Climate Science
All Stories
-
![]()
![]()
Yes, we caused Snowpocalypse, says new study
Photo: Bruna CostaWe’re gonna need a bigger boat, preferably one with two of each animal. Studies published in this month’s Nature look at the link between CO2 levels and heavy rains and floods, and find that the increase in intense precipitation over the last 50 years can’t be explained by natural variability. The question of […]
-
![]()
![]()
New poll: The public trusts EPA, loves the Clean Air Act, and wants Congress to butt out
That’s love.Original photo: Matt CramptonAs everyone knows by now, Republicans have launched a massive, coordinated assault on EPA, attempting to block its greenhouse gas regulations, its air and water regulations, and in some cases its very existence. In the surreal hothouse atmosphere of the Beltway, where anti-government radicals are ascendant and everybody’s watching the same […]
-
![]()
![]()
Inaction on climate change is risky business
Even Tom Cruise thinks some risky business should be avoided.Like a family that has no homeowner’s insurance, no fire detectors, a gas leak in the basement, and a bad case of denial, the global community remains unprepared for irreversible and potentially catastrophic changes to the Earth’s climate. What’s needed — quickly — is an international […]
-
![]()
![]()
The U.S. government is an insurance conglomerate and it should insure against climate change too
Photo: David HilowitzMainstream economic modeling isn’t very good at incorporating the more severe risks of climate change, as I mentioned last week. The low-probability, high-impact possibilities that show up in the “long tail” of probability distribution — collapsing ice sheets, massive methane emissions from the permafrost — just completely short-circuit conventional models. As a result, […]
-
New Contest for Exposing Polluter Lobbyists’ Influence
Are you a lobbyist for the coal industry, looking for the best way to meet members of Congress who will put your dirty energy money ahead of modern environmental standards and their constituents’ health? Maybe the chairman of a powerful congressional committee, seeking yet another industry lobbyist to join your staff and help roll back the […]
-
![]()
![]()
What ‘The Simpsons’ could teach us about global warming
Are climate scientists the Milhouses of America?Cross-posted from Sightline’s Daily Score blog. I encourage you to check out a downright awesome analysis of the treatment of global warming on The Simpsons, over at The Yale Forum on Climate Change & The Media.* Meanwhile, here’s my take. The Simpsons phenomenon is a reminder of the power […]
-
![]()
![]()
Climate hawks can draw inspiration from the Egyptians
Now they’ve got another reason to cheer.Photo: 350.org We rejoice with our brothers and sisters in Egypt at the news that Hosni Mubarak has resigned. Egypt has been a big part of the 350 movement from the very first video we ever did, which showed the 350 pennant floating from the pyramids. But we rejoice […]
-
![]()
![]()
Why your money can’t protect you from climate change
It’s hard to see how the West will benefit from, say, more floods.Photo: NZRicoIn a recent article in Newsweek, Nobel laureate economist Thomas Schelling argues that one of the greatest obstacles to addressing climate change is persuading the non-poor in the developed world to take the problem seriously. As he states: Estimates of lost world […]
-
![]()
![]()
The gobsmackingly gargantuan challenge of shifting to clean energy
If I were king, I’d make everyone in America set aside time to watch the first hour of this video. It will change the way you think. Since I’m just a blogger, I expect most people won’t, so beneath, I’ve extracted some of the key slides from Saul Griffith’s extraordinary presentation, to give a clear […]
-
![]()
![]()
Republican congressmen vote away scientific facts
Rep. Upton wrote the bill with his trunk.Photo: Eric MolinaCross-posted from the Natural Resources Defense Council. Barry Goldwater famously said, “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.” Maybe so, but extremism in the defense of fantasy is a tougher sell. Still, that doesn’t stop some members of Congress from trying. Exhibit A this […]
