Theory

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The Disappearing Myth

The tranquil and barren island of Rapa Nui, commonly known as Easter Island, illustrates the rich cultural and ecological history of the self-sustaining Rapa Nui civilization that existed in complete isolation from the 13th – 17th century A.D. The island’s several hundred abandoned megalithic statues (moai) stand tall amongst the […]

20 Blue Tornado (Jennifer Bedford)SW

Earthbound

It isn’t the burgeoning global human population that is the main threat to planetary sustainability, but rather the escalating expectations of a global human population rapidly committing itself in ever-increasing waves to the current Western “mindset.” This mindset, crystallized by modern economics, generates a world in which economic actors operate […]

Demystifying Sustainability - Haydn Washington

Demystifying Sustainability: Towards Real Solutions

In their endorsement of Demystifying Sustainability, Paul and Anne Ehrlich state, “Sustainability may be the most important … and most misused word in our language. This brilliant, deep, accurate, well-referenced book should do wonders to rectify that. It should be required reading for every high-school student, CEO and politician.” I would also […]

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Status

The birds got to sing and dance. The moose had to grow a huge unwieldy rack and bash heads with it. Maybe once, back in the evolutionary mists, a less elaborate version of that strategy had made some sense. But now he would rather be a bird. Meanwhile in the […]

Resilience Jar | nik harron

Bouncing Back: How Resilience Leads to Better Health

Western medicine has made great strides in disease control in the last century. Diagnostic technologies and surgical procedures have advanced. Life expectancy has increased dramatically in most parts of the world. Antibiotics, improvements in sanitation and hygiene, as well as vaccines, have eradicated or reduced many of the world’s deadliest […]

Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch by Gonzalo Pineda Zuniga | Flickr

Bison: The Original Climate Change Activists

Originally published on Stephen Bocking’s blog Environment, History, Science. There’s a lot that can be said about the relations between environmental history and science. Historians often use scientific knowledge to figure out past environments – and science itself is a focus of historical study.