Summary: With all the power our mastery of the physical sciences has given us, we often forget that we remain subject to the whims of nature. Earthquakes, volcanoes, asteroids — and weather. Our recent obsession with climate change has blinded us to the ferocious impact of rare but normal weather patterns. Such as the second year …
Summary: We have a fevered desire to know the future, especially about the dynamics that shape our lives. Giving us confident answers pays well, tempting even the best of professionals. Here we examine a case study: the La Nina related weather and bad harvests. Another in a series about food, one of the underappreciated drivers of geopolitical …
Update about the potential for another year of bad harvests Read More »
Summary:   Riots around the world in 2008 and this year show the effect of rising food prices. There are many drivers of prices — increasing consumption, under-investment, pests/disease, weather. And despite the propaganda, cool cycles usually cause more harm than warm cycles.  In this series  we examine two wild cards, potential causing years of cool weather. Today: decadal climate cycles. …
Will food prices continue to rise, destabilizing the third world? A look at the ENSO. Read More »
