Politics on EARTH Magazine

Down to Earth With: Volcanologist Jess Phoenix

Mon, 11 Dec 2017 13:15:11 -0500

Jess Phoenix, a volcanologist and co-founder of Blueprint Earth — a nonprofit organization that brings scientists together with students to inventory ecosystems — is running for Congress in California's 25th District. Credit: Belle & Epic Photography.

Field geologists usually love camping, hiking and all things outdoors. Today, Jess Phoenix is no different, but she wasn’t always that way. As a child growing up in Colorado, she bucked traditional backpack-wearing pursuits. “I would take the horses on trail rides and that was probably the most outdoorsy thing that I did,” Phoenix says. Instead, she took after the athletic interests of her parents, both FBI agents, playing “every sport under the sun.”

Comment: The Congressional ecosystem: A paleontologist's perspective

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 14:17:59 -0400

Credit: Callan Bentley, 2017.

At the height of the 2016 presidential election, the nation’s eyes were on Washington, D.C., and prominent voices were critical of the Capital. “Washington is full of fossils” and “the swamp is rotten” were common refrains all along the political spectrum. Who better to head to Congress than a paleontologist with a specialty in soft-tissue preservation? I spent years dealing with fossils and rot. I was prepared for anything — or so I thought.

Geologic Column: Alternative history: Earth in a funhouse mirror

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 13:33:18 -0400

Thanks to Kellyanne Conway, we have all become familiar with the term “alternative facts,” but how about alternative or counterfactual history? Alternative versions of history have been offered since Classical times. E.H. Carr dismissed them as “parlor games” or “red-herrings” in his 1961 book “What Is History?” But the alt-history concept has been trying to muscle its way into academic respectability since its prominent champion, Niall Ferguson, published an essay collection called “Virtual History” in 1997. Ferguson asked: If a particular, known factor in a historical event has turned out differently, how might subsequent history have changed? Eminent historian Richard Evans was dismissive, wondering whether Ferguson was not so much asking “what if” — reflecting a neutral intellectual curiosity — but “if only,” provoked by a subjective desire for a different outcome from whatever actually took place.

Volcanoes and historical politics

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 10:35:32 -0400

As well as influencing art and faith, volcanoes are often portrayed as the very manifestation of the human condition. Expressions of anger are readily described as “volcanic.” They have become a metaphor for anything of suitable magnitude or wrath. One such painting sees a volcano become the embodiment of the French Revolution.

Energy 360: Moving energy - No easy feat, but a vital conversation

Thu, 12 Dec 2013 10:23:43 -0500

Scott Tinker worked in the oil and gas industry for 17 years in research, exploration and development before going to the University of Texas at Austin in 2000, where he directs a major environmental and energy research unit and looks at global energy issues. Gregory Daniel

Trucks, trains, planes and boats move food, clothing, cars, wood, steel, medical products, smartphones, bicycles, organic milk, free-range chickens—basically all consumer goods. And energy is no exception. Coal is mined and then carried to where it is burned. Oil and natural gas are moved from where they are produced to where they can be refined into transportation fuels and myriad other products, and then moved again. Uranium is mined and transported to create fuel rods for nuclear power plants or nuclear-powered ships. Materials for solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal plants, and wave and tide generators are mined and moved to manufacturing plants, from where the final products are moved again. Materials for dams are carried for construction, while water moves to the dam, largely on its own, thanks to topography and gravity. Biofuels are grown, transported, converted (refined), and transported again as fuels. And once created, electricity is moved along power lines to where it is consumed.

Energy 360: Leaving our corners for the radical middle: New Zealand sets an example

Wed, 14 Aug 2013 14:09:26 -0400

Scott Tinker worked in the oil and gas industry for 17 years in research, exploration and development before going to the University of Texas at Austin in 2000. Gregory Daniel

Energy underpins every aspect of modern life, yet it is often a source of conflict in society. Thus, considering the political ramifications of energy policies is both inevitable and important. But separating politics from science and economics can be difficult, in part because everyone, including me, has biases. Bias in and of itself is not bad; some might even consider it an unavoidable byproduct of knowledge (or the lack thereof). The challenge with energy policy discussions is to manage bias and potential conflicts of interest and conscience. Likewise, it is exigent to consider opposing views — to leave our respective corners — and come together to rationally discuss energy options. And that is exactly what we must do. Aristotle put it well: “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” A recent trip to New Zealand provided a case study on the types of conflicts that inevitably arise when discussing energy and some insights on how we might move forward.

Why is the U.S. so insecure about its energy security? Measures of energy independence show it is increasing, not decreasing

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:03:43 -0400

The U.S. is the world's third-largest petroleum producer, second-largest coal producer and largest natural gas producer. Copyright Michael Collier, ESW Image Bank

The U.S. is the third-largest oil producer worldwide, but our demand far outstrips our production. ©porchlife, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

The Keystone XL pipeline might resemble the TransAlaska Pipeline (above). Most of it would be aboveground and would carry oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Copyright BP p.l.c.

The sharp increase in U.S. natural gas production, beginning in 2008, was driven by exploitation of shale gas formations such as the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota and Montana through the combined technologies of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Statoil

Author Fred Beach courtesy of Fred Beach

In recent years, every time an election has rolled around, politicians have espoused the necessity of energy independence and energy security. According to them, if we are to achieve the necessary level of energy security we need to “drill, baby, drill,” develop “clean coal,” install new pipelines, develop renewable energy, make sure our cars get better gas mileage, or [fill in another sound bite of your choosing here]. A listener could easily conclude that the U.S. lacks energy security. But what do the numbers tell us about our current state of independence? And is the political sloganeering grounded in fact, or does it ignore how much our situation has changed already?

Oil barrel politics

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:51:09 -0500

As a new president and Congress entered office in January, current events continue to keep energy in the forefront of national concern. Volatile prices, resource depletion, climate change and national security impacts of energy trade have become a part of daily news and policy discussion. Americans will be watching the new policymakers to see how they respond to energy concerns. How they treat energy research and development — particularly the amount of funds dedicated to R&D, and the portion of that R&D that is allocated through earmarks — will be telling. If they’re smart, they’ll avoid allocating R&D funds through earmarks altogether.

The art of un-legislating

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:51:09 -0500

The U.S. Capitol Building Diliff

Taking public approval ratings at face value, it would be easy to conclude that the legislative branch of our government is motivated by an unfortunate blend of incompetence and arrogance. Certainly the repeated and well-documented failures of Congress to act on issues of national significance and its tendency to substitute rhetoric and pork barrel spending for meaningful action provide ample fodder for this well-worn reputation. Whether or not such a portrait is fair, it reveals a powerful and deeply rooted public perception: that the fundamental purpose of Congress is to enact good legislation. Yet this is not the case, as I have seen firsthand in my year spent on Capitol Hill.

Voices: A growing need for geoscience diplomacy

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:51:09 -0500

U.S. State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. AgnosticPreachersKid, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

“I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world … we have a responsibility to join together on behalf of the world we seek.”

Bailout bill passes, extends renewable energy tax credits