The New York Times has a series on Antarctica. As usual, like everyone, they focus on what people are doing now: For scientists working in Antarctica, the situation has become a race against time. I support scientists and I understand newspapers want to engage readers to attract more of them and sell more ads, but the story that scientists are collecting data is old news. More old news and pointless reporting: these scientists understand that political leaders — and cities already feeling the effects of a rising sea — need clearer forecasts about the consequences of emissions. They get to…

After my disillusioning visit and presentation to the scientists at Columbia's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, I attended a presentation of a couple NYU researchers who study and teach about our garbage and waste. One studied and documented the amount of waste hospitals create, which is more than you'd expect. The other described how New York City developed its Department of Sanitation, how that department cleaned the city, and some of how it handles the city's garbage today. The talks were engaging and their results clear and informative, but I felt they missed the point, like they were measuring…

I recommend Before the Flood, a documentary on global warming by Leonardo Di Caprio, Martin Scorcese, and others, including music by Trent Reznor. It's free on YouTube [EDIT: it keeps getting removed, though people seem to repost it so if you search you may find it]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxGOQDiWImA Two big problems Problem #1: the people who know what's happening---the scientists---are unskilled at influencing others and the people skilled at influencing others, like Di Caprio, don't have credibility as actors and celebrities. The result is that the most influential people come from neither group, but from groups with personal interests, like the…