April 2014 BLOG POSTS

The dawning of Big Data in a sustainable world

This is the age of Big Data. Vast, complex sets of information can be gathered, sorted and (most importantly) used, by a public eager to swap verbiage for science.  And yet, in the energy-environment world, crucial data are often unavailable. Americans should be able to access far more... Read More >

The value of water: Making the market work in Texas

One of the most fascinating challenges of sustainability is the integration of market system thinking with an ecologist’s understanding of natural processes.  No subject highlights this challenge more than supplying water for Texas’s future. According to most economists, the market... Read More >

Moving past yesterday's solutions for tomorrow's problems

The state of Texas is trying to solve future water supply problems with yesterday’s solutions. Innovative approaches to Texas’s future water security represent only a small portion of strategies presented in the current State Water Plan. Over 50% of future water supply projects intended... Read More >

Our Common Journey: The birth of sustainability science

Fifteen years ago the National Academy of Sciences joined with George Mitchell and the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation to jointly produce a study entitled Our Common Journey.  Our world as we saw it in 1999 was already in transition, becoming more crowded and more consuming, warmer and... Read More >