Lawrence Torcello

Trump’s EPA repeals landmark climate finding in gift to ‘billionaire polluters’ Rollback of government’s ability to limit climate-heating pollution from vehicles will make families ‘sicker and less safe’, environmental advocate says

Imagine a bridge is out in a storm. Now imagine someone intentionally removes the sign alerting drivers of the danger ahead. Is that person now negligent for the harms caused by their action?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

GOP AGs have outrageously succeeded in getting a judges’ guide to basic climate science scrapped as “biased.” In truth, they’ve confessed: if courts consider legitimate science, fossil fuel interests cannot win.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/c...

law.lclark.edu/live/blogs/1...

Criminal liability for climate change Does criminal law apply to climate change? Do we need to draft new criminal laws to deal with climate change? What about laws on the books today?This gets shockingly little academic or public discu…

Here are a few of the things I've written on the topic, the first was inspired by your article, and clearly the Oct 2018 IPCC report on 1.5:

These are excellent pieces. Thank you for sharing them. I share your reservations about the concept of ecocide.

Lawrence Torcello, The Acceleration of Global Warming as Crime Against Humanity: A Moral Case for Fossil Fuel Divestment - PhilArchive This chapter constructs the argument that corporate and political policies known to accelerate anthropogenic global warming, and subsequent climate change, constitute crimes against humanity—predicate...

If you are looking for a more academic treatment and are unable to obtain a copy beyond the reprint below, feel free to email me and I will be happy to send you a PDF.
philarchive.org/rec/TORTAO-4

If you're wondering what sort of mischief Fox News was up to, wonder no longer. They were preemptively trying to de-fang this coming story: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/c...

Everything happening in Minnesota is a nightmare--but combined with Pam Bondi’s attempt to obtain voter rolls in Minneapolis, this story demands laser focus. 👇
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

"We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" [...] it was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. [...] Had I lived in Germany at that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers." —Letter from a Birmingham Jail

It's long been the case that the loudest self-appointed defenders of the “Western tradition” are, in practice, its most committed adversaries.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Anyone else feel like an expatriate in their own country right now?

Why court disdain from those donating, while pandering to those who have already defunded? Truly fascinating.

From a moral/political philosophy view, this President is utterly boring—pure ego, pure corruption. All you can do is condemn. Not philosophically interesting. The only interesting question: how did Americans put this immoral narcissist in office again?

When the arsonists control the fire-alarms: share.google/tt0O3xacExl4...

This is what happens when we allow the arsonists access to the fire alarm system.

It's as if the people robbbing your house and then lighting it on fire were also in charge of the alarm service.

Blame the shutdown on citizens who prefer politicians to vanquish their opponents rather than to work for the common good Politicians get blamed for government shutdowns. But does the fault lie also with citizens, who are more invested in punishing partisan rivals than in demanding competent government?

"Politicians seek to win elections, and stoking negative feelings such as fear and indignation are potent triggers of political behavior, including voting."
theconversation.com/blame-the-sh...

Voters Want to Make Polluters Pay, Oppose Efforts to Grant Oil and Gas Companies Immunity for Climate Damages Across party lines, few trust oil and gas companies to prioritize consumers over profits.

Should (climate) polluters pay (for the damages they are knowing causing)? Of course they should. I know it, they know it, the American people know it (see below)—which is why they are using their rented friends in the White House and Congress to pass legislation to protect them from liability.

If @billgates.bsky.social were to read #ScienceUnderSiege by @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social & myself, he would know that climate change is amplifying deadly pandemics. Only someone ignorant of the science adopts the fallacy that we can treat global health and the climate crisis as separate threats

Humanity is on path toward 'climate chaos,' scientists warn Global use of fossil fuels rose to a new record last year, releasing even more greenhouse gases. Humanity is 'hurtling toward climate chaos,' scientists warn.

Just when Bill Gates is saying we shouldn't be aggressively dealing with climate change, scientists release a new assessment saying we're heading for ‘climate chaos.' Bad timing, Bill.

www.latimes.com/environment/...

My quote from an Axios interview, stating that: People often think of climate change as a separate bucket at the end of a long row of other buckets of problems we're trying to fix that are wrong in the world," Hayhoe told Axios. This includes poverty, disease and access to clean water. "Climate change is not a separate bucket," Hayhoe said. "The reason we care about climate change is that it's the hole in every bucket."

If you take the time to read the whole Gates memo (which I did), the bulk of the content was mostly solid and encouraging. Really!

It was the FRAME that was off--very off, from the first line.

And when your framing is off, then how you make decisions and set priorities is off. THAT'S the problem.

"When reached for comment on the Gates memo the fundamental laws of physics expressed no change in plans..."

I have said it before, and I will say it again: we desperately need a greater emphasis on philosophy and the humanities as a whole in modern education if we are serious about addressing the real problems of the 21st century—from authoritarianism and disinformation to human-caused climate change.

I'm reminded of when Jane Goodall observed parallels between Trump’s behavior and chimpanzee "dominance rituals." If we continue that reasoning, now that Trump is resorting to the AI equivalent of flinging his feces, we can infer that the protests made him feel caged, stressed, and vulnerable.

Big, friendly, and peaceful No Kings anti-fascist turnout from all ages, with lots of veterans present, in the Rochester area once again today.

We can have no fellowship with tyrants. Rather, there can only be a clear severance of ties. -Cicero (On Duties)

How Columbus Day contributes to the cultural erasure of Italian Americans Given Italian history, U.S. descendants of Italian immigrants have reason to reject their association with Columbus and stand in solidarity with indigenous groups as they reclaim their histories.

Time for my yearly PSA: Columbus Day is to Italian immigrant heritage what Papa John's is to pizza—a contrived abomination.
theconversation.com/how-columbus...

Jane Goodall was one of the lights of this world. There is much to be pessimistic about today, and though her passing is sad, it does us good, especially at this moment, to reflect on a life well lived and on what humanity can be at its best.