By Geoffrey Holland, writer for Transition Earth. If we ruin the Earth, there is no place else to go. ~ Carl Sagan, Son of the Cosmos ‘Code Red’ for humanity – that’s the deeply troubling conclusion of the latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  There is no greater authority
[continue reading…]

By Geoffrey Holland, writer for Transition Earth. Existential means consequential, on a global scale. By various estimates, there are ten massive threats looming over all of humanity.  In concert, these threats pack more than enough punch to destroy civilization on Earth. ***** Humanity faces an existential crisis consisting of ten, interconnected, mega-threats all bearing down
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York. It seems likely that humans will learn the hard way that we are not the center of the planet, much less the universe.  As a species, we act as if we can plunder and have our way with the Earth and ignore the consequences. Or worse, push any contentious problems onto future generations.
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York. We humans are running a very curious experiment on how much we can take from the planet before Nature tires of our exploitation.  Whether we survive to see the end of this experiment is the big question. There is a constant stream of news, reports, videos, tweets and discussions on the problems modern society
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York. The threats to the planet by human actions have been studied and reported for decades.  Almost every day now sees reports of the latest research on the fraying of planetary health, for nature and for humans.  We can’t plead ignorance at destroying the Earth. One such study, released earlier this month, addresses the
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York. ‘Day Zero’ – it’s a term so applicable to our times of environmental overreach. If you aren’t familiar with the term, it came into vogue a couple of years ago when Cape Town, South Africa, was facing a water crisis of fairly epic proportions.  Day Zero was the city’s term for the
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York. It feels like a moment of truth for humans and nature.  It’s obvious we are in ecological breakdown and need to change course, but will we do it? The weather is becoming increasingly erratic and harsh, from heatwaves in Europe to floods in South Asia.  Antarctica’s “doomsday” glacier is breaking. There are
[continue reading…]

By Geoffrey Holland, guest writer for Transition Earth. Over the years, I have tried to be a student of good planetary stewardship.  The ultimate prize is a humanity that functions in harmony with nature. This is what comes when what we take from the biosphere balances out with what we give back to it. In
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York. We could call it the “COVID-19 void” or some such name, the period when so many important issues, reports, conferences and more fell to the wayside due to the overwhelming need to deal with the novel coronavirus. One such report was released last month that didn’t seem to garner much attention, which
[continue reading…]

By Geoffrey Holland, guest writer for Transition Earth. All humans require nourishment. No exceptions. The future of food may reside in multi-story urban structures, built out with hi-tech hydroponic or aeroponic crop growing systems. Another name for this is vertical farming. There’s a lot to like about vertical farms. They require about 90% less water
[continue reading…]