Plastic Swamp
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
The billions of pieces of plastic floating in ocean gyres begin their watery journeys in ditches and creeks in almost every location inhabited by people. Many are tossed into tributaries in the centre of continents, far upstream from any ocean, including the small watershed where I live.
Pulling the Plug on Fossil Fuel Production Subsidies
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
Ending subsidies to producers can play a key role in taking the fossil fuel economy off life support – or we can wait for the planet to take our civilization off life support.
Designing Climate Solutions – a Big-Picture View that Doesn’t Skimp on Details
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
Let us pause for a moment of thanks to the policy wonks, who work within the limitations of whatever is currently politically permissible and take important steps forward in their branches of bureaucracy. Let us also give thanks to those who cannot work within those limitations, and who are determined to transform what is and is not politically permissible.
Of Hope, Grief, and Humility: Review
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
For all of us who pay attention to the steadily worsening climate news, his reflections on hope, grief, and humility are an important part of his message.
Beyond Computational Thinking – a ‘Cloud of Unknowing’ for the 21st century
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
James Bridle’s New Dark Age is a deeply researched plea for us to move beyond computational thinking. He says learning to code doesn’t help us understand the internet age, any more than learning plumbing skills will give us an understanding of the ways an essential municipal utility is determined by hydrology, infrastructure, and sociopolitical policies.
The Clean Green Pipeline Machine – a Free-Market Fairy Tale
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
Fossil fuel interests and their allied governments attend international climate conferences singing of a glorious future of clean growth – but behind the scenes they work to ensure that no binding commitments are made to reduce carbon emissions. According to Donald Gutstein’s new book The Big Stall, the corporate takeover of international climate negotiations goes back nearly 30 years.
Quantifying Climate Hypocrisy – the Canada File
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
In 2015 Canada proclaimed itself an ally of vulnerable island nations and pushed for an ambitious climate mitigation goal. But since then Canada’s actual commitments under the Paris Agreement have ranked with the world’s weakest. Behind the discrepancy is the lack of a global agreement on a fair method for allocating the remaining carbon emissions budget.
A Tale of Three Cities – Cycling in Valencia, Paris and London
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
Although our geographic and political situations vary a great deal, nearly all cities in industrial civilization have been dominated by car culture for a few generations, and we face many common challenges as we work back towards cities that are safe for everyone who could and should be moving about our streets.