientific community has presented a clear, unambiguous message: Human burning of fossil fuels — coal, oil and natural gas — is putting our world at risk. And this, in fact, is a needless risk. By…
Retiring Energy & Resources Professor Norgaard’s Last Class
“I love water,” said Dick Norgaard, the legendary Energy and Resources professor, beginning his last class at UC Berkeley, and reflecting on a lifetime of water policy work. “We need water, and I’ve been obsessed with water since I was a small child.” For his last class, or as he put it, his “last, last, last class,” he was taking his California Water Policy & Society students out to the…
Yucatan Field Trip
“It’s a big plastic stomach that’s outside in the yard, with a pipe that leads into the kitchen.”
We’ve got white roofs, so how about pastel pavement?
Cities are full of dark surfaces that absorb and capture energy from sunlight, creating islands of hot, hot heat.