Bill McKibben, noted environmentalist has a great new piece up on TomDispatch called “The World at 350 : A Last Chance for Civilization.” McKibben is a regular contributor to TomDispatch and with his latest piece explores the realities of climate change:

Even for Americans, constitutionally convinced that there will always be a second act, and a third, and a do-over after that, and, if necessary, a little public repentance and forgiveness and a Brand New Start — even for us, the world looks a little Terminal right now.

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Wish you could ask Laurie David, producer of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” your questions about the environment? How about chatting with Newt Gingrich about bipartisan environmentalism? For those unacquainted with Slate.com’s Earth Chats, it’s a great online discussion series featuring leading environmental thinkers, leaders and advocates who answer readers’ questions about environmental issues, and what we can do to improve our earthly habitat. This week being Earth Week, Slate chatted with a slew of heavy-hitting advocates. We’ve provided this week’s schedule below, with accompanying links to chat transcripts:

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. We brought you some excellent top 10 lists this week on art, technology, director Errol Morris, and naughty celebs who should rethink their eco-lifestyles. Don’t forget to catch up with some of our other most popular articles of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.

Katie:

Bush’s War: PBS Frontline Brings the War to a Computer Near You

Inverted Areola, Asymmetrical Breasts, & the Miss Bimbo Game

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Nicole:

Where the Wild Things Are: Top 10 Art Blogs

Dark Water: Artist Explores Consequences of Three Gorges Dam Project

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Giulia:

A Pregnant Man?

Is the Lebron / Gisele Vogue Cover Racist?

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Gina:

Top 10 Technology Blogs

Errol Morris’ Top 10 Films

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Kerry:

Top 10 Celebrities Who Need a New Cause

Dead Bats Flying: Mysterious Fatal Illness Alarms Scientists

America suffers from a collective case of do-gooder deafness: we have a hard time hearing a message when it’s delivered by a dorky academic or an unattractive activist. We’re all ears, though, when celebrities speak out about their pet causes, or their pets, or whatever. So, in acknowledgement of the fact that I, as a mere blogger, can only hope to influence so many people, I’d like to enlist the aid of some of our most oogled and Googled celebrities to help America combat climate change and overconsumption:

1. Britney Spears: Britney’s evidently on the road to recovery after some much needed r “˜n’ r. Here are three more “r’s” I’d love to see Britney promote: reduce, reuse and recycle. Our landfills are overflowing with post-consumer crap and the oceans are clogged up with plastic; what better time for Britney to redefine white trash! Recommended reading/viewing: Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte; The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard.

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By Kerry Trueman

Scientific American gives us a rather drastic example of the ol’ “good news, bad news” routine today.

First, the bad news: an apocalyptic “Beyond the Worst Case Climate Change Scenario“ which says, in essence, that our collective global goose may already be cooked.

But, just in case it’s not, they give us “Ten possibilities for staving off catastrophic climate change.” The recurring theme? Cut back on consumption, whether by biking to work, giving up meat, or having just one kid, as Bill McKibben advocated in his 1998 book Maybe One: A Personal and Environmental Argument for Single Child Families.

Or, if that kind of sacrifice doesn’t appeal to you, you could go a bit further back, to satirist Jonathan Swift’s modest proposal, which offers a way to have as much meat””and kids””as we can eat. One thing’s for sure; we’ve gotta stop cannibalizing the planet.

Go to Scientific American’s 10 Solutions for Climate Change to see what you can do to lower our planet’s temperature.