Just Planting Trees Won't Stop March of Deserts
On the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, we look at two pioneering ways to stave off the loss of fertile land by challenging the conventional wisdom of merely planting more trees.
Judith D. Schwartz
Judith D. Schwartz is a journalist whose recent work looks at soil as a hub for multiple environmental, economic, and social challenges—and solutions. She writes on this theme for numerous publications and speaks in venues around the world.
Trading Protests for Sustainable Energy in Middle East
In the hamlet of Susya, a joint effort by Israelis and Palestinians is lighting a single candle (lit by biogas) rather than cursing the darkness.
Botanist Brings Trees to the Israeli Desert
Deep in the driest and hottest part of Israel, a California-born botanist is trying to remake the Negev Desert with productive trees that thrive on abuse.
Pricing Carbon to Reduce Emissions, Create Dividends
Proponents of the "Wesleyan Statement" say that America should tax carbon to reduce emissions, then return the money to citizens as a direct payment or a tax reduction.
Social Cost of Carbon Has Wide-Ranging Impact
A requirement for cost/benefit analyses of federal rules has created — without any real public input — a very important number in deciding what to do about greenhouse gases.
Devons Offer New England Cattle Ranches New Opportunities
Taking a page out of cattle-raising's past, an old breed from Britain is invigorating American herds with healthier meat that's more sustainably produced.
Holistic Management: Getting Carbon Back in the Soil
A smarter way of raising herd animals, known as holistic management, may be a catalyst to helping the soil reclaim its role as a global carbon sponge.
Energy Oasis in the Desert
Arava Power Company, a pioneering solar energy firm, wants to make the Israeli desert bloom — with photovoltaic panels.
Learning About Transition Via Its Vocabulary
A movement aimed at tackling the energy crisis with aplomb has been stepping on the gas since its formation.
This Import Might Preserve American Jobs
Might a cooperative model that arose from ashes of a civil war serve the Rust Belt economies of America's Midwest?
What Jane Jacobs Can Teach Us About the Economy
Late urban champion's notions about decline and imports newly resonant during this recession.
Will Health Care Slip on Oil?
America's way of providing medical care has an Achilles' heel — not in the operating room or the pharmacy, but at the oil well and the refinery.