finding resilience in uncertain times | climate, food, energy, safety, money

Life among the Amish or the “Minimites” can help us all figure out when technology has gone too far

Letting river water run its course to restore wetlands could actually make them more vulnerable.

We’re “addicted to oil,” as George W. Bush put it—but oil companies, it seems, are addicted to oil subsidies

The planet is getting hotter and more crowded, energy supplies may soon get tighter, and yet billions of people seem to want a consumer lifestyle that's completely unsustainable. Things aren't looking good.

It seems like a long shot that we're going to somehow solve all these problems and generate enough food, fuel, and stuff to satisfy people's wants. That's why we've got to think about what to do if the world fails at this. We can fail catastrophically, or we can fail gracefully—it's up to us.

Hi, I'm Mason Inman (bio & contact), a journalist from the U.S. who's currently based in Pakistan. I cover science and the environment for magazines and websites like National Geographic News, Science, and New Scientist. My articles are here, plus my thoughts on failing gracefully and resilience.

Action inside forested countries and on the international market has slowed illegal logging

When it comes to protected areas, less really can mean more

A case of recurring tuberculosis in Pakistan

A chapter—available free online—of Lester Brown’s book Plan B 4.0

The UK government and industry heads met to weigh up the risk of oil going into terminal decline, the Guardian reports

We’re using up the planet, “we’re targeting our own children and grandchildren.” Yep—it’s a Ponzi scheme

—geologist Dan Schrag on “the most important number in the world”

—Doug Elliott, a fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington and a former managing director at JPMorgan Chase & Co

—giant shipping corporation Maersk, on their policy of running their ships more slowly to save fuel