Stunning, world-changing news has been trying to click and trill its way through the chaotic cloud of media that serves as humanity’s proxy for global collective consciousness. Did you miss it? Don’t worry, I will fill you in. Mother and baby sperm whale. Whale babies babble, just like human babies, until their codas start settling … Continue reading Could learning to talk with whales change the world?
Science and Technology
Keynote Speech: “Future Thinking for Sustainable Development”
The following is a more polished version of the opening keynote speech I delivered (speaking from notes) in Gdansk, Poland, on 16 June 2025, at an international conference on sustainable development hosted by WEB Merito Universities (see Endnotes for more info and link). I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity to present this speech, which … Continue reading Keynote Speech: “Future Thinking for Sustainable Development”
The Anthropocene: how “frightened” should we be?
Be afraid. Be very afraid ... of the Anthropocene. This is the message from Clive Hamilton writing in Nature, the preeminent science journal, in his recent editorial (see sources below). Humans are unequivocably a planetary force for change, and a group of scientists with the authority to decide such things now agrees that this new … Continue reading The Anthropocene: how “frightened” should we be?
Seven Pieces of Joan – and a Song about Water
My dear friend Joan Davis passed away on Monday, 11 January, 2016. She was a unique and inspirational person, a top scientist who also believed strongly in the spiritual dimension of human life, the "non-quantifiable variables" as she liked to say. Her extraordinary life is being remembered, in English and German, on a special website … Continue reading Seven Pieces of Joan – and a Song about Water
The Economics Nobel: Should there be one?
The so-called "Nobel Prize" in economics (note that it is actually *not* a Nobel in the same way as the science, literature, and peace prizes) has awakened more than the usual amount of criticism this year. This Guardian article captures some of the usual complaints, quite well. The writer suggests a broadening out of the … Continue reading The Economics Nobel: Should there be one?
New Sustainability “Model Calendar” for 2015!
If you are expecting photo-models, think again. This wonderful 2015 wall calendar — produced by the folks at Stockholm Resilience Center and Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics — is about conceptual models, the kinds of diagrams and think-pieces that help us understand the world. And it is a gem. Here you will find twelve essential … Continue reading New Sustainability “Model Calendar” for 2015!
My To-Do List, Fall 2013 …
This page from my notebook (see photo) sums up the headlines on my to do list for the coming year: launching a new music album, building a global volunteer campaign for sustainability, participating in a number of important scientific processes, publishing a little book, and all the while continuing to do the usual consulting, training, … Continue reading My To-Do List, Fall 2013 …
Food, Fuel and Fiber? The Challenge of Using the Earth to Grow Energy
This article was commissioned by the Japanese energy magazine "Global Edge," and reprinted also at Worldchanging.com. * * * In May of 2008, while visiting Jakarta, I came across a newspaper story about a protest there. Hundreds of people had gathered in front of the gates of a charitable NGO whose mission was to feed … Continue reading Food, Fuel and Fiber? The Challenge of Using the Earth to Grow Energy
Alan AtKisson 