The man who would have burned Rome
Lucius Sergius Catiline was the supposed mastermind who planned to burn the Roman Senate to the ground. His plot was unravelled by the great orator Cicero, ushering in his finest hour. 62 BC – Pistoria, Northern Italy –Men scream, swords clash. A rag-tag collection of ex-soldiers, citizens and freedmen face off against Roman soldiers. A […]
The glittering sands of Parthia
53 BC, somewhere near the village of Carrhae Arrows rain down upon the Roman legionnaires from all directions, pinning hands to shields and feet to the dusty, blood-stained ground. Dying by the dozen, the soldiers’ hope is fading. They are unable to advance or even engage the constantly moving horsemen who pelt arrows their way […]
Radio interview: US climate scientists lured away
I spoke with World Radio Switzerland about a recent article for Mongabay which looked at how US climate scientists are responding to attempted cut backs to science and a radical change in US climate policy.
A tale of two policies: climate change, Trump, and the U.S. military – Mongabay
The U.S. government appears to be of two minds, with utterly opposing worldviews, on climate change policy.
IUCN, UN, global NGOs, likely to see major budget cuts under Trump – Mongabay
Donald Trump’s 2018 budget remains in limbo – the U.S. Congress has now kicked a budget vote down the road four times, moving it from September 2017, passed two missed December dates, and now to 19 January 2018. And the longer the delays, the more concern there is internationally. That’s because those final budget numbers aren’t […]
Radio interview: Climate science ‘brain drain’ speeds up in Trump era
An interview with WYNC‘s The Takeaway show discussing a US science ‘brain drain’. Listen here.
Saving Sumatran orchids from deforestation, one plant at a time – Mongabay
Conversion of forest for agriculture is an ever-present threat in Sumatra, even in protected areas like Kerinci Seblat National Park. Palm oil, acacia, rubber and other plantation crops pressure the park from the outside, while poaching endangers the fauna within. Scientists estimate there are between 25,000 and 30,000 species of orchid in the world, with […]
‘Losing all of Switzerland’s glaciers is not that far away’ – The Local
A child born in Switzerland today will likely live to see the turn of the 22nd century. If scientists are right, the views they’ll see will have changed remarkably. For one, they will likely shiver less in winter and only see glaciers in the highest reaches of the Alps. It’s a grim vision of a future […]
Catch-all fisheries are squeezing Asia’s seahorses – Mongabay
Some of the fishing boats around Phu Quoc Island off southwestern Vietnam use trawl nets that drag along the seafloor, catching everything in their sweep. Others send divers into the water to snag seahorses by hand. A recent study in the journal Fisheries Research by the Canada- and U.K.-based conservation group Project Seahorse estimates that between 127,000 and 269,000 […]
Should I stay, or should I go: is U.S. facing a climate scientist brain drain? – Mongabay
U.S. climate researchers, facing an uncertain future under a presidential administration known for its hostility to science, had a potential way out: answer a few questions on a website run by the French government, draw up a project proposal, and then maybe get offered a position at a French university, supported by enough cash for the duration […]
