Climb it before it melts away, suggests Barney Brantingham of Santa Barbara's Independent: "(In the 30-plus years since my son Barclay and I trekked Mount Lyell’s snowy flanks, it’s been melting, not as fast as a vanilla ice cream cone in the summer Sierra sun, but melting. Lyell Glacier’s retreat has speeded up since 2000, says YosemiteContinue reading “A changing California: Lyell Glacier melting away”
Category Archives: climate
“An orange river of sunlight”: migration of the Monarchs
Was driving through the warm little town of Ojai California when a monarch butterfly flew helplessly in front of my windshield and then shot up past the little car and out into the open air with a single flap of his wings. Fly on! Delightful sight. Made me wish for an instant to get outContinue reading ““An orange river of sunlight”: migration of the Monarchs”
Maybe the biggest question about climate change
We know a lot about climate change. As the IPCC says (for instance) in the just-released fifth assessment, we have "high confidence" that not only is the climate changing, but that our species has caused this change. But on a key question — how much methane and CO2 will be released by the vanishing of permafrostContinue reading “Maybe the biggest question about climate change”
Amaranth: An answer to climate change in Mexico
Strange but true: the grain that supported the Aztec empire, amaranth, also turns out to be a grain far better suited than corn for the heat waves of climate change in Mexico. As we've seen in recent years with heat waves in the Midwest, during pollination corn can be set back badly by heat waves.Continue reading “Amaranth: An answer to climate change in Mexico”
Conservative media can’t handle climate change news
In a column today in the Washington Post, Michael Gerson, who once wrote speeches for George Bush, Jr., complains to the Tea Party, re: Obamacare, "You can't handle the truth!" Gerson puts it a little more politely, saying that the Tea Party in Congress "is against anyone who accepts the constraints of political reality." TheContinue reading “Conservative media can’t handle climate change news”
Patzert: The history of the world is written in droughts
From the most prominent and respected expert on climate and weather in Southern California: Our water supply depends on the snowpack in the northern Sierra and the eastern Rockies. It also depends on the population growth in the Southwest. We share the Colorado with seven states and six Indian nations. Everybody gets an allocation andContinue reading “Patzert: The history of the world is written in droughts”
How to dramatize climate change: Eric Holthaus
When I met Eric Holthaus at the American Meteorological Society's convention about six months ago, he was a journalist reporting on weather for New York City to the Wall Street Journal. At the time he was a little frustrated, I think it's fair to say, because he wasn't able to talk about big picture issuesContinue reading “How to dramatize climate change: Eric Holthaus”
Science: As certain of climate change as of smoking
Will Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press ever get the respect he deserves as a science writer? Doubtful. He's too popular, I guess, and too unpretentious. Covers breaking news still. But let me put it this way: Who has framed the question of the science of climate change more effectively than this? WASHINGTON – TopContinue reading “Science: As certain of climate change as of smoking”
WSJ Expert: We need an alternative to coal for AGW
Because the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial page consistently has found reasons to scoff at the risks of anthropogenic global warming (AGW), it's notable when an expert vetted by the paper — Robert Rapier, an energy specialist – declares that global warming is a problem. In order to address the carbon dioxide problem, we either have toContinue reading “WSJ Expert: We need an alternative to coal for AGW”
Speaking of “Biblical” flooding in Colorado…
Chris Mooney is now reporting on climate for Grist, which is great news in and of itself. His latest post looks at the huge and deadly floods of this past week in Colorado, and tries to answer the obvious question — did climate change contribute to or worsen these floods? The answer is not aContinue reading “Speaking of “Biblical” flooding in Colorado…”
Kit Stolz 