Earthanet

Even though I’m an outdoorswoman and environmentalist, I kept putting off watching An Inconvenient Truth, because I thought I knew how badly our mismanagement of technology has damaged our world and didn’t want to dwell on it. Last week I finally saw the movie on DVD and learned that global warming is even worse than I thought. Although there are a few minor issues in the film that I think would be hard to prove, overall things are looking pretty grim for our planet, the 6.46 billion humans living on it, and the 1.6 to 100 million species of other life that we share it with.

My reaction to An Inconvenient Truth was the usual frustration and despair, but I also responded strongly to the Al Gore’s message of hope. Human beings absolutely must make huge changes requiring mass technology and political will if we don’t want to go the way of the dodo bird–but there’s also a world of changes we can make as individuals that will show leadership and increase the demand for our institutions to respond. Society as a whole does change but it needs a push from behind by courageous individuals who are willing to take risks. Sometimes more than a push.

I’m not an engineer or a politician and I don’t have a lot of money, but I do have something to contribute: I make a living doing exhaustively thorough research and writing. There’s a lot of activity in the renewable technology sector because it’s a hodgepodge of fledgling industries and we don’t yet know which ones are going to work or what their consequences might be. There’s also a lot of hype, distortion, and bending of facts to fit people’s agendas, but you expected that, right?

This blog has no agenda other than to present the facts with a sound scientific basis. I’ve decided it’s time to get serious about reducing my carbon footprint, and like everything else I do, I’m a maniac about getting it right. In the upcoming months I’ll share what I’m learning so that you can make informed decisions about how you use energy and other resources. Ultimately, Earthanet.com will be more than a blog, but for the present, please read, think, respond, and–most of all–take action.

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