Category Archives: climate

IPCC report leaked: global warming a disaster of poverty

Seth Borenstein of the AP leads the national press in reporting on a leaked IPCC report starkly warning that global warming will give us a poorer, sicker, more violent world. And he puts the language of the report itself front and center: "Throughout the 21st century, climate change impacts will slow down economic growth andContinue reading “IPCC report leaked: global warming a disaster of poverty”

Uncorking catastrophic climate change? Tom Toles

As usual, Tom Toles finds a funny way to dramatize a disaster: a methane explosion in Siberia.  Which raises the question: Well, how dangerous is the methane that is emerging from the Arctic? Is it just blowing holes in the permafrost, or does it presage global atmospheric doom? It's not a small volume of methane,Continue reading “Uncorking catastrophic climate change? Tom Toles”

Global warming: even the Mafia sees it now

From the great Frank Cotham at The New Yorker. Available here, on their new and infinitely more accessible website. (Complained about it a couple of months ago: it's so much better now!)  Seems everyone can see the reality of global warming, except Congressional Republicans (58% denier) and members of the Tea Party (61% denier). RelatedContinue reading “Global warming: even the Mafia sees it now”

Storms, lighting, death at Venice beach: Climate change?

As Judith Lewis Mernit wrote for a blog with High Country News: The weather of Venice Beach, California, where I live, is for the most part stable, and almost always predictable. No sudden squalls appear out of the southwest to chase skateboarders off their concrete ramps; never do we hear the civil-defense sirens warning ofContinue reading “Storms, lighting, death at Venice beach: Climate change?”

Climate change inaction threatens economy: White House

This week the White House released a climate report on its blog. (Did you know the White House has a blog?) You can "get it" just from the title: The cost of delaying action on climate change As political/scientific statements go, it's blunt and to the point. The longer we wait to act to reduceContinue reading “Climate change inaction threatens economy: White House”

Overrated movie of the year: Snowpiercer

Yours truly sees all sorts of movies with alleged environmental messages (even the recent Godzilla, for crying out loud) to see how pop culture understands the on-coming prospect of planetary disaster. One of the best such movies in recent years was "The Host," from South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, which at least one other criticContinue reading “Overrated movie of the year: Snowpiercer”

NASA’s $800 million question: Where is the CO2 going?

A week ago tonight, NASA put about a half a billion dollars on a chip fired into space. The mission for the OCO-2 satellite? To find out where the carbon dioxide we emit is coming from, exactly, and where it is going, exactly, and why the uptake varies so enormously from year to year.

It’s one of the biggest questions in climate science.

Climate change a factor in the new war in Iraq: Expert

From another striking climate change story from Eric Holthaus, complete with superb photos: "Could there be a connection between climate change and the emerging conflict in Iraq? The short answer is a qualified yes, according to Frank Femia of the Center for Climate and Security, a Washington-based policy institute advised by senior retired military and nationalContinue reading “Climate change a factor in the new war in Iraq: Expert”