Kurt Cobb

Let’s party ’til the helium’s gone

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The fun qualities of helium stand in stark contrast to its deadly serious applications which are increasingly endangered. For although helium is the second most abundant element in the universe–hydrogen is the first–it is exceedingly rare on Earth; and, our cavalier attitude toward its use threatens tasks that are critical to maintaining our complex society.

Burning off the asparagus bed

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The carbon police frown on my practice of burning the asparagus bed. I am contributing to global warming, they say. Never mind all those jets flying high overhead, each of whose engines contributes more carbon emission in one minute than my burning asparagus patch does in a couple thousand years. Those very important people riding around in jetliners are doing the Lord’s work (like dropping bombs on people), while I am just a heathen dancing in this lovely May weather while I scarf down fresh asparagus.

Thinking about “The Green Mind”

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“Let’s start with the fact that climate change is anthropogenic,” says psychologist Elke Weber …
“That means it’s caused by human behavior. That’s not to say that engineering solutions aren’t important. But if it’s caused by human behavior, then the solution probably also lies in changing human behavior.”

Barter, Baby, Barter

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It is astonishing what barter can bring about – and while I like barter networks and other programs, and can see their advantages, I am particularly passionate about barter that takes place in human relationships – because I think it kills two birds with one stone, not only does it save money on the particular exchange, but it helps us give up our general dependency on money in place of community.

The Peak Oil Crisis: Bankruptcy

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A year ago we were debating the possibility of an economic downturn. Now we are looking for the bottom of a major recession or perhaps something worse. It seems that for the last 30 or 40 years we have been extending ourselves ever increasing amounts of credit. It had to stop somewhere-and it did – just as world oil production was peaking.

Rethinking the Rust Belt

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The fantasy that historical change can only continue in its most recent direction underlies many of the difficulties we face in making sense of the deindustrial are. Unthinkable as it may seem, the economic map of North America in 2050 might well resemble nothing so much as the equivalent map in 1880 — a possibility that requires reframing many common assumptions about the shape of the future.