Finally, my friend John de Graaf’s marvelous documentary film “Econoclast,” about the life and thought of pioneering ecological economist Herman Daly, has been released. John is an icon himself in the sustainability and documentary world, so it was entirely fitting that he make this movie. The world needs this film, especially now. Thank you, John! … Continue reading New Film a Fitting Tribute to Economics Icon Herman Daly
Global Warming and Climate Change
TO: Donella Meadows, FROM: Alan AtKisson, SUBJ: Return to Balaton
Dear Dana, I know you are dead, but I thought I would write to you anyway. Because, well, you never know. The view from the café, Csopak, Hungary. Low water in Lake Balaton. September 2026. The 44th meeting of the Balaton Group, that network of sustainability researchers and systems thinkers that you and Dennis Meadows … Continue reading TO: Donella Meadows, FROM: Alan AtKisson, SUBJ: Return to Balaton
The climate march went backwards. Stood still. Then surged forward. Symbolic?
I do not like being in marches or demonstrations. They make me nervous. But I forced myself to join the 50,000 people marching in Stockholm yesterday to call attention to climate change. It was uncomfortable — but it also felt good. Waiting for the climate march to begin in Stockholm. We had to move back … Continue reading The climate march went backwards. Stood still. Then surged forward. Symbolic?
I have Seen “The Odyssey”. I’m Furious.
I knew the movie was going to be infuriating. I made a prophecy to that effect. “The Odyssey is going to make me really mad,” I said to my wife, in the car on the way to the local cinema. Not because of what’s in it. The film turned out to be a relatively faithful, … Continue reading I have Seen “The Odyssey”. I’m Furious.
Earth Day is So Yesterday. Or Is It?
Yesterday, April 22, was Earth Day. I forgot about it completely, until I was reminded of it by doing a word puzzle in my New York Times app, late in the evening. Of course the puzzle had some classic, now almost ancient environmental words in it, like reduce, reuse, and recycle. The whole experience was … Continue reading Earth Day is So Yesterday. Or Is It?
Keeping the Earth in the Center — Especially When That’s Extremely Difficult
We live in a living planet. Notice I wrote “in” where your mind was expecting “on”. That little word “on” can lead us astray, mentally. We do not live “on top of” but rather inside a sphere of pulsing, dynamic systems, a colorful, evolving kaleidoscope of life that is the most wonderful and visible characteristic … Continue reading Keeping the Earth in the Center — Especially When That’s Extremely Difficult
Canada is in the Center
Quick summary: Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, with inspiration from Václav Havel, has put Canada in the middle of a global discussion about the future of our world in an age of broken international trust. I just wish he were wrong. (Read the article …)
Greenland is in the Center
Last week I wrote a somewhat dispassionate (on purpose) defense of holding the center — or what used to be the center — politically. The theme of my article was resisting the current tendency towards outrage and ethical compromise that is partly driven by social media, partly by today’s dramatic and extreme political climate, and … Continue reading Greenland is in the Center
Dear Santa Claus: So Sorry About the North Pole (2025 edition)
Update 17 Dec 2025: Times have changed, and I have realised that this article needs a short framing intro. Climate science is in trouble. Funding is being cut. Information is disappearing. To draw a little attention to this and other issues, I returned to a format I first introduced in 2003: a darkly humorous "Letter … Continue reading Dear Santa Claus: So Sorry About the North Pole (2025 edition)
A song of melancholy and last-chance hope: Why I wrote “The Last Dice”
In September 2011, I found myself unexpectedly wandering the streets of Istanbul. I say “unexpectedly” because there was revolution in Syria, a growing social uprising that would eventually ignite an all-consuming civil war. Security concerns had made going back to the city of Aleppo, which is where I had expected to be, impossible. Click to … Continue reading A song of melancholy and last-chance hope: Why I wrote “The Last Dice”
