On a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, 24 March 2009, I caught a direct visual impression of the Asian Brown Cloud -- brown haze below, blue sky above. I immediately used the resulting images in the keynote speech I gave there, in two slides, as part of a section on the need for … Continue reading The Asian Brown Cloud Up Close and Personal
Sustainability
The science and philosophy of maintaining human and natural systems
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What is the GDP, Anyway?
As the world spins deeper into economic recession (is anyone formally using the word "depression" yet?), it seems appropriate to take a look at the number by which we measure such things: the Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. This mega-statistic is the indicator used by countries since WWII to measure their growth, and is by … Continue reading What is the GDP, Anyway?
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
Letter from Entebbe: Which Way is Up?
I sat in the petrol station, playing my guitar to the African night, watching the cars, taxis, and mopeds cruise in looking for a couple of liters of fuel, while my driver did his level best to get the van started again. "No petrol, only diesel" was the answer everyone got from the kind attendant; … Continue reading Letter from Entebbe: Which Way is Up?
Letter from Tällberg: Let’s Talk about Transformation
"Let's talk about transformation for a couple of minutes" says the moderator, John Kao (a San Francisco-based consultant who also plays a mean jazz piano). Apparently, that's all the time they have. At the moment, three business leaders are on the stage, representing a major car company, a big bank, and a smaller, socially responsible … Continue reading Letter from Tällberg: Let’s Talk about Transformation
Letter from Tällberg: Turn Back, O Man
Here at the Tällberg Forum-- Sweden's annual festival of words and music, science and dreams about sustainability and globalization -- things are getting a little clearer. This is the last day, so it's just in time. Take 350, for example. This morning I went to the great big tent to join a very small group … Continue reading Letter from Tällberg: Turn Back, O Man
Alan AtKisson 