After the lawsuits of the last fifteen years, most people assume that Big Tobacco was dealt a mortal blow. Yet the 21st century is poised to see ten times more deaths than the already mind-boggling number of people who died from cigarettes in the 20th. Historian of science Robert Proctor discusses the contents of cigarettes, which may include arsenic and radioactive polonium amongst other bizarre ingredients, the strange episode of Nazi research into tobacco, and the ways that academics have been bought off by America's most powerful industry.

Scientists are some of the most outspoken critics of global warming, with an overwhelming majority of scientists seeing human activity -- such as the burning of coal -- as the main cause of climate change. Yet there are other areas where science is divided. One is over the degree to which our genes determine our lot in life. Radical scientist Steven Rose about the perils of the "new genetics." And Ted Nace reflects on a remarkable grassroots campaign in 2007 to keep coal plants from being built in the United States.

After the lawsuits of the last fifteen years, most people assume that Big Tobacco was dealt a mortal blow. Yet the 21st century is poised to see ten times more deaths than the already mind-boggling number of people who died from cigarettes in the 20th. Historian of science Robert Proctor discusses the contents of cigarettes, which may include arsenic and radioactive polonium amongst other bizarre ingredients, the strange episode of Nazi research into tobacco, and the ways that academics have been bought off by America's most powerful industry.

Even after a summer of drought, fires, and extreme weather, governments seem no more inclined to address the enormous dangers of global warming than before. Within parts of the left, pessimism reigns about what it might take, not just politically but technically and socially, to halt climate change. For some, nuclear power seems a necessity; for others, reducing our standard of living is the solution. Left environmental writer Gar Lipow argues against both.

Global warming is upon us and, without question, immediate action needs to be taken. But should we be asking ourselves who might stand to profit from this moment of crisis?  In an essay prepared for the COP 15 climate meeting, historian Iain Boal addresses the perils of catastrophism and green capitalism.

We all know that without stopping the production of coal, there is no way to significantly slow global warming. Ted Nace tells the little known story of the incredibly successful campaign to stop the construction of new coal plants in the US -- derailing 109 proposed plants -- organized not by the big environmental organizations but by many disparate rural groups.