Evidence that smoking in public places endangers the health of others is weak, even while the argument against smoking is strong
Environment
Viewpoint: Air-Conditioning Will Be the End of Us
Trying to engineer hot weather out of existence in an age of man-made global warming is indefensible
We Are All Climate Change Deniers
Almost all of us minimize or normalize our enormous global problems
The Big Problem With Disaster Planning
We can try to prepare for the worst, but natural disasters cause chain reactions that we can’t always anticipate
Viewpoint: Don’t Call The Planet ‘Mother’ Earth
By anthropomorphizing our planet, we find it inconceivable that it might become inhospitable to human life
Is It a Crime to Plant a Seed?
In a case reaching the Supreme Court, Monsanto fights a farmer to protect a seed’s progeny
How to End Blackouts Forever
There is a way to make our grid more resilient and blackouts a thing of the past. Here’s how:
Nuclear Power and Superstorms Don’t Mix
Now is the time to assess future risks to our dependence on nuclear energy
When Trees Become Lethal
Hurricane Sandy has shown us it’s not just old and dying trees that we should worry about
Will We Be Seeing More Superstorms?
As humans push the edges of urban viability, disastrous storms could become the norm
A Letter to Jim Lehrer
Now that the conventions are over, it’s time to put some real issues on the debate agenda
The Real Lesson of Formaldehyde In Baby Shampoo
There has been a dismaying breakdown in consumer trust, not only in the products we buy but in the government we assume is regulating them
Why Bats Are So Misunderstood
Bees are getting all the attention, but bats are equally deserving of our sympathy