Consider a finely sharpened blade, slicing through a piece of wood in a cabinet-maker’s workshop. The chisel’s razor tip is parting the fibers, supported by a substantial piece of steel which lends that keen edge all its strength, and without which carving is impossible. To exclaim over a beautiful piece of joinery is to extol […]
Why we have to speak out: Nations have so dragged their feet in battling climate change that the situation has grown critical and the risk of severe economic disruption is rising, according to a draft United Nations report. Another 15 years of failure to limit carbon emissions could make the problem virtually impossible to solve […]
Those of us who live in the industrialized countries are reaping the harvest of a century and a half of high-speed energy consumption. We’ve learned a lot, gained a lot, and lost a lot. We know more about the universe than anyone ever dreamed possible, and we’ve built incredibly complex civilizations with detailed and beautiful […]