Category Archives: environment

13. Glyphosate and The Environment

Posted on September 11, 2016 by Thoughtscapism

In my series 17 Questions about Glyphosate, question 13. looks at glyphosate and its impacts on farming methods and the environment. Even if glyphosate poses no risk for the consumers, perhaps its problems lie in the effects on the environment? Let’s look … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, biotechnology, environment | Tagged , | 3 Comments

17 Questions About Glyphosate

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Thoughtscapism

Many worry about pesticides for health or environmental reasons, and the most common target of general concern is undoubtedly glyphosate, the active ingredient in the famous weedkiller RoundUp. I find that the best thing to do when something worries me, is to find out more … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, biology, chemistry, environment, health | Tagged | 17 Comments

Environmental Impacts of Farming

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Thoughtscapism

The Swedish Food Agency (Svenska Livsmedelsverket SLV) recently published a report on a many-faceted breakdown of environmental effects in farming per one kilogram of farming product. This report was also discussed in an opinion piece in the Sweden’s largest newspaper, Dagens Nyheter (under the … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, biotechnology, climate, environment, organic | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Monocultures – the Great Evil of Modern Ag?

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Thoughtscapism

Instead of adding to the cloud of confusion around farming with vague comments on the ills of monoculture, it would be far more fruitful to concentrate on understanding what actually lies behind the grand-sounding concept. Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, biotechnology, environment | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

If You Care About Bees, Look Past Neonicotinoids

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Thoughtscapism

Deciding that neonicotinoids would be the cause of bee problems is a strategy that does not give the bees much cause to celebrate. The evidence points to a whole host of different factors as the main cause for their troubles. Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, environment | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Three Ways Science Could Improve the World through Rice

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Thoughtscapism

Little did I know that rice, that innocent bag of grains sitting in my pantry, is warming the planet, inadvertently contributing to millions of deaths of women and children worldwide, and slowly poisoning me with arsenic. But I don’t want to … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, biology, climate, environment, health | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Plants Don’t Have Problems

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Thoughtscapism

As a preteen I wished that all humans would disappear from the planet and the beauty of nature would be left to flourish unhindered. I imagined I would be offered a big red button and I could annihilate the human race with … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, climate, environment, meta, science | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

GMOs and the Environment

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Thoughtscapism

Many people are worried about the impact GMOs could have on the environment. That’s a reasonable concern. Are GMOs increasing the profits of farmers and biotech companies at the expense of the environment? As I have learned more about biotechnology and … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, climate, environment | Tagged | 22 Comments

Is There a Consensus about Climate Change?

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Thoughtscapism

Myriad blogs and news sites can help reinforce one’s view, be it that human induced climate change is happening or not.
So how can we, non-climate scientists, know if human induced climate change is happening? Continue reading →

Posted in climate, consensus, environment | Tagged | 10 Comments

Energy Solutions in a Changing Climate

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Thoughtscapism

When scientists, expert organisations on technology like IEA, and panels on science, like IPCC, are all saying the same things, we should listen. Continue reading →

Posted in climate, energy, environment, nuclear, renewables, science | Tagged | 8 Comments