After 940 posts as a news blog, Dot Earth is moving to the Opinion side of The New York Times, where it will re-emerge in about a week. Don’t expect momentous changes. I’m not going to suddenly be revealed as an ardent liberal or conservative.
I am an advocate, for sure — for reality.
I’ll try to maintain the discipline to be “caustically honest” (to steal a phrase used by a climate scientist in a story of mine on tipping points last year) in weighing the issues and opportunities confronting humanity as its astonishing 200-years-and-counting growth spurt crests.
As a freelance blogger, I will say what I think in ways I could not when I was a Times reporter. I’ll do this in a space occupied by other ex-Times reporters, including Timothy Egan and Linda Greenhouse.
One other facet of Dot Earth won’t change: the blog will remain home to a dynamic, sometimes exhausting exchange of reader comment. Many blogs focusing on the environment seem mainly focused on creating a comfort zone for like-minded citizens. Dot Earth will continue to be a place for the expression of all points of view — as long as those views are expressed in civil and constructive ways.
I’ll keep rewarding authenticity by occasionally featuring contributions by those of you who choose to state your views without the cloak of anonymity. I’ll also keep listening to you as we jointly explore and test drive this evolving form of discourse.
