An ubiased selection of articles on the environment


Kenneth E. Boulding's "Dismal Theorems"*

First Theorem: "The Dismal Theorem"
If the only ultimate check on the growth of population is misery, then the population will grow until it is miserable enough to stop its growth.

Second Theorem: "The Utterly Dismal Theorem"
Any technical improvement can only relieve misery for a while, for so long as misery is the only check on population, the improvement will enable population to grow, and will soon enable more people to live in misery than before. The final result of improvements, therefore, is to increase the equilibrium population which is to increase the total sum of human misery.

Third Theorem: "The moderately cheerful form of the Dismal Theorem"
Fortunately, it is not too difficult to restate the Dismal Theorem in a moderately cheerful form: if something else, other then misery and starvation, can be found which will keep a prosperous population in check, the population does not have to grow until it is miserable and starves, and it can be stably prosperous.

*K. Boulding, in Collected Papers [by] Kenneth E. Boulding, Vol. 2, Colorado Associated U. Press, Boulder, CO (1971), p. 137.


A sobering look at unbridled consumption.
art with an invirenmental message
check this out for more images

Wondering why you're a vegetarian even though bacon exists? Read this.
meat is evil
meat is evil, take 2

Probably everybody has seen this before, but I just couldn't resist.
conversation with god

Population: the only thing that really matters.
Physics Today, July 2004 (HTML)

Quantitative analysis of sandbar formation.
Science, March 21, 2003 (PDF) (summary)
Science, March 21, 2003 (PDF) (full article)

What's your ecological footprint? Lose that SUV ...
Nature, February 27, 2003 (PDF)

Thinking of suing someone over that most recent flood? You can't yet, but it's only a matter of time.
Nature, February 27, 2003 (PDF)

Long term prospects for energy. Quick summary: not good.
Physics Today, July, 2004 (HTML)
Science, November 1, 2002 (PDF)
Along the same lines ...
Nature, July 10, 2003 (PDF)
The good news, though, is that we're running out of oil.
From the New York Times, August 21, 2005
A small amount of hope (althuogh probably wishful thinking).
Science, July 22, 2005
Yes -- wishful thinking. The carbon pie is shrinking fast.
Science, March 9, 2007
Biofuels? not the answer.
Science, August 17, 2007

Things are not looking good for sustainability.
Science, August 9, 2002 (HTML)

Things aren't looking so good for plants, either.
Science, November 1, 2002 (PDF)

Urban sprawl and water.
LA Times, August 29, 2002 (HTML)

At last, somebody's doing something about urban sprawl.
LA Times, August 22, 2003 (HTML)

Bjorn Lomborg getting you down? Read these reviews of his recent book, The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World (should be called The Brain-dead Environmentalist ...).
Nature review, November 18, 2001 (PDF)
Science review, November 9, 2001 (PDF)
Science, January 17, 2003 (PDF)

The experts agree: injecting CO2 into the ocean really is a bad idea ...
Science, October 12, 2001 (PDF)
... and it's probably not even cost effective.
Science, April 4, 2003 (PDF)

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside ...
Nature, October 11, 2001 (PDF)
Fish and other things that swim in the ocean:

The news is not good if you're a fish.
Nature, Oct. 17, 2002 (PDF)

Marine Protected Areas make everybody happy, even the fishing industry.
LA Times, July 22, 2002 (HTML)
Science, November 30, 2001 (PDF)
Well, maybe not everybody ...
Science, February 15, 2002 (PDF)
How to design effective Marine Protected Areas
Science, December 6, 2002 (PDF)

Even the navy admits that sonar is bad for whales -- sort of.
Nature, January 10, 2002 (PDF)


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