New Yorker
Elizabeth Kolbert is a staff writer at the New Yorker, covering environmental issues. She is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.
PROFILE
Elizabeth Kolbert
Guest
FROM Elizabeth Kolbert
To the Point
Hurricane Irma's not over yet Hurricane Irma is not what it used to be, but it's still doing plenty of damage. From Key West north to Jacksonville, both coasts of Florida are suffering massive wind- and water-damage from a storm that's still 400 miles wide. Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia are among cities still in the path of devastation. At least four people have died in Florida — compared to 30 or more in Caribbean Islands, now short of food and water where few buildings remain standing. President Trump has promised federal assistance to all the states suffering from recent weather-related disaster. We take stock and get current reports, including the influence of climate change and the extent of rising sea level.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Terrorism and Climate Change At the Paris climate talks today, President François Hollande of France said that global warming is a security threat on par with terrorism. Others have made more direct links. Earlier this year, the National Academy of Sciences published a study saying that Syria’s long drought added to instability there, contributing to the civil war and the rise of ISIS.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The Sixth Extinction The Earth has lived through 5 mass extinctions of animals and plants. The last one - 66 million years ago - took out the dinosaurs. That extinction is believed to have been caused by a giant asteroid smashing into the Earth. Now we are living through extinction number 6. And the cause is us. Human behavior.
Which Way, L.A.?
Are American Kids Spoiled Rotten? A recent issue of the New Yorker magazine contains the comment: "With the exception of the imperial offspring of the Ming dynasty and the dauphins of pre-revolutionary France, contemporary American kids may represent the most indulged young people in the history of the world." Too many toys, too few chores and mothers and fathers who doubt their own authority: is "parental hysteria" producing "a nation of wimps?" Why are so many college graduates going back home instead of venturing into the job market and building their own families? Is it time to give up "helicopter parenting" and leave kids alone so they can learn to fend for themselves, or is the millennial generation facing a historic transformation in what it takes to become a successful adult and maintain roots in the middle class?
To the Point
Are American Kids Spoiled Rotten? A recent issue of the New Yorker magazine contains the comment: "With the exception of the imperial offspring of the Ming dynasty and the dauphins of pre-revolutionary France, contemporary American kids may represent the most indulged young people in the history of the world." Too many toys, too few chores and mothers and fathers who doubt their own authority: is "parental hysteria" producing "a nation of wimps?" Why are so many college graduates going back home instead of venturing into the job market and building their own families? Is it time to give up "helicopter parenting" and leave kids alone so they can learn to fend for themselves, or is the millennial generation facing a historic transformation in what it takes to become a successful adult and maintain roots in the middle class?
Which Way, L.A.?
Is the Carbon Tax an Idea Whose Time Has Come? Environmentalists have long championed a carbon tax, imposed not just on gasoline, but on all fossil fuels, from coal used to generate electricity to diesel fuel used to power heavy equipment, as a way to address climate change. Now it’s winning the support of conservative think-tanks and even some oil companies, as a way to address the budget deficit. Is the tax a smart way to avert both global warming and the fiscal cliff? If so, then why isn't the Obama White House proposing it, and why is Congress so reluctant to consider it? Has hurricane Sandy changed any minds?
To the Point
Is the Carbon Tax an Idea Whose Time Has Come? Environmentalists have long championed a carbon tax, imposed not just on gasoline, but on all fossil fuels, from coal used to generate electricity to diesel fuel used to power heavy equipment, as a way to address climate change. Now it’s winning the support of conservative think-tanks and even some oil companies, as a way to address the budget deficit. Is the tax a smart way to avert both global warming and the fiscal cliff? If so, then why isn't the Obama White House proposing it, and why is Congress so reluctant to consider it? Has hurricane Sandy changed any minds?
To the Point
Are American Kids Spoiled Rotten? Last week's issue of the New Yorker magazine contains this comment: "With the exception of the imperial offspring of the Ming dynasty and the dauphins of pre-revolutionary France, contemporary American kids may represent the most indulged young people in the history of the world." With too many toys, too few chores and mothers and fathers who doubt their own authority, is "parental hysteria" producing " a nation of wimps ?" Why are so many college graduates going back home instead of venturing into the job market and building their own families? Is it time to give up "helicopter parenting" and leave kids alone so they can learn to fend for themselves, or is the millennial generation facing a historic transformation in what it takes to become a successful adult and maintain roots in the middle class?
Which Way, L.A.?
Weird Weather and Climate Change This year — and the past decade — have seen an increase in human catastrophes caused by unusually "extreme weather" of different kinds. Arizona's wildfires are the result of a drought, while late snow in the western mountains has led to predictions of massive flooding. This is the kind of thing climate-change scientists have predicted, but public skepticism that it's caused by human activity is on the increase and efforts in Washington to take any action are on the decline. We look at the science and the politics.
To the Point
Weird Weather and Climate Change For years, scientists have predicted that global warming would lead to extreme weather. Sure enough, extremes have become what some call the "new normal." The past decade has seen an increase in human catastrophes caused by unusual weather of different kinds. Arizona's wildfires are the result of a drought, while late snow in the western mountains has led to predictions of massive flooding. But scientists have a hard time saying that a given weather event is evidence of climate change. What's overlooked is that they also have trouble saying it's not. In any case, special interests seize on scientific uncertainty to avoid regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, and the public is very confused. Is the real "hoax" climate change or the denial of climate change? We look at an issue that's become as political as it is scientific.
To the Point
Bush, the Midnight Regulator In the last hours of his presidency, John Adams appointed what came to be known as "midnight judges." Jimmy Carter invented "midnight regulations." Every subsequent outgoing president has tried to perpetuate his policies by last-minute rules the next president has a hard time getting rid of. Bill Clinton strengthened environmental protections and locked up federal lands from development. George Bush complained about it, as every president does, but now Bush is doing the same thing. Based on the lessons learned eight years ago, he may be doing it more effectively, which means that Barack Obama will face a harder time making "change." We find out why.
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