Posts Tagged ‘ climate change ’

Climate Change: Week Two

Climate Change. Global Warming. Atmosphere. Oceans. Fossil Fuel. Carbon. Overload.

While I’ve prioritized my time and energy into one subject, climate change is a bit daunting. The problem is hard to define, there is no concrete “enemy”, we need short term costs to solve long term problems, there are no clear success metrics, and there is an infinite amount to learn. In my two weeks of exploring, I’ve learned some astounding things from experts and novices alike, but the result is realizing how much there is to know and learn.

One particularly thoughtful post by my friend Brian White has got me thinking about what my goals would be, and highlighted the problem of even talking about climate change.

A book recommended to me has enlightened me to how vast and complicated the science is. The book The Long Thaw goes into past, present and future of the Earth’s climate, talking about natural climate changes along with the potential ramifications of the last two hundred years of  man’s fossil fuel usage. I recommend it.

2012
11/25
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
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1 comment

Entering Exploratory Phase

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been exploring causes that could mean a lot to me. I’ve been open minded, getting involved, and most importantly, learning. Whether third world issues like clean water with charity:water, education with FIRST Robotics, or donating too much money to politicians. I’ve met with some awesome people who dedicate a huge amount of time to making the world a better place.

For the indefinite future, climate change will be my main focus. Why? If we don’t solve global warming, more and more people will be without water. If first world countries collapse, education as we know it will only become more difficult. If our infrastructure degrades because of natural disasters, no amount of entrepreneurship will save us after it’s too late. But climate change is such a large problem, how should I tackle it?

Here’s my strategy:

I’m going to go in with a completely open mind, exploring four areas of global warming:

  • Science
  • Politics
  • Public Relations
  • Business

I’m going to try and split my time equally among the four categories without being too predisposed to either. My goal will be to speak with and learn from experts along all of them, read books, and pay attention to the news. This is all a bit daunting, so I figure some kind of strategy will be helpful. I would love feedback and thoughts.

 

 

 

 

2012
11/19
CATEGORY
climate change
global warming
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7 comments

The Article that Changed my Life

Chip Giller, a friend and founder of environmental website Grist invited me to a talk by environmental writer / activist Bill McKibben.  He sent me a Rolling Stone article by Mr. McKibben and advised me to read it before the talk as it would give me some context.

The article changed my life.

Read it here. 

Essentially it brings global warming into perspective as a near and immediate issue for me. An issue which will leave our society dramatically changed in the next twenty years. Whether it’s because we’ve removed our dependance and usage of fossil fuels, or whether it’s because nature forces a rebalance, our society is going to look drastically different. The human race doesn’t have a choice in the matter. The underpinnings of our society are going to shift. We must adapt.

I’m not saying I’m going to immediately call myself a climate hawk, but I am going to educate myself. It’s now a personal imperative for me to understand the science, the politics, the economic impact, and public relations challenges behind climate change.

PopCap has taught me that change, while natural, is hard, but we’ve learned to embrace those challenges and continue to persevere, make games we believe in, and by holding true to that creating a great business and a good place to work. 

The same can be said of humanity and the climate. Can we embrace the hard decisions required to adapt to the challenges that climate change will bring? And more personally, how can I help?

2012
11/18
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
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