Climate Stories

Tall mountains, fast friends, and my first climate story

There are places in this world that never lose their new-penny sheen. You can stand there and drink them with your eyes, your brain flooded with beauty, but when you turn from them the experience washes away. When you look again, they’re new, and you’re no closer to understanding what you see. Tiger-Leaping Gorge(虎跳峡) is one such … Continue reading Tall mountains, fast friends, and my first climate story

雪山:Can mountains be endangered?

The first of many “Climate Stories” will be here tomorrow. The Chinese language uses a distinct phrase to distinguish mountains with glaciers from those without. 雪山(XueShan), literally “snow mountain,” refers to mountains that have snow year-round, while mountains that rarely or never have snow are simply called “山”. Climate change threatens the very names, the majesty, … Continue reading 雪山:Can mountains be endangered?

Best Laid Plans

My camera, ~1000 pictures, and two near-full notebooks are gone, with small and diminishing hope of return. They were in a red drysack that got lifted from my backpack somewhere along the road from Kunming (昆明) to Dali(大理). The camera can be replaced with a month’s work, but the memories, the posts planned, and the … Continue reading Best Laid Plans

Keystone XL Passes the Senate, 62-36

Read more here: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/29/senate-passes-keystone.html Quick facts: A project has passed the senate that will lead to the creation of 36 permanent jobs (according to state department analysis) and untold ecological and economic climate change-related damage. It has already been passed in the house, but President Obama has vowed to veto the bill. Senators voting yes on KXL … Continue reading Keystone XL Passes the Senate, 62-36