Mat McDermott
Mat edits the Business and Energy sections of TreeHugger, as well as writing about resource consumption, animal welfare issues, and the response of religious communities to our current environmental problems.
Driving his work are two main convictions: 1) Our current environmental problems—climate change, biodiversity losses, peak fossil fuels, natural resource over consumption—are but symptoms of the greater problem of fetishizing material economic growth; and 2) only by first changing our minds, recognized the literal and metaphorical interconnected nature of all life, will we make the lasting external changes required to create an ecologically sustainable civilization.
In addition to his work with TreeHugger, Mat is an Advisor for The Bhumi Project, "a worldwide Hindu response to the environmental issues facing our planet...faciliated by the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies."
Beyond writing, Mat's creative output consists of documentary photography and filmmaking, with photographs appearing in a number of national and international print publications, as well as being exhibited in solo and group shows in the United States, France, and the United Arab Emirates. His last film, for which he was cinematographer, was Above Brooklyn and examined the dwindling but passionate pastime of pigeon fancying in New York City and Long Island.
He holds a Masters degree from New York University's Center for Global Affairs, where he concentrated in environment and energy policy. His Bachelors degree from Burlington College (Vermont) is in Writing & Literature, with research focused on the work of Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali devotional poetry, and the Beat Generation.
Mat currently lives in New York City. ૐ
In addition to Twitter and RSS below, you can also follow Mat on Facebook, and Flickr.
Latest Stories from Mat McDermott - Page 11
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Japan Backtracks on Nuclear Power Phase Out Deadline
90% of the Japanese public supports phasing out nuclear power, but government recommendations have softened on how quickly this might happen.
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Arctic Sea Ice Melt Smashes Previous Record Lows - How Will We Respond?
Will we live in a nightmare or bring the dream of a more environmentally-friendly and socially-just future into being?
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Siemens Lays Off 38% of US Workforce - Cites Lack of Wind Power Support Romney Favors
Yet, Romney blames Obama for it all. In what Orwellian world does this make sense?
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Nature Blows My Mind! Utah Aspen Grove Is 80,000 Years Old
When the first shoots of the Trembling Giant first broke ground it Utah it was the Late Pleistocene. Will it survive the Anthropocene?
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Yes, Himalayan Glaciers Are Melting - But Monsoon Changes, Snowmelt Are More Immediate Concerns
Glaciers melting are of concern, but its really the changes in water availability brought about by them and by changes to the monsoon due to climate change that we need to be worried about.
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US Nuclear Facilities at Greater Than Expected Risk From Flooding Due to Dam Failure: Whistleblower
A whistleblower at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says officials there are trying to justify not making public a report showing that the risk from dam failure to US nuclear power plants is greater than acknowledged.
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Crows Can Reason About Cause and Effect
Another brick in the wall separating human and non-human animals gets removed...
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Arctic Sea Ice Could Disappear in Summer by 2016
Though shipping and oil companies may benefit, an ice-free Arctic in summer will accelerate global warming.
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Fisheries Disasters Circle United States
Plus, amazingly, there may be as few as 100 middle-aged cod left in the entire North Sea.
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Financial Costs of Climate Change Seriously Underestimated by US Government Calculations
A new study says inaccurate discounting used in official US government climate calculations is forecasting damages 12 times lower than they should be.
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Shell Stops Arctic Drilling for 2012 - Greenpeace Declares Victory for People Power
After a series of technical mishaps in its Arctic drilling efforts, Shell is calling it quits until next year.
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Want the Presidential Debate Moderators to Ask About Climate? Then Tweet Them This
The folks over at Protect Our Winters have the right idea. If you want Obama and Romney put on the spot about climate, make sure the debate moderators know it.
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Japan Plan Phases Out Nuclear Power by 2030, As Renewable Energy Projects Quickly Approved
Unfortunately it's not just renewable energy that will be replacing nuclear power in Japan, but also increased imports of coal, oil, and natural gas.
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Pink Slime Makers Sue ABC News For Defamation
The suit, brought in South Dakota court, seeks over a billion dollars in damages against ABC News -- even though ABC never originated the term and was just reporting what everyone else was calling it.
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Delhi Plastic Manufacturing Ban Goes Into Effect Next Week
India's capitol already has a ban on plastic shopping bags, far from fully enforced. The lastest anti-plastic action takes aim at plastic sheeting and packaging.
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Ecocide Law Backed by Green Party of England & Wales
Such a law is a long way from passing, but this is exactly how we have to be thinking if we want lasting environmental protection.
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Energy News: US Emissions Set to Rise in 2013, Cuomo's Fracking Aide, Indian Point Power Agreement Set to Expire
Higher natural gas prices are likely to lead to a shift back to coal, a new EIA report shows. More...
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Whose Climate Policy Proposals Are the Greenest? Obama, Romney, Stein, or Johnson
As with energy policy the Green Party is way out in front, with the Romney platform virtually ensuring climate disaster.
