Geography Commons^™

Dialogue Television: The Climate Engineers, James Fleming

James R. Fleming

The problem of global warming is getting massive public attention. This comes forty years after the first major government report outlining the problem. But there is considerable disagreement over what steps should be taken to mitigate the problem and some scientist fear that politicians are not displaying sufficient urgency. James Fleming describes the technological quick fixes proposed by some scientists and the problems they might create.

The Climate Engineers: Playing God To Save The Planet, James Fleming

James R. Fleming

As alarm over global warming spreads, a radical idea is gaining momentum. Forget cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions, some scientists argue. Find a technological fix. Bounce sunlight back into space by pumping reflective nanoparticles into the atmosphere. Launch mirrors into orbit around the earth. Create a “planetary thermostat.” But what sounds like science fiction is actually an old story. For more than a century, scientists, soldiers, and charlatans have hatched schemes to manipulate the weather and climate. Like them, today’s aspiring climate engineers wildly exaggerate what is possible, and they scarcely consider political, military, and ethical implications of attempting to manage …

Tackling Biocomplexity With Meta-Models For Species Risk Assessment, Philip J. Nyhus, Robert C. Lacy, Francis R. Westley, Philip S. Miller, Harrie Harrie Vredenburg, Paul C. Paquet, John Pollak

Philip J. Nyhus

We describe results of a multi-year effort to strengthen consideration of the human dimension into endangered species risk assessments and to strengthen research capacity to understand biodiversity risk assessment in the context of coupled human-natural systems. A core group of social and biological scientists have worked with a network of more than 50 individuals from four countries to develop a conceptual framework illustrating how human-mediated processes influence biological systems and to develop tools to gather, translate, and incorporate these data into existing simulation models. A central theme of our research focused on (1) the difficulties often encountered in identifying and …

Are Home Values Affected By Sinkhole Proximity? Results Of A Hedonic Price Model, Spencer Fleury Ph.D.

Spencer Fleury Ph.D.

Though they lack the high profile and sheer destructive force of hurricanes, floods, and other natural hazards, sinkholes have on occasion generated significant damage to buildings, roads, and other human-built structures, and should be considered natural hazards in their own right. In sinkhole-prone areas where market insurance against sinkhole damage is available, economic theory suggests that homes located there should be valued somewhat lower than homes located in areas where sinkholes are rare or nonexistent, in recognition of both the risk faced by the homeowner in a sinkhole-prone area, and the cost of insuring one’s property against that risk. Working …

Therapeutic Uses Of Place In The Intentional Space Of Purposive Community, Brian A. Hoey

Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D.