Make a dent in the universe: Erika Iives
This TEDxStavanger talk by Erika Ilves helps us to imagine the Big Future that our descendants might yet have if we take the long view now
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Ancient Ice Cores Give Clues to Effects of Global Warming
A new study indicates that the last interglacial period may give us a picture of where the planet is headed now, as greenhouse gases increase and temperatures rise. Results from the NEEM deep ice core drilling project, led by the University of Copenhagen, show that during the Eemian period, between 130,000 and 115,000 years ago,…
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Andean Glaciers Melting at Unprecedented Rates
Climate change has shrunk Andean glaciers between 30 and 50% since the 1970s and could melt many of them away altogether in coming years, according to a study published in the journal Cryosphere. Andean glaciers, a vital source of fresh water for tens of millions of South Americans, are retreating at their fastest rates in…
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Severe Droughts in Amazon Linked to Climate Change
An area in the Amazon twice the size of California is experiencing what scientists call a “megadrought.” The prolonged drought, which began in 2005, has caused widespread damage to the area and may possibly be a sign that the rainforest is showing the first signs of large-scale degradation due to climate change. A research team,…
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Global Warming Is Changing Our Daily Life in the U.S.
A special panel of scientists issued a report detailing the dozens of ways how climate change is already disrupting the health, homes and other facets of daily American life. It warns that those disruptions will increase in the future. The report uses the word “threat” or variations of it 198 times and versions of the…
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Earliest Blooms Recorded in U.S. Due to Global Warming
You could call them early bloomers: In 2010 and 2012, plants in the eastern U.S. produced flowers earlier than at any point in recorded history, a new study says. This result, according to the research team, has a bit of a literary twist: It comes from data collected by U.S. environmental writers Henry David Thoreau…
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Black Carbon the Second-Biggest Human Cause of Global Warming
Soot ranks as the second-largest human contributor to climate change, according to a new analysis, exerting twice as much of an impact as previously thought. The four-year, 232-page study of black carbon, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, shows that short-lived pollution known as soot, such as emissions from diesel engines and wood-fired…
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2012 Among the 10 Hottest Years on Record Globally
The average global temperature in 2012 was among the 10 hottest since official record keeping began in 1880, with most of the world — from North America to far northeastern Asia — experiencing higher-than-usual temperatures, according to related reports issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Last…
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Ice Swirls off the Coast of Greenland … for Now
From Slate’s Bad Astronomy blog: Global warming is real. Temperatures are changing, climate is changing, and most importantly, arctic ice is changing, melting. It is absolutely critical we understand this process better so that we can better understand the implications, and some of the most formidable tools in our possession are Earth-observing satellites. Their keen…
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The Kyoto Scorecard
The Kyoto Protocol on climate change used to be a big deal. So big that the future of humanity was said to hinge on its implementation. Did you know it expired on New Year’s Day? We’re guessing you didn’t, but don’t worry. It’s no big deal. Adopted in 1997 and in force since 2005, the…