Andrew Revkin Promotes Environmental Understanding (And Plays a Mean Guitar)

On Dot Earth for The New York Times, environmental journalist Andrew Revkin examines the efforts to balance human affairs with Earth’s limits, tracking relevant developments “from suburbia to Siberia.”

Looking at climate change, Revkin reflects, “Science just tells you the shape of the problem. It doesn’t tell you what to do.” This highlights the importance of conversation. “Conversation gets you somewhere.”

Revkin, senior fellow for environmental understanding at the Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies at Pace University, joins the Green Divas and myEARTH360 for a conversation about President Obama’s new carbon reduction plan, his experience on recent trips to China and the Vatican, the primal and profound need for energy and more.

Revkin has been working towards “moving away from numerical goals for things like global warming to identifying traits in society and individuals that we can work on, actionably, measurably.”

In the process, one thing he has done as an individual looking at humanity’s love affair with fossil fuels, is written and performed music. As Revkin explains to the Green Divas before a musical performance in their studios, there’s a common root; journalism was often expressed through song—ballads were news. Check out his blend of journalism and song as he plays “Liberated Carbon” from his first CD, “A Very Fine Line.”

As the multifaceted Revkin points out, people can be very engaged in the problem of climate change but still come up with different solutions, based on their values and perceptions. True. So here’s to continuing the essential conversation, in all its many forms, and to increasing our environmental understanding.