Climate change

Articles

Hothouse Earth

Hothouse Earth. A very unsafe operating space for human beings — indeed, totally uninhabitable. As Earth warms, at an increasing pace, invisible points of no return transgressed, that’s where we may be heading. The GPM speaks with the co-author of a recent report, and listens back to a conversation with a pioneer in Earth systems science, Will Steffen.


Spider Microbiomes

Microbes inside spiders reveal Canadian river pollution. The GPM speaks with ecotoxicologist Karen Kidd. And, relentless Israeli genocide, apartheid, land theft, and ethnic cleansing. The GPM speaks with the Fathi Nimer, Palestine Policy Fellow of Al-Shabaka, the Palestine Policy Network.


Paradise Lost

Sustainable development and a stable climate – these are human rights. The GPM speaks with Bonny Ibhawoh, Chair of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development. And, the Chagossian people have a right to return to their ancestral homeland, in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Big problem: the UK and US have turned it into a huge military base — launch pad for US wars around the planet. The GPM speaks with author David Vine about the plight and human rights struggle of the Chagossian people.


Cold as ICE

They’re as cold as ICE. As US-backed Israeli forces terrorize Gaza, reducing the long-besieged enclave to rubble, smashing its people to bits, Donald Trump’s masked, plain-clothed, paramilitary militia terrorize black, brown and Latino communities coast to coast. The GPM speaks with antiwar/justice group CODEPINK. And, two dozen Canadian Senators call for a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel. We speak with one of them.


Planet in Polycrisis

Self-amplifying cascades on planet Earth – some negative, some positive. A conversation with complexity theorist Thomas Homer-Dixon. And, Earth systems can tip, cascading off in dangerous directions. Some already are. A conversation with one of the authors of an international report on Earth tipping points.


Corruption, Crimes & Incompetence

In the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s downfall at the hands of a small army of jihadist rebels — no doubt aided and abetted by the US and Israel (aka Israel-USA) — the GPM speaks with Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs. From events in Syria, our conversation turns to the non-existent rule of law, prospects for Palestine once Donald Trump moves into the White House, and the nature of competent leadership.


Apes on Steroids

The Great Acceleration: Earth systems commandeered by permanent human growth economics, fueled by coal, oil and gas. A quarter of the planet’s core energy base — natural primary productivity — appropriated for human food, fiber and fuel production. The GPM speaks about human socioeconomic metabolism and appropriation of net primary production with Vienna University ecologist Fridolin Krausmann. And, about the mid-20th century Great Acceleration with Georgetown University historian John McNeill.


Tipping Points

In the heart of one of Canada’s biggest cities, paradise. Below a city dweller’s feet, a pulsating, living network. All around us on this living planet, the clear and present danger of sliding into oblivion.



Crime of Crimes

Genocide in Gaza — Is Israel guilty of this crime of crimes? One thing is clear: genocidal incitement permeates Israeli society. The GPM speaks with Israeli human rights attorney Michael Sfard. How to stop Israel’s assault? Some call for international intervention. The GPM speaks with Canadian international law expert Ardi Imseis. And, the Anthropocene. A wake-up call from Canadian Earth scientist Martin Head.


Tipping Points

Oceans of clean energy on humanity’s doorstep — wave, tidal, surface heat and, wherever freshwater flows into the sea … salt gradient energy. Tipping points in Earth systems. Unstable states world governments need to prepare for now. And, America’s Passionate Attachment to Israel. Loyalty is a must.


To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Sleeping and dreaming — essential and mysterious. An old Tanzanian friend speaks about torrential rains and village celebrations. And, in the Dutch city of Delft, a big university digs deep for the heat beneath: geothermal energy.



Risky Moves

Risky moves: A Canadian political scientist attends a sanctioned forum in Russia — and asks Vladimir Putin a question. An Italian climate researcher refuses to return to work fast, from the other side of the planet. Slow travel releases less carbon, he tells his bosses. The GPM interviews Radhika Desai and Gianluca Grimalda.


Old Nazis & International Law

A small Canadian lake records humanity’s impact on Planet Earth. On the floor of Canada’s House of Commons, an old Nazi veteran gets a standing ovation. And, when official enemies are to blame, Canada calls for justice. For a beloved ally, Canada calls for justice to be suspended.


Lake Chad Drying Up

Six out of nine planetary systems key to the survival of the human species are under threat. Is Earth still a safe operating space for human beings? And, a mega-engineering project to save an endangered African lake — on the drawing board, and very worrisome.


Planetary Boundaries Breached

Six out of nine planetary systems key to the survival of the human species have been compromised, breaching the estimated boundaries of Earth system stability and resilience and pushing it “well outside of the safe operating space for humanity.” The GPM spoke with Katherine Richardson, lead author of “Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries.”


Wanted Man

Kids aren’t the only ones rebelling against extinction. In Ottawa, a sixty-year-old gets arrested for sitting down on a highway. Forget politicians — citizens’ assemblies are the way to go. And, channeling Johnny Cash for adoring fans in France and Germany.


Bosses Old & New

In West Africa, French colonialism officially ended in the 1960s. Six decades later, neocolonialism lives on. These days, America is the world’s preeminent imperial power and NATO its most powerful tool. In Cambodia, French colonists are long gone. Military chiefs and their rich clients rule the roost, much to the detriment of biodiverse ecosystems.