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The Best Science Writing Online 2012
Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
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What do you want for Christmas?
A new computer? Maybe a cute stuffed animal? Well, before you slap down your credit card, you might want to spare a little thought for some of the extra costs they bear.
For example, components of that must-have smart phone may come from eastern Congo, helping to fuel ongoing human atrocities in that region as well as mining that renders the landscape more lunar than terrestrial.
And plastic geegaws masquerading as toys help China to burn some 3 billion metric tons of coal a year—a large part of the reason they have become the world's largest emitter of the heat-trapping gases causing climate change. Of course, that's also helped them supplant Santa's elves as the toy workshop of the world.
This is not exactly what folks had in mind back in the day when the holiday was largely a celebration of the fact that the days were getting longer.
Maybe this year keep time in mind and go for the kind of gift that can continue to be used for generations—so-called heirloom gadgets, like a cellphone that might last 25 years rather than 25 minutes.
Unfortunately, there aren't too many of those on the market so maybe giving to charity on someone's behalf is a good idea. But ultimately, no matter what you receive, it’s likely there's a lump of coal somewhere behind it. And that's not what anyone wants for Christmas.
—David Biello
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6 Comments
Add CommentFor years I've been trying to wean my family off of the gift-giving habit. Environmental & political factors aside, there's just not a whole lot that I want to receive, and while I'm not a scrooge when it comes to buying gifts for others, I have come to detest the holiday crush at every store & mall. I would love a holiday season where we can just get together as a family and celebrate with a few good meals and activities together.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHave you thought about putting it on your Christmas wish list for all to see? Or, maybe more timely, request it as a birthday gift from everyone and let them get creative about how it comes together?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI know everyone is up in arms about China these days, but when we started importing from China we lifted up about 40% of the third world's poverty ratio, something no amount of goodwill could have done. Of course, when we allowed WalMart to run rampant with their goods we put about 15% of our small businesses and manufactors into poverty.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe holiday season is that special time of the year when my being picayune brings added delight to my heart. This article is no exception.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"...back in the day when the holiday was largely a celebration of the fact that the days were getting longer." Indeed, the duration of daylight had ceased its decline and was then, as now, growing longer. But the length of the day was then, as now, unchanged, and will remain so - within a few nanoseconds - as long as humans exist on earth.
I have made it my strict personal policy to avoid any type of gift-giving all together. We Americans have and desire more crap than we need. Chances are, we never give or receive anything worthwhile in these exchanges anyway. So why add to our ridiculous culture of consumerism with this traditional absurdity?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou are absolutely right. It is daylight, not the day itself. But, interestingly, the day *is* getting longer and not by nanoseconds (from the geologic timescale perspective). Heck, we're getting more and more days:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-rotation-summer-solstice