I write in my book about how imperialism arose from people needing more resources than where they lived provided—that is, from living unsustainably—and that others wouldn’t trade for. Scroll down for videos that illustrate the pattern happening in history. There are many more videos like them, but I like these. I’ll give some context from my book first. I quote a book from a professor where I went to business[…] Keep reading →

It’s tempting to dream that fusion will save us. It’s the most common power source in the universe, including our Sun’s. Many believe it could produce power without radioactivity or greenhouse emissions and could be made safe. Fukushima is a nuclear fission plant, not fusion, but have you ever wondered why it was built where a tsunami could hit it? The word tsunami comes from Japanese, so they knew it[…] Keep reading →

Longtime readers who Eugene Bible, who hosts This Sustainable Life: Solve for Nature, a sibling podcast to mine. He lives in Hawaii. A while ago he shared a view that helps me simplify and clarify how we affect nature. He suggested viewing Hawaii as a microcosm of Earth. Do you have a proposal you think would help Earth? Ask if it would work with Hawaii. [EDIT: I had planned to[…] Keep reading →

A reader wrote: You said that wind and solar ” are not clean, green or sustainable”. I am surprised, they seem to be better than the alternatives. What is the reason they are not sustainable? The short answer: The long answer is in articles like these: EDIT: More relevant articles: The most comprehensive answer I’ve found is the book I prefer them to fossil fuels, nuclear, and fusion, but only[…] Keep reading →

It’s tempting to look at fossil fuels and global warming and conclude: a fuel that didn’t release greenhouse gases would solve our problems. Then we look at nuclear plants whose fuels are uranium and other elements. Splitting them doesn’t release greenhouse gases. They look like improvements. Why not switch to nuclear? The switch looks yet better when you consider other problems with fossil fuels. They release more than greenhouse gases:[…] Keep reading →

The notes I read for this episode were long, so instead of including them in the podcast notes, I posted them as a separate blog post. My book: Leadership Step by Step The Science article I mentioned: Limits to economic growth The article showing humans lived to a modal age of 72: Longevity Among Hunter- Gatherers: A Cross-Cultural Examination Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning Wikipedia page The Calvin and[…] Keep reading →

The situation: More people than ever are living healthy, happy lives yet Pollution and garbage are growing and accelerating Predictions suggest our waste is going to cause nearly everyone on Earth to suffer including many dying and, here’s the big confounding issue We can’t stop ourselves. With rare exception, everyone I know and even know of knows they are polluting, hurting people by it, so potentially contributing to the greatest[…] Keep reading →