Tag Archives: Paul Ehrlich

Jeremy and Piers Corbyn – ‘Brothers at Odds’

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Rick Altman

Here in the UK, the Labour Party has, almost by accident, just voted in the most overtly and unashamedly socialist leader since Michael Foot over 30 years ago. As such, 66-year old Jeremy Corbyn, has already managed to upset many … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Science, Denial, Environment, IPCC, Pseudo science, Religion | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The population consumption environment nexus

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Rick Altman

Today’s post is that which was intended for last Monday. However, thanks to the happy coincidence of incoming information, Monday’s post was taken up with summarising an 11-year old presentation by Dr Albert A. Bartlett, entitled ‘Arithmetic, Population and Energy’, … Continue reading →

Posted in Betrayal of Science and Reason, Climate Science, Consumerism, Economics, Environment, Intergenerational Injustice, Limits to Growth, Optimum Population, Politics, Sustainable development | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

“Population as a problem is over…” (?)

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Rick Altman

So said Tim Worstall (author of Chasing Rainbows: Economic Myths, Environmental Facts [2010]) on this bIog last October, after I dared to criticise his Prometheanism (i.e. the belief that human ingenuity – rather than nature’s bounty [Cornucopianism] – will enable … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Energy Crisis, Environment, Financial Crisis, Growthmania, Intergenerational Injustice, Limits to Growth, Politics, Sustainable development | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

The political misuse of scepticism

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Rick Altman

Connecting the dots – the story continues… This is the second of 3 posts re-visiting three points made in the introduction to my MA dissertation on climate change scepticism in the UK (as summarised on my About page), which are … Continue reading →

Posted in Betrayal of Science and Reason, Climate Science, Cognitive Dissonance, Confirmation Bias, Denial, Environment, Insanity, Politics, Scepticism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Not sustainable going forward

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Rick Altman

I have something important I want, on behalf of Bill McKibbin’s 350.org, to ask you to do today: The idea is that for a 24 hour period—starting at 8AM UTC/GMT today, folks around the world create a Twitterstorm by sending … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Science, Denial, Economics, Energy Crisis, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Limits to Growth, Politics, Renewable Energy, Scepticism, Sustainable development | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Confront scarcity now (or pay later?)

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Rick Altman

A recent post on the website of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), echoes the warnings of ‘The Limits to Growth’ (TLTG) reports published in 1972, 1992, and 2004 by a team of researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (i.e. Meadows … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Science, Economics, Energy Crisis, Environment, Limits to Growth, Mass Extinctions, Politics, Sustainable development | Tagged | Leave a comment

Goodbye Goldilocks Planet?

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Rick Altman

Is it time to say goodbye to the Goldilocks Planet? I hope not, because the next-nearest one yet discovered is 600 light years away! However, if we are indeed now passing a tipping point (i.e. as the widespread rapid thawing … Continue reading →

Posted in Betrayal of Science and Reason, Civilisation, Climate Science, Ecological Modernisation, Energy Crisis, Environment, Politics, Scepticism | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Top UK Christmas Sales

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Rick Altman

Following on from yesterday, my second revelation courtesy of Christmas television is this: The 1984 Band Aid single “Do they know its Christmas? (Feed the world)” is the biggest-selling Christmas Number One of all time in the UK (selling twice … Continue reading →

Posted in Betrayal of Science and Reason, Consumerism, Environment, Ethics, Limits to Growth, Optimum Population | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Fables about toxic chemicals?

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Rick Altman

In this, the last chapter of Betrayal of Science and Reason (1996) dealing with “brownlash fables” (i.e. denialist misinformation), Paul and Anne Ehrlich return to their first love – biology: In so doing, they start by reminding us that humans … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropocene, Betrayal of Science and Reason, Climate Science, Environment, Ethics, Growthmania, Intergenerational Injustice, Mass Extinctions, Money Fetishism, Politics, Scepticism | Tagged | 2 Comments

Fables about climate change?

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Rick Altman

Continuing my review of Paul and Anne Ehrlich’s Betrayal of Science and Reason (1996), we come to Chapter 8 – regarding (what they called) the “brownlash’s” fables about the Atmosphere and Climate. Given that the Ehrlichs acknowledge that climate change … Continue reading →

Posted in Betrayal of Science and Reason, Climate Science, Computer Models, Environment, Hockey Stick Illusion, James Hansen, Mass Extinctions, Modernity, Politics, Richard Lindzen, Storms of my Grandchildren, Sustainable development | Tagged , , | 5 Comments