insights

Many of us who have dedicated our lives to environmental protection believe that all crimes against nature are also crimes against people. After all, nature is the life source for the human species. But unfortunately, not all members of the public agree with us. Some people care more about saving animals, a wetland or a […]

A rising tsunami of U.S. nuke shut-downs may soon include California’s infamous Diablo Canyon double reactors. But it depends on citizen action, including a statewide petition. Five U.S. reactor closures have been announced within the past month. A green regulatory decision on California’s environmental standards could push the number to seven. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA The […]

I spent the last year working with co-author David Fridley and Post Carbon Institute staff on a just-published book, Our Renewable Future. The process was a pleasure: everyone involved (including the twenty or so experts we interviewed or consulted) was delightful to work with and I personally learned an enormous amount along the way. But […]

In the early 1990s, Germany launched Energiewende or “energy revolution,” a program “to combat climate change, avoid nuclear risks, improve energy security and guarantee competitiveness and growth.” Renewable energy grew from 4 percent in 1990 to more than 27 percent in 2014, including a significant increase in citizen-owned power projects, according to energy think tank […]

“Dr. Hyman, most days I feel like I can’t focus for more than 15 minutes at a time,” writes this week’s house call. “I lose my train of thought and feel like I’m living in a daze. I used to be so sharp. Now I feel like I have brain fog. Is there anything I […]

The ground-breaking announcement Tuesday that India, the U.S. and a group of U.S. foundations have joined together to create two innovative financing mechanisms for rooftop and distributed solar power in India is emblematic of the new stage of the ongoing global energy transformation. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India talk after […]

June 8 marks World Oceans Day, but what if we celebrated oceans every day? Covering more than 70 percent of Earth’s surface, oceans, more than anything, define our small blue planet. We should celebrate their complex and vibrant ecosystems, life-sustaining services, calming effects and unimaginable diversity, much of which we have not yet even discovered. […]

My new book, Frackopoly: The Battle for the Future of Energy and the Environment will be released this week and I want to tell you why I wrote it. In the 1990s, I worked on a project to promote renewable energy. Even then, renewables were ready. They were cost-effective and along with energy efficiency technologies, […]