U.S. public health community begins discussing peak oil

Today’s health care services rely on infrastructure and practices that depend upon petroleum. That recognition offers public health professionals a significant chance to help prepare the nation for a post-peak oil world. (Report on conference at Johns Hopkins University, with support from the Centers for Disease Control – CDC.)

Food & agriculture – May 3

Report: “Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops” (Union of Concerned Scientists)
Biochar good news, bad news
Brazil slave labor complaints rise (sugarcane ethanol)
Egypt orders slaughter of all pigs over swine flu

Health – May 3

The ethics of environmentally responsible health care
The Oil Drum ponders H1N1 CLZ5 NGZ2 (swine flu)
Global health expert Laurie Garrett discusses swine flu
Why can’t we concentrate?

Just in case

Officials or the media may or may not be overreacting. New diseases crop up all the time, and most are not serious. … This might become very serious, or not, but the risk of death to any of us is statistically low – except in the long run.