Category Archives: Environment

All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace

Posted on 17 June 2011 by Graham

I only just recently got to watch Adam Curtis’ latest documentary, All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace, which I really enjoyed. As with Curtis’ previous work, such as The Power of Nightmares, a very wide range of different … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, collapse, consciousness, Environment, Permaculture, Science and Rationaltiy | Leave a comment

Virtuous Corruption

Posted on 6 May 2011 by Graham

Book Review The Virtuous Corruption of Virtual Environmental Science Aynsley Kellow Edgar Elgar 2007 Hdbck 218pp This book by Aynsley Kellow, Professor and Head of the School of Government at the University of Tasmania, Australia, is a provocative and in … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, book review, climate change, Environment | Leave a comment

Is a “Denialist” just Anyone who questions the Immorality of Progress?

Posted on 3 March 2011 by Graham

A lot of the commentary from skeptics blogs on the BBC Attack on Science programme was expressing the view that the Beeb was engaged in a one-sided attack on climate skepticism, and only plays to the environmental agenda. I dont … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Environment | 2 Comments

The Economics of Happiness

Posted on 2 February 2011 by Graham

The new film from Helena Norberg-Hodge The Economics of Happiness was premiered in UCC last night to a full house, with Helena herself arriving in time to join a panel discussion afterwards. I met Helena over 10 years ago in … Continue reading →

Posted in community, Environment, Food, Renewable Energy | 8 Comments

Into the Wild: a Parable for our Times

Posted on 7 December 2010 by Graham

One of the most enduring quasi-religious myths in the environmental movement is that our percieved problems- the percieved crisis in the modern world- stems from a separation from nature. We were born in pre-history, an integral part of Mother Nature … Continue reading →

Posted in collapse, community, Environment, Gardens, Human Ecology, Science and Rationaltiy, survivalism | 12 Comments

Why I was Wrong About Population

Posted on 23 August 2010 by Graham

Update Aug 25th: Brilliant talk by Hans Rosling, in which he explains “Child survival is the new Green”. Book review PeopleQuake by Fred Pearce Eden Project Books 2010 Pbck; 342pp There is a scary book I have a half-share in … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, collapse, Environment, Human Ecology, Overshoot, Population | 13 Comments

Skepteco #2 Introducing SkeptEco

Posted on 8 June 2010 by Graham

The second edition of the new SkeptEco podcast is up! This week the SkeptEco team- Eoghain, Christina, Michael and myself talk about why we started the podcasts, the relationship between science, rationality and the environmental movement, and what other topics … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Peak Oil, Podcast, Science and Rationaltiy | Leave a comment

Whole Earth Discipline

Posted on 22 March 2010 by Graham

Book Review: Whole Earth Discipline An Ecopragmatist Manifesto by Stewart Brand Atlantic Books 2009 316pp “Civilization is at risk, but civilization is the problem”. Stewart Brand is one of the iconic founders of the environmental movement, an original old hippy … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, climate change, collapse, community, Environment, Human Ecology, Population, Renewable Energy, Science and Rationaltiy, Tools and technology | 21 Comments

Reading the Great Book of Life

Posted on 27 October 2009 by Graham

Book Review: The Living Landscape: How to Read and Understand it Patrick Whitefield Permanent Publications 2009 334pp 48 color photos When I first saw in the recent Permaculture Magazine that Patrick Whitefield had written a book on reading the landscape … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, book review, Environment, Human Ecology, Permaculture | 4 Comments

Taming the Dreaded Knotweed

Posted on 14 August 2009 by Graham

A new biological control is being considered as a way of controlling one of Britain and Ireland’s most pernicious weeds, Japanese Knotweed, according to this story in The Guardian. a species of jumping plant lice, aphalara itadori, could bring down … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Environment | Leave a comment