As much as we’re enjoying these halcyon early spring days of bare legs and light breezes, perfect al fresco weather, and walking jacketless through the park, we are also worried. Worried about what it means. Worried about what our perfect March will mean once we reach June. After all, we’ve still got three months, and…
As the seas rise, so will the costs associated with them. The impact of climate change on oceans alone could cost $2 trillion by the end of the century, according to a report by the Stockholm Environment Institute in Sweden. That figure comes from a scenario in which Earth’s temperature rises 4 °C by 2100,…
Illegal logging generates $10-15 billion around the world, according to new analysis from the World Bank. Its report, Justice for Forests, says that most illegal logging operations are run by organized crime, and much of the profit goes to corrupt officials. The bank says that pursuing loggers through the criminal justice system has made a…
Stronger global governance is needed to mitigate human impact on the earth’s climate and to ensure sustainable development, according to 32 scientists who published a paper in the journal Science. In “Navigating the Anthropocene: Improving Earth System Governance,” the scholars argue that current institutions, including the United Nations, have shown themselves inadequate to the necessities…
The early Earth flipped back and forth between a hydrocarbon-free atmosphere and a hydrocarbon-rich one similar to that of Saturn’s moon, Titan. This ‘see-sawing’ atmosphere over 2.5 billion years ago was the result of intense microbial activity, say Newcastle University scientists, and would have had a profound effect on the climate of the Earth system….
Americans are less likely to believe in man-made climate change as economic conditions get tougher, new research shows. Lyle Scruggs, associate professor of political science at the University of Connecticut, says the public’s belief in climate change dropped significantly as the economy dipped and unemployment climbed in the late 2000s. And the suddenness and timing…
General Electric has brushed aside the doubts leading Republican presidential contenders have raised about climate science. The U.S. industrial and financial conglomerate said it had long seen climate change as a valid concern after an internal evaluation of the scientific case in 2005. “We found enough data there to have a company like GE respond…
Fearing that climate change could wipe out their entire Pacific archipelago, the leaders of Kiribati are considering an unusual backup plan: moving the populace to Fiji.
Nationwide, gardeners have been experimenting with their newly assigned plant hardiness zones, a guide provided by the USDA that maps how well a plant will survive winter temperatures in a certain region. The map divides regions into different growing zones based on the average lowest temperature. Since the 1960s, growers have used it as a…
In his Dot Earth blog, Andrew Revkin writes about Jonathan Foley, director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Minnesota, and a scientist on the leading edge of climate change analysis: Foley proposes an end run around paralyzing climate disputes by focusing on energy and forest policies with multiple benefits and on…