Environmental Issues

WilderUtopia sees environmental issues as publicizing harmful effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, and seeking methods to solve problems, transcend boundaries and build a better and more sustainable future. Environmentalism, a social and environmental movement that spans race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status, addresses environmental issues through advocacy, education and activism.

Alberta Boreal Forest
Climate, Tar Sands

Peter Jefferson Nichols: A NY Times Columnist’s Misguided Crusade

Joe Nocera in the New York Times believes Dr. James Hansen, because he is head of NASA’s Goddard Institute, should just shut up instead of participating in the anti-Keystone XL movement. Peter Jefferson Nichols argues this should be the role of any government scientist who recognizes the danger of passing climate tipping points, producing irreversible climate impacts.

Big Oil, Stop Fooling CA
Energy, Politics and Advocacy

California: Big Oil AstroTurf Subverts Clean Air and Fuel Standards

While the public demands protections for air, land, and water, the California oil industry uses front groups and spends millions on lobbying the legislature, gaining disproportionate influence in subverting pollution and fuel standards. Keeping the economy addicted to climate-fouling fossil fuels and reaping billions in profits, Big Oil claims to be a “victim” of excessive regulation. Stop Fooling California!

California Condor, documentary
Rituals and Traditions, Wildlife

California Condor: Overcoming Extinction, A Symbol of Renewal

The California Condor Recovery Program has defied the odds to rescue from oblivion the last of the prehistorics and icon of Native Californian cosmology. Threats such as lead ammunition, microtrash, and sprawling land development threaten these impressive gains of an endangered species. The film “The Condor’s Shadow” documents this struggle.

keystone xl pipeline
Climate, Tar Sands

Peter Jefferson Nichols: Sorry Slate, No Keystone, Big Problem for Tar Sands

“Blocking a pipeline, isn’t the same as blocking the flow of oil.” Hell yeah it ain’t! Diversity of targets! Diversity of tactics! If I am going to stop the single most profitable and destructive commodity on the planet from permanently spoiling our finite commons, the market place, I’ve got to do more than merely hold rallies and get arrested. I’ve got to organize. And that’s exactly what I’m doing, along with my siblings in solidarity.

Tar Sands, Forward on Climate
Climate, Tar Sands

Peter Jefferson Nichols: The NYT Misleads on How to Fix Climate Change

The Keystone XL is a great line in the sand. It requires an executive approval from President Obama because it crosses an international boundary, a rare “Yeah” or “Nay” for a head of state. Should the President reject the project based on its adverse climatic effects, he would become the first world leader to recognize the mutually beneficial relationship between ecology and economy.