All contents Copyright © 2004 Andrew Revkin.

1890

1890 1932

1956

“Revkin, this ain’t no seed catalog.”

Tyranny of the Peg Tyrannies of Space/Time Tyranny of Balance The Tyrannies of News Tyranny of the Peg Tyrannies of Space/Time Tyranny of Balance

Pop Quiz: Which is News? Exxon Valdez Nonpoint Source Pollution Tsunami Sea-level rise

‘Slow Drips’ 1.5 Exxon Valdez’s / year 1.6 million early deaths/ year Media tend either to ignore complex, incremental risks… ‘Slow Drips’ Nonpoint Source Pollution = 1.5 Exxon Valdez’s / year Indoor Air Pollution = 1.6 million early deaths/ year mostly women & children Climate? The ultimate Slow Drip

Or hype them….

Flash . . . (not) GLOBE WARMS Crops Wither, Coasts Flood “Ecological Armageddon,” Scientists Say

For every PhD, there is an equal and opposite PhD Tyranny of Balance For every PhD, there is an equal and opposite PhD

Exploitation of Balance & Uncertainty American Petroleum Institute: 1998 memo

Heat Light

Average August ice since 1979

Average August ice since 1979 Ice in August 2002

What is solid one day…..

…Is two-mile-deep open water the next.

Science camp, 30 miles from North Pole.

Even keeping a hole through the 10-foot-thick ice open is a challenge Even keeping a hole through the 10-foot-thick ice open is a challenge. The divers used a sieve to skim the slushy first ice.

Talk about Fear Factor. Try dropping through a manhole-size opening in 10-foot-thick ice into dark water that is 29 degrees (salt water stays liquid below freezing) and two miles deep. (The divers took these pictures!)

All contents Copyright © 2004 Andrew Revkin.

nytimes.com/learning/globalwarming All contents Copyright © 2004 Andrew Revkin. revkin@nytimes.com