Culture & Celebrity

Under the Dome, the self-funded documentary by former television news anchor Chai Jing about China’s battles with smog, has been an internet phenomenon. Within three days of its release on Febuary 28, it had racked up more than 150 million views and garnered 280 million posts on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. Then the Chinese government removed it from the web, stung by the criticism the film prompted, leaving those who had hailed it as a landmark moment in Chinese environmentalism

A recurring claim in articles that warn against “environmental catastrophism” is that alerting people to the threats posed by climate change will only produce apathy and despair. To win broad support, they say, we need to stress positive messages. Robert Jensen, a professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas and board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center, argues the exact opposite. His recent book, We Are All Apocalyptic Now, opens with the provocative statement

Despite endless conferences, treaties and solemn promises, greenhouse gas emissions have risen 61% since 1990, and the rate of increase is accelerating. As Naomi Klein tells us in her new book, This Changes Everything, we are now experiencing an “early twenty-first century emissions explosion.” The reason for this ominous failure, she shows, is that the present capitalist profit system itself is incompatible with climate and environmental stability. Our only hope is the rise of mass movements

Since humans evolved from apes and climbed down from the trees we have altered nature through our activity. This is especially so since the rise of capitalism and its ruthless, destructive global exploitation of nature. In her book, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert clearly and passionately describes how human destruction of ecological systems is today causing the sixth great mass extinction of biological species, including possibly the huma

When mainstream media covers various topics they often do so by having a “balanced” coverage – that is when the media gives equal time to both sides of a story. When it comes to climate change this usually takes the form of “debates” where a climate skeptic debates the topic with a global warming “believer”. But this balanced reporting is totally inappropriate when it comes to climate change. It only gives the viewer a false idea of the state of climate science, while reducing global warming

Too many supposedly radical books are written by academics for academics, apparently competing to see who can produce the most incomprehensible prose. My list of ‘books to be reviewed’ contains literally dozens of overstuffed and overpriced volumes that only a handful of specialists will ever read, books with little or no relevance to the non-university world. So it’s a true delight to receive a book written by an activist for activists, a practical contribution to building real struggles for

In western Hunguary in October 2010 a retaining wall around a reservoir filled with toxic waste from an aluminum company burst open and released hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of deadly sludge. The stinking and toxic red sludge flooded the surrounding areas, rivers, and towns killing nine people and injuring hundreds with chemical burns. Spanish photographer Palíndromo Mészaros has in a series of photos documented buildings, roads, and trees that were stained by a rust-red

What are we in this for, anyway? This thing we call life and living. Is it really to earn enough money to buy lots of stuff, thinking that will bring happiness? The car. The house. You know, the stuff. Well, happiness science tells us without doubt that once we get past a certain minimal material threshold (security, food, clothing, shelter, mobility, education, health, etc.), happiness does not come from simply adding more. Rather, it comes from the nonmaterial. Closeness to family

It's not always easy to get through to kids; engaging them in conversation about the environment can be tedious, especially if they are twitching from video game withdrawal and anxious to return to their XBOX. Luckily, there are games out there that appeal to kids while conveying important environmental messages. It may sound like a long shot, but experts agree that video games are a great medium for teaching kids and for conveying information that will stick in the long run. One such game is

As going green becomes more and more chic, celebrities are embracing the movement and advocating renewable energy, green products, and the like. But supermodel Gisele Bündchen is no stranger to environmental issues, and this past Thursday she was named the Best Green International Celebrity at this year's Green Awards. The award show took place at the National History Museum in London, with candidates including Paul McCartney and musician Miguel Bose. Gisele has been a Goodwill Ambassador fo

In the past, films like “WALL-E†and “Avatar†have been released with a strong environmental message throughout the movies. These films are great because a large part of their target audience are kids, and these kids will be the ones passing legislation and making changes several decades from now. A recently released environmental film, perhaps, is “The Lorax.†Originally by Dr. Seuss, The Lorax was first released as a book in 1971. Interestingly, the book met some controversy in 198

Over the last few years there has been an explosion in documentary film making, quite a number of them on environmental issues. Of course for a fan of such things the difficulty is getting to see them. Fortunately, The UK Green Film festival is on right now in Glasgow's GFT, and other cities UK wide. I’ve tried to catch a few of these films and thought I’d give a run down on some of the ones I’ve seen, and my thoughts on the many issues they've raised. Firstly, I’ve noted th

Photo credit: alancleaver_2000 Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas? I think not. If you plan early and do a little research, green alternatives aren’t hard to find; there’s something eco-friendly out there for everyone on your list. Top 10 Green Gifts 1. Homemade Bodycare Products For the: makeup lover, spa junkie, or anyone who could use a little pampering Why it’s Green: There are tons of natural beauty products out there, but why not kick it up a notch and mak

">" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="550" height="330"> Obama will abandon complex policies on emissions, clean coal and refocus on achievable goals like applying deodorant daily, learning what to say when you burp. Don't worry! It's just some good'ol satire. Or is it?

This past week the non-profit film HOME was released in every format, including in movie theaters, on television, DVD/Blu-ray Disc and the internet, on the same day in over 50 countries in an effort to spread its message to the widest audience possible. "We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate", Yann Arthus-Bert

Here is some weekend fun from Supernews, an animated sketch comedy series airing on Current TV every Friday night at 10 PM E/P. Going Green: A wannabe environmentalist just doesn't get it. President Obama hosts a star-studded SuperNews! full of "recycled" cartoons from classic episodes.

Yesterday the new climate change movie “The Age of Stupid” had premiere in the UK. The movie stars Pete Postlethwaite as an archivist in the devastated world of the future, asking the question: "Why didn't we stop climate change when we still had the chance?" He looks back on footage of real people around the world in the years leading up to 2015 before runaway climate change took place. The movie has already received positive reviews in the press and celebrities, p

Will.i.am has together with DipDive just released a new video titled "Take Our Planet Back" which focuses on energy, climate and environmental issues and topics. The video calls for citizens and their leaders to deal with the serious environmental problems that our planet faces. The video features clips of Al Gore, montages of the various environmental challenges we face, and will.i.am singing. Watch it: Below you can find the lyrics for Wi

The Times Online is reporting that a polar bear was found stranded on a block of ice travelling down the Thames in London yesterday. Although the polar bear only was a giant sculpture designed to help promote a new natural history channel in the UK it highlighted the effects of man-made climate change, in this case melting ice caps. “A total of 15 artists spent two months constructing the 20ft by 20ft square structure, which was launched

Some celebrities from the entertainment industry in the US got together in this video from the Sierra Club, America's oldest grassroots environmental organization, to thank President-Elect Obama "for the extraordinary leadership he has already demonstrated on environmental issues". The celebrities, like Pierce Brosnan and Edward Olmos, (The only ones I recognised) talks about "policy issues that Barack Obama can begin addressing on day one in order to tackle global warming and start

A new "Green Bible" which is said to embrace environmentalism and the need to protect the Earth has apparently sparked some controversy among evangelicals in the US, the United Press International reports. The Green Bible, has been endorsed by the Humane Society and the Sierra Club and has so far been sold in 25000 copies. "Other evangelicals are concerned the Green Bible will mislead Christians because it does not interpret Scripture literally, said James Taylor, a founding elder

Because of the horrific Mumbai attacks, the Live Earth India concert scheduled for Dec 7 has been cancelled. Al Gore, one of the main Live Earth organizers, has issued the following joint statement with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the group's founder: Friday, November 28, 2008 Everyone involved with Live Earth India, from our U.S.- and India-based staff, artists and crew to our India-based broadcast, production, non-profit and marketing communications partner

Letterman rants about global warming on his show in early September saying "We're Dead Meat". He also talks with Thomas Friedman about his new book titled "Hot, Flat, and Crowded - Why We Need a Green Revolution - And How it Can Renew America". Both video clips are worth checking out and can be found below:

Six billion people. That's the current human population on Earth, and the highest ever reached as well. Things start to get cramped in the cities, while there is everywhere a noticeable depressing atmosphere due to having too many people around, whether that's in a traffic jam, in shops, at public services etc. The number of six billion human lives would never have been reached if it wasn't for fossil fuels. The energy sent by the sun and received by the Earth every day could ever sustain mor