Food System Economics Commission—Why now?
Dear Friends, I recently took on the role of Commission Director for the Food System Economics Commission—an independent, interdisciplinary academic commission working to deliver a state-of-the-art scientific assessment on the economics of the transition to healthy, inclusive and sustainable food systems. Food systems at all levels suffer from flawed design, supply chain vulnerabilities, and compounding … Continue reading Food System Economics Commission—Why now?
George Floyd should be alive today
George Floyd should be alive today. George Floyd was murdered. The four men who killed him could have chosen not to kill him at any time. Now former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes. For six of those minutes, George Floyd begged for his life. For three … Continue reading George Floyd should be alive today
Honor their Memory by Serving & Protecting Others
On Memorial Day 2020, we are experiencing a deep national trauma, about which too little has been spoken. Nearly 100,000 people in the United States have lost their lives to COVID-19. Our national conversation has focused at nearly all times—as it should—on response measures intended to mitigate the spread of the pandemic, but we are … Continue reading Honor their Memory by Serving & Protecting Others
Energy must be Adaptive, Accessible & Pollution-free
The future of energy is being shaped by many converging forces, among them: Fast-moving multifaceted innovation; The geophysical and human health need for clean energy; Sustained and expanding growth-potential for low-carbon investments; Urban planning, energy-efficient building, and utility reform; Financial innovation, including integration of Earth science insights; The COVID-19 pandemic disruption. The COVID-19 pandemic emergency … Continue reading Energy must be Adaptive, Accessible & Pollution-free
Integrative Geopolitics—Earth Day talk at Lehigh University
An Earth Day talk, delivered to Lehigh University by Joseph Robertson, on the 50th annual Earth Day—April 22, 2020. Integrative Geopolitics: Climate Resilience in a Post-COVID World This online event is the keynote for Lehigh’s Earth Week 2020 Celebration, with support from the Office of Sustainability, in collaboration with the Environmental Initiative, Environmental Studies Program, … Continue reading Integrative Geopolitics—Earth Day talk at Lehigh University
Time for Co-Creating a Resilient Future
Postponement of COP26 provides opportunity for deep collaborative work to achieve a more resilient & prosperous future. On Wednesday, April 1, 2020, the UN Climate Change secretariat and the UK Government—which holds the COP26 Presidency—announced the annual UN climate negotiations will be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. The conference—which will be the largest … Continue reading Time for Co-Creating a Resilient Future
Call to Action on Planetary Emergency
On March 26, on behalf of Geoversiv, I signed an Open Letter to Global Leaders to show support for a Call to Action from the Planetary Emergency Partnership. Geoversiv was created to foster collaborative investigation and innovation, to address and transcend the global unsustainability crisis. We are now facing multiple overlapping planetary-scale emergencies—each of which … Continue reading Call to Action on Planetary Emergency
Biodiversity is a Measure of Our Actual & Potential Wellbeing
What is Biodiversity? And why should it matter to you? Biological diversity is a vital sign for nature’s complex life-support systems. If you have too few species in a given environment, the complex ecosystem that makes life work in that environment is more vulnerable to serious disruption. To put it bluntly, a less biodiverse ecosystem … Continue reading Biodiversity is a Measure of Our Actual & Potential Wellbeing
Shift Incentives to Transform the Food System
REPORT FROM DAVOS The World Economic Forum has identified all 5 of the leading global risks as related to climate and environment: Extreme weather Climate action failure Natural disasters Biodiversity loss Human-made environmental disasters Climate breakdown is accelerating, and global carbon emissions are not declining. The loss of climate stability is not a small or … Continue reading Shift Incentives to Transform the Food System
