I’ve written before on the poor dialog I’ve seen on the environment, ecology, and economy. Almost everyone seems to promote an agenda or not know what they’re talking about.

Today I found a blog called Do the Math that compares with the book Limits to Growth in treating those topics thoroughly and intelligently. It covers the issues as I would, but in much more depth than I could, clearly explaining its points and assumptions. Instead of hand-waving, acting on hopes or assumptions, or promoting an agenda, it creates plausible models, varies its inputs, and examines the results. Very refreshing.

A physics professor at UC San Diego who got his PhD at Caltech writes it. He calls it Do the Math because he quantifies and calculates his results. As much as people think math is hard, it describes how nature works. It describes patterns. If you don’t understand or do the math, you can’t understand it.

If you do understand the patterns, you have some hope of understanding what’s going on. General themes include, in his words,

• Growth and Sustainability
• Alternative Energy
• Easier Said than Done
• Transportation
• Home Energy, Explored
• Climate Change

Topics like these, that affect everyone and that everyone affects, are why we value scientific and mathematical literacy.

I can’t tell you how good it feels to see someone who understands nature, respects it, and can fluently communicate its language do so. So few people get it.

I highly recommend reading Do the Math, even if you don’t understand the math. At least you can see some people do get it and recognize when people who don’t know what they’re talking about don’t know what they’re talking about.

I recommend starting with his index of postings.

Growth and Sustainability

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