Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Can consumer culture be transformed?

Worldwatch says that over 2 billion of Earth's nearly 7 billion inhabitants are now considered to be in the global consumer culture.

Deborah Byrd

January 8, 2010

Online discussion today on population and climate change

How do population dynamics figure into the conversations about climate? Join this online discussion today.

Deborah Byrd

December 2, 2009

9 billion people on Earth in 2050?

Some population experts are now wondering if an often-cited number - 9 billion people by the year 2050 - is big enough.

Deborah Byrd

October 4, 2009

September 25 is Earth Overshoot Day for 2009

Today is the day on which we begin consuming more resources than Earth is producing - and producing more waste than Earth can absorb - for 2009.

Deborah Byrd

September 25, 2009

Watching climate change before my eyes

Here in the U.S., despite what the majority of scientists say, people are still arguing about whether climate change is real. Meanwhile, I'm watching my local climate change profoundly.

Deborah Byrd

September 5, 2009

World population: 7 billion on the horizon

Global world population numbers are on track to reach 7 billion in 2011, just 12 years after reaching 6 billion in 1999.

Deborah Byrd

September 2, 2009

Are nano-materials in sunscreens worth the risk?

Let the buyer beware. If your sunscreen goes on clear, it contains manufactured nano-particles and don't keep you safe from the sun.

Deborah Byrd

August 31, 2009

Mothers and children in sub-Saharan Africa

Every year in sub-Saharan Africa, 265,000 mothers die in childbirth and 4.5 million children die before the age of 5 from preventable causes.

Deborah Byrd

July 30, 2009

But we still have to eat even with climate change

Climate change is being caused by an excess of certain kinds of gases in Earth's atmosphere. Some of these gases come from cows.

Deborah Byrd

June 3, 2009

Swine flu preparedness. I vote yes.

The Swine flu viruses mutate. Conditions can change quickly. Is a pandemic imminent, as a Phase 5 alert level suggests?

Deborah Byrd

May 3, 2009

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.