The problem isn’t that all experts are worthless, the problem is that the worthless experts are the only ones that get heard.

Mark Hertsgaard is one of America’s veteran environmental journalists, a forceful voice for two decades. His important book, Earth Odyssey, was an early attempt to help Americans understand the underlying dynamics that would give rise to, say, the Chinese economic explosion, with its attendant environmental implications. His work in the Nation and elsewhere has been an essential part of the dialogue about climate change, the most pressing of our environmental issues.

Laurie Anderson’s terrific performance of “Only an expert (can deal with the problem)” on The Late Show Wednesday night provokes thought on our current reliance on precisely the wrong experts to deal with the problems we face.

Writing on his blog last fall, the NYT’s Paul Krugman remarked, “I trust Joe Romm on Climate.” I agree with Mr. Krugman: when it comes to climate change — whether you are interested in either the science or the politics — Joe Romm’s Climate Progress blog is the single best source of information on the web. He’s blunt, extremely knowledgeable and solutions-oriented, a rare combination of attributes that leave him particularly well-suited to cover the scientific and political context of climate and energy policy.