Perhaps this propensity for doom mongering is something of a cultural peccadillo, an impulse rooted in our Christian heritage and its prophecies of end-times and the Judgement Day to come. On the other hand, doomsday movies and books -- say, for example, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, or Stephen King's The Stand, or, my favourite, George Stewart's Earth Abides, a 1949 novel in which most of the human race falls victim to an airborne pandemic -- may provide a cathartic release from the undercurrent of anxiety that, in the words of British sociologist Phil Hubbard, "saturates the social space of everyday life."

There is only sufficient oil to last 44 years if oil production stays constant until it is used up. As oil reserves become depleted, there will be less which will make keeping production constant impossible. Likewise, there is only enough coal to last 133 years and only enough natural gas to last 61 more years. Certainly by now, everyone realizes that gas and oil will become expensive and scarce within the lifetimes of our children or their children. There will inevitably be a transition to more renewable energy sources. That transition may be haphazard or planned — it is on us to decide. 66.3 percent of the world’s gas reserves are in the Middle East and the Russian Federation. The United States have 3.4 percent. On the other hand, The United States consume 25 percent of the world’s oil and 70 percent of that is imported.

Overpackaging, killer clamshells, and other common triggers of wrap rage. The global packaging market is worth $429 billion. Near a third of your household waste is discarded packaging -- and less than half of that will ever be recycled.

Continuing with our winter theme: Keeping those feet warm. The toes are further from your heart than any other body part, and they spend most of their time close to the snow and slush. Here are some suggestions for keeping those feet warm.

Hundreds of people were arrested in Copenhagen today after sporadic street violence broke out during a major protest march as UN climate change talks reached their halfway point.

Unlike those tiny faux Zen sand gardens people give for gifts, zenblocks won't get into your keyboard.

The competition recieved 127 entries from five continents, far more than expected and the standard, according to the jury was extremely high. So high, in fact, that they Jury decided to award two first prizes. Here's the list.