If we do one thing that we think is good, does that make us more likely to do a bad thing next time? The logic being that we have earned moral credit in the bank, so we don’t need to be as good next time to retain our self concept as a decent person. There…
Wonderful Progress Brings New Challenges
Today I’m discussing a book about possibly the most amazing progress achieved by the human race. A series of battles against sickening infectious diseases have been waged, and the outcome has been incredible. Success hasn’t been evenly distributed; health outcomes are very obviously still not equitable across the world. Still, success has been very real….
Waiting For The End Of The World
I’m not a fan of doomsday cults. It always seems so arrogant to think that of all the people who have been born, and will be born, you will happen to have secured a seat at doomsday. It seems unlikely. Remember, the guy running the cult in your hometown isn’t going to usher in the…
Learn About Business Before Discussing Business
Businesspeople can often think they know more about the world than they do. CEOs share their barely coherent thoughts on current affairs. It is annoying. People involved in sustainability are right to be irritated when they hear such nonsense. Yet, the opposite is also true. If you don’t know anything about business, it is not…
Teaching About Climate Change
Teaching about climate change is a significant problem in modern universities. Ahmed Afzaal has a book that addresses university professors who are teaching, in what he calls, our Predicament. The title, Teaching at Twilight, suggested a more downbeat view of the world than I have but that is an excellent reason to read a book….
Hiding Their Good Works
There is plenty of bad environmental news and even worse news about environmental policy. (And not just in the US but that is the epicenter). Still, there are reasons for optimism which are often worth holding onto and sharing. Andrew Winston, a prolific writer on sustainable business, gave his views on 2025’s Climate Week in…
Beware Binary Thinking About Politics
A group of scholars have tackled what is a significant problem in much of the research in the field of marketing. They note that the previously published research predominately sees political ideology in binary terms. There is a Conservative (or Republican) bucket and a Liberal (or Democratic) bucket. This causes problems. Their message is simple,…
Information Is Key To Recognizing Progress
Hannah Ritchie’s Clearing The Air is a must read for anyone interested in the challenge of greenhouse gases. She answers fifty common questions about how the world can make progress addressing climate change. Almost everyone can learn something from the book. You may have been able to answer some of the questions, but few people…
Applying The Genetic Fallacy To The Carbon Footprint
I have just finished Hannah Ritchie’s Clearing the Air. More on that later — spoiler, it is a great book. As such, I was interested to see what a review that appeared in The Guardian newspaper had to say about it. The writer overall liked the book, which makes sense. But he didn’t stop there….
Hopeful News About People’s Perceptions
The news can be pretty awful between, wars, natural disasters, and government actions. At times like this it can be useful to take a step back and look at the big picture. There is hopefully news about people’s perceptions. This isn’t just a story of how much progress the world has made in the last…
