Why kneeling before a deranged narcissist is a bad idea — In honor of Donald Trump’s recently launched effort to become history’s only thrice impeached President, I thought I’d re-up this piece to pinned status. Trump is a clinically unstable narcissist of low IQ, with a crippling need for attention and dominance. If you want to predict what he will do…

When America is ready for ideas that work, we’ll need political leaders who are ready with ideas that work — This is Part 2 of my discussion of how ecosocialism might come to America. Part 1 is here. Although America is far from ready for ecosocialist solutions — in fact, it harbors so much resistance to the fundamental precepts of ecosocialism that these ideas have little currency in mainstream American…

America has no idea how to live after the end of fossil fuels. When the country is ready to listen, ecosocialism can provide the answers it needs. — Don’t get me wrong. Third parties normally suck. They are consistently unsuccessful in American politics, from Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party to this year’s ridiculously transparent “No Labels” party. Third parties usually have only one purpose — to disrupt one of the two main parties — and nothing beyond that…

We’re not doing what we need to be doing — I wrote about carbon budgets awhile back. That post had the distinction of being my least-read and least-clapped-for post. OK, I get it … not the most scintillating topic in the wide world of climate change. But I submit it may be the most important topic, because it describes how…

They will consume us if we let them — We know we are destroying the world that shelters us. We know we are creating a climate hell that our descendants will live with for thousands of years. We know we are using up the planet’s resources at an exponential and unsustainable rate. We know we will soon begin running…

Same players, same goals, same stakes … how will it end this time? — It is no coincidence that the Confederate Flag is the symbol of the MAGA movement. It is no coincidence that today’s most radical Red States are former members of the Confederacy. It is no coincidence that all of our radical Red States want to hide from American children any accurate…

Who’s going to decide — governments or the oil industry? — As an average citizen of the United States, one with no particular power over our political trajectory beyond my ability to vote and encourage others to vote, I have very little say in how our descent into a hotter, resource-depleted world will play out. This contrasts with how much I…

What to learn, how to think, how to live — I originally published this post as one long article, but decided to divide it into two slightly more bite-sized pieces. In Part 1, we considered two questions anyone wanting to survive the 21st Century must answer for themselves: What predictions can you rely on? What will give your life meaning? …

How to live a meaningful life in a time of turmoil — I originally published this post as one long article, but decided to divide it into two slightly more bite-sized pieces. This is Part 1. Part 2 is here. I recently came across a post on Reddit that said, in part: “I’m a teen and I’m really scared for my future …