From NYRB, Peter Matthiessen on Alaska: Big Oil and the whales; and the green vs. the brown Amazon: A review of The Last Forest: The Amazon in the Age of Globalization by Mark London and Brian Kelly. Joschka Fischer on why the only chance of solving the challenge of global climate change is to decouple economic growth from energy consumption and emissions. The icy road to Bali: The UN's quiet new boss is hoping that his eco-tour of the southern hemisphere will concentrate minds on the planet's travails. An interview with Bill McKibben, author of Fight Global Warming Now: The Handbook for Taking Action in Your Community. Higher education has responded to growing demand for more environmental focus — here are the 10 best. Sex and the environment: Is the Perfect Drought sexy enough for people to care? Could a melting ice sheet really raise the oceans 23 feet? The Numbers Guy investigates. Jesus would drive a stick shift: Are manual transmissions better for the environment? So long, and thanks for all the plastic: More on The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. Critics blame the carrier bag for all manner of eco-ills. But is there nothing good about plastic bags? Paper or plastic or neither: Will vegetable-based, biodegradable bags replace plastic and paper at the supermarket?
