sustain what Archives - State of the Planet

andy revkin speaking along Maine coastline

How to Defeat the Climate Change Complexity Monster

Use key questions to cut amorphous slogans like “climate emergency” into addressable pieces.

by |May 10, 2023
people stand near shredded plastic

A Plastics Treaty Will Be Grand, but this Recycling Innovator in Indonesia Isn’t Waiting

A pop-up Sustain What conversation with a sustainability-focused entrepreneur building a plastic trash-to-resource business across eastern Indonesia.

by |May 4, 2023
list of simple words

Simplifying the Language of the Climate Crisis

Climate and clean-energy communication is filled with numbing jargon and complexity. But clarity is needed to connect and empower. A simple writing tool might help.

by |March 23, 2023
map of earthquake impacts

Gauging Losses and Lessons in Turkey’s Unfolding Earthquake Tragedy

As earthquake engineers stress, most of the time, buildings kill people, not the shaking itself. It’s exceedingly hard to unbuild, move back, or retrofit buildings at scale.

by |February 7, 2023
flooded walnut orchard

California’s Atmospheric Rivers Warn of Future Climatic Calamity

Atmospheric rivers continue to hit California. What do these events mean for flooding and other potential disasters in California’s future?

by |January 9, 2023
crowd of women seen from above

As the Human Population Tops 8 Billion, a Look Beyond Bomb and Crash Panic Proclamations

After a two-century spike, huge demographic shifts are under way. Pay less attention to debates about explosions and collapse, and more to fostering girls’ rights and mobility.

by |November 15, 2022

Catastrophe Looms as Surge From Hurricane Ian Meets Fast-Growing Florida

This is a worst-case clash between an explosive storm and communities that grew explosively in a hurricane hiatus.

by |September 28, 2022
words associated with climate change

It’s Essential to Act on Climate Emergencies, But a Mistake for Biden to Declare One

It’s important to clarify what a “climate emergency” means and then pursue actions.

by |July 22, 2022
comparison with 2050 forecast and 2022 reality

As Global Warming Fuels Record-Smashing Heat Emergencies, Cut Vulnerability Now and CO2 Always

Don’t let the heat, or the size of the climate problem, paralyze you. There are cool solution paths cutting climate risk down the block or around the world.

by |July 19, 2022
clouds among the stars

The Webb Telescope’s Faraway Revelations, and Earth’s Here-and-Now Challenges

NASA has two missions: understanding and protecting the home planet, and exploring outer space. Both missions are necessary to building a sustainable future.

by |July 13, 2022