climate change posts, articles, and infographics

Is Climate Change Bringing the Arctic to Europe?

February 7, 2012 by Joseph Romm
with 304 views

Less Summer Arctic Sea Ice Cover May Mean Some Colder, Snowier Winters in Central Europe [For Now] [T]he probability of cold winters with much snow in Central Europe rises when the Arctic is covered by less sea ice in summer. Scientists of the Research Unit Potsdam of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in... [read more]

Changing the tone of the Climate Change discourse

January 26, 2012 by Simon Donner
with 206 views

In a short article on the Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media, Keith Kloor compares online climate change discourse to a "roller derby" and a "street fight" Taken together, the intimidation tactics of climate science bashers and the new pressure campaigns, by allies of the concerned climate community, promise to, if nothing else... [read more]

Why Natural Gas is a Bridge to Nowhere

January 24, 2012 by Joseph Romm
with 391 views

President of American Gas Association, 1981: “In fact, gas energy — currently America’s largest domestically produced fuel — could prove to be the keystone to solving the nation’s energy crisis by serving as the ‘bridge fuel’ to the next century’s renewable energy technologies.” VP of AGA, 1988, “refers to natural gas as a bridge... [read more]

Arizona: Climate Impact Ground Zero?

January 19, 2012 by David Lewis
with 265 views

"A Great Aridness: Climate Change and the Future of the American Southwest", the recent book written by William deBuys, is getting some attention. The NYTimes summed up the book by quoting the author: "The story of the West is essentially a story about water". The reporter paused then quoted deBuys again: "and its... [read more]

Adapting to Mild Winters

January 13, 2012 by Simon Donner
with 119 views

Just before the holidays, I posted this short video about how the shrinking lake ice "season" across much of the Northern Hemisphere is one of the clear physical signs of climate change, and might affect the holiday tradition in my family.This year, there was no skating or hockey for us. The lake was frozen, but just barely thick enough... [read more]

Climate, Insurance & the Next Financial Meltdown

January 5, 2012 by Marc Gunther
with 266 views

Well-to-do Brazilians are buying up luxury condos on the beach in Miami, The Times reported last week. “They are taking Miami by storm,” one real estate executive declared. It’s an unfortunate metaphor. [read more]

Meet a Cleantech VC Who is Unconvinced of Man-Made Climate Change

January 3, 2012 by David Gold
with 453 views

Go ahead -- call me a hypocrite. I claim to be a cleantech venture capitalist yet I tell you here and now that I am not convinced of anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change (aka global warming). And I will audaciously tell you that my convictions on climate change in no way run contrary to my strong belief in the need for a cleantech revolution. [read more]

Climate Change & the Holiday Season

December 23, 2011 by Simon Donner
with 140 views

This short video, made with the help of my great undergraduate assistant Cory Kleinschmidt, tells the story of how climate change might be affecting a holiday tradition among many Canadian families, including my own. [read more]

This Jacket Will Not Stop Global Warming

December 19, 2011 by Gernot Wagner
with 341 views

Patagonia, the outdoor clothing and apparel company, ran an eye-catching, full-page ad in The New York Times the day after Thanksgiving, the busiest shopping day of the year. The headline, “Don’t Buy this Jacket,” was above a photo of one of its products and some text that reminded us of its environmental footprint: 135 liters of water,... [read more]

The Cost of Climate Inaction: Extreme Weather Causes Billions in Damage

December 9, 2011 by Peter Lehner
with 293 views

While candidates on the GOP campaign trail continue to pretend climate change doesn’t exist, communities across the nation are already being pummeled by a hallmark of climate change: extreme weather events. A new extreme weather mapping web tool produced by NRDC maps out more than 2,900 record-breaking events that took place in 20011.... [read more]

Durban: Putting the Dust into the Dustbin of History?

December 8, 2011 by A Siegel
with 129 views

This guest post, from Heather Libby in Durban, South Africa, provides a window in thinking as to the gap between the negotiating halls and people suffering from climate chaos a few miles away, the gap between putting happy faces on a problem and choosing to address climate change in a way to reduce its catastrophic impacts.... [read more]

What Must COP17 Negotiations Accomplish To Matter Part 3

December 1, 2011 by Jake Schmidt
with 109 views

One year ago, countries rallied around the Cancun Agreements with multiple standing ovations and strong words of support. While these agreements are not sufficient by themselves to fully address global warming, there are several key elements which establish a foundation for international action on global warming. Since Cancun... [read more]

The Polarization of Energy

November 24, 2011 by Christopher Williams
with 714 views

It’s no secret that at the core of the Supercommittee’s failure earlier this week is the increasing polarization of American politics. Huffington Post contributor and law professor June Carbone illustrates this transition over the past half-century: “A half century ago, neither political party disproportionately consisted of those who... [read more]

CO2 is a Trace Gas, But What Does That Mean?

November 23, 2011 by Barry Brook
with 315 views

Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and most other long-lived greenhouse gases (i.e., barring short-lived water vapour), are considered ‘trace gases’ because their concentration in the atmosphere is so low. For instance, at a current level of 389 parts per million, CO2 represents just 0.0389% of the air, by volume. Tiny isn’t it? How... [read more]

What Nuclear Proliferation & Abolition Have In Common

November 14, 2011 by Gernot Wagner
with 175 views

Global warming has characteristics that make it unique among most public policy problems. Its effects are more global, more long-term, and more uncertain than most. That triple whammy makes sensible national and global policy exceedingly difficult. But that shouldn’t stop us to look for analogies and cues from other seemingly intractable... [read more]