Better late than never. I’ve only now discovered an article in the Atlantic (circa 1998) that discusses climate change in great depth. It’s a fascinating — and rather frightening — read if you have the time.

[Thanks to WorldChanging’s “Terriblisma” entry for the heads-up.]

This is amazing. Elena has a motorcycle and likes to ride it through the involuntary park created by the Chernobyl accident. Her commentary and photos remind us just how big a catastrope this was. Why do we not hear more about this huge chunk of land that has been rendered useless for the next 48000 years? I guess we could consider this a little peek at how ugly things could have gotten 25 years ago at three Mile Island. I grew up seven miles from TMI. If TMI had made Chernobyl the second massive accident at a nuclear power plant, I’d be like the guy she mentions with his fishing gear proped up by the doorway — not around to enjoy it.

(P.S. Mr, Bush, please note: it’s n-u-c-l-e-a-r, not n-u-c-u-l-a-r. Okay?)

[Update: Turns out this whole site is bogus. Elena owns a motorcycle, but neither she anor anyone else blasts through the Chrenobyl wastelands: they’re strictly off limits. All these pictures are from a guided tour which is the only way to get in there. Bummer. It was a cool story.]