nature posts, articles, and infographics

Protests Delay India's New Nuclear Build

November 17, 2011 by Dan Yurman
with 314 views

A series of protests that began in October have delayed the hot start of two Russian 1000- MW VVER reactors in the Tamil Nadu state on India’s southernmost coastline. Additional protests, some of them violent, have set back the start of construction of two French 1650-MW EPR reactors in the Maharashtra state on India’s west coast some... [read more]

Natural Gas, CO2 Emissions and Climate Change

September 19, 2011 by David Hone
with 1,284 views

As global natural gas production has risen and shale gas in the US impacts on the energy outlook for that country in particular, there has been increasing discussion about the impact of natural gas on climate change. Several scientific papers have recently been released questioning the carbon dioxide benefits of natural gas over coal in power production. [read more]

They're Heeeeeeerrree: Climate Wars

August 25, 2011 by Gernot Wagner
with 606 views

First came science fiction—with brave new worlds, meteors, earthquakes, and rising sea levels causing mass exodus, war, and worse—and there was no reason to react because it was science fiction. Then came fiction—with well-researched accounts of Climate Wars to come in the not-so-distant future—and there was no reason to react because it... [read more]

Nature warns: “The anti-science strain pervading the right wing in the US is the last thing the country needs in a time of economic challenge.”

September 9, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 823 views

US citizens face economic problems that are all too real, and the country’s future crucially depends on education, science and technology as it faces increasing competition from China and other emerging science powers…. Yet the public often buys into anti-science, anti-regulation agendas that are orchestrated by business... [read more]

In This Street Fight, Climate Scientists Stand Their Ground

April 9, 2010 by Richard Graves
with 101 views

"The integrity of climate research has taken a very public battering in recent months. Scientists must now emphasize the science, while acknowledging that they are in a street fight." So begins a recent editorial in Nature, one of the world's most respected multidisciplinary scientific journals. We couldn't have said it better. While... [read more]

Pebble-bed reactor loses funding

February 25, 2010 by Dan Yurman
with 523 views

PBMR to lay off 75% of staff The South African government will stop funding research and development work on the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR). About 600 of the 800 staff will be let go which is expected to trigger an exodus of nuclear expertise from the country. Public Enterprise Minister Barbara Hogan told Bloomberg wire... [read more]

Truth, Consensus, and IPCC

February 11, 2010 by Michael Tobis
with 220 views

As scientists, we believe that certain propositions are demonstrably and objectively true, and that our objective is to determine which ones they are. Given that we are in the public employ, the public has some say about which matters we are paid to investigate, and we try to align our own interests with those of the public. Before... [read more]

Real holes in science

January 22, 2010 by Barry Brook
with 98 views

I’m sometimes asked to describe what science is. Well, there are many definitions and philosophical positions which cover this question, but to me, as a working scientist, one stands out above all others as relevant to what I do. Science constrains uncertainty. Or, to put it in a slightly longer form, science is the method that allows... [read more]

Growing Pains – The Challenge To Make Low-Carbon Energy Big By 2050

December 31, 2009 by David Hone
with 148 views

In his celebrated, recent book, Sustainable Energy — without the hot air , David MacKay shows what a zero-carbon energy system for the UK looks like. Whilst theoretically possible, it is daunting: the plan needs just about every option on the table, and in large quantities. A quick calculation for the rest of the world ... [read more]

Farewell to Framing

December 14, 2009 by Michael Tobis
with 102 views

I came to AGU a day early for this? Matt Nesbitt, Max Boykoff and the euphoniously named Gwendolyn Blue formed a panel on public communication of science. I enjoyed it on the whole; Ms. Blue's presentation in particular was delightful, but the more I think about the whole thing the more convinced I am that it missed the mark altogether... [read more]

TIME: Technology, Not Targets, Are What Matters Most in Copenhagen

December 10, 2009 by Yael Borofsky
with 214 views

Originally posted at the Breakthrough Institute Addressing the global clean technology challenge should be the focus of climate negotiations in Copenhagen, not carbon emissions reduction targets, writes TIME's Bryan Walsh. TIME's Bryan Walsh emphasizes the need for the additional investments in clean energy technology highlighting the... [read more]

Nature editorial: “Nothing in the e-mails undermines the scientific case that global warming is real — or that human activities are almost certainly the cause.”

December 2, 2009 by Joseph Romm
with 184 views

Stolen e-mails have revealed no scientific conspiracy, but do highlight ways in which climate researchers could be better supported in the face of public scrutiny. The e-mail archives stolen last month from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia (UEA), UK, have been greeted by the climate-change-denialist... [read more]

One day in early 2045

November 13, 2009 by David Hone
with 98 views

This week I managed to stay a bit closer to home and met up for lunch with Dr. Myles Allen of the Department of Physics (Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics) at the University of Oxford. Although we have probably all understood the bit about the “area under the curve” when it comes to CO2 emissions, Myles and his team have... [read more]

Cellulosic Ethanol Falling Short

October 1, 2009 by Robert Rapier
with 226 views

The reason I spend time debunking wild claims is that I think they damage the entire bioenergy sector in the long run. People who issue press releases claiming they can produce fuel for $1/gallon - and by the way we can do it next year if you give us the money - may attract some funding, but in the long run if they can't deliver,... [read more]

McKibben and the Limits to Growth

October 1, 2009 by Lou Grinzo
with 119 views

Bill McKibben, one of Those To Whom You Should Listen, has written an interesting piece about our current situation and the classic book, Limits to Growth.[1] A Timely Reminder of the Real Limits to Growth (emphasis added): We’ve known for a very long time now that, in some vague way, we were headed for trouble. Limits to Growth was... [read more]