global warming 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]

Keystone Rejection Highlights Need for Improved Safety in Energy Production

January 30, 2012 by Peter Lehner
with 158 views

On the day that President Obama rejected the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have brought corrosive Canadian tar sands oil through America largely for export, I was at an energy conference in Houston, listening to a tar sands representative talk about what the industry had done, and would do in the future, to reduce the impacts of tar... [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]

The Carbon Emissions Quandary

January 13, 2012 by Robert Rapier
with 532 views

In the first episode of R-Squared Energy TV for 2012, I give a short presentation on global warming. I believe there are a number of misconceptions around the U.S. contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, and I provide some graphics that may surprise some viewers. Some of the topics discussed are: What do I think about... [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]

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]

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]

Making Sense Out of Durban

December 13, 2011 by Marc Gunther
with 175 views

So what the heck happened in Durban? Is the world closer to dealing with the problem of global warming? Or not? If, like me, you aren’t a devotee of the UN climate negotiations, reading the headlines isn’t much help. From the glass-half-full crowd: Progress at end of Durban Cop17 climate talks (LA Times). Reason to smile about Durban climate conference (Eugene Robinson in the WPost). Climate deal salvaged after marathon talks (The Guardian). From the pessimists: How the world failed to address climate change–again (Michael Levi at The Atlantic.com). The Durban climate deal failed to meet the needs of the developing world (The Guardian, again). COP out (South Africa’s Cape Times). [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]

Does Germany Make a Difference in Global Warming?

November 23, 2011 by Willem Post
with 753 views

In September 2010, the German government announced the following three targets: Renewable electricity: 35% of total electricity production, TEP, by 2020, 50% by 2030, 65% by 2040 and 80% by 2050 Renewable electricity was 16.8% of TEP in 2011 and 19.8% in 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Germany... [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]

Global Warning

November 17, 2011 by Karen Street
with 253 views

People hear climate change through different concerns. Some hear threats to the environment, others to people, and others still to national security. (Of course, there is overlap.) For those in the national security category, the National Security Journalism Initiative has created Global Warning. Water shortages in Yemen Go to A... [read more]

Climate Policy: Big Ideas Are Dead

November 17, 2011 by Marc Gunther
with 208 views

Right, left or center, most agree that U.S. climate and energy policy today is, at best, an ineffective and inefficient patchwork. Better get used to it, said a bipartisan panel of Washington insiders today (Nov. 16) at the Atlantic Green Intelligence Forum. For now, and for the rest of the Obama administration, when it comes to... [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]

Cold, Hard Climate Economics

November 10, 2011 by Gernot Wagner
with 348 views

Global warming is happening faster and with more intensity than anyone expected, yet the fossil-fueled right has succeeded in removing the issue almost entirely from the agenda through a false pretense of defending "free markets." In response, environmentalists have tended to retreat further into their own organically padded corners,... [read more]