Author: David Funkhouser10

I’m a writer and former content manager and science writer for the Earth Institute and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. I worked for 35 years at newspapers around New England, including The MetroWest News in Framingham, Mass.; The New Haven Register and The Hartford Courant in Connecticut. Visit website »

The U.S. Water Challenge: Watch the Video

Most American’s live with the expectation that fresh water will continue to flow freely from their faucets. The reality is that environmental degradation, an aging water infrastructure, water scarcity, job instability, and the ability to provide food for a growing population are now pressing issues.
Warming Hiatus? Hangout and Find Out

Wondering about the slowdown in global warming? Need a little context? Try visiting a Google hangout session with physical and social scientists and science communicators on March 20 at 11 a.m. EDT.
Con Ed Agrees to Climate Change Plan

In a groundbreaking agreement, Consolidated Edison, one of New York’s major utility companies, will incorporate plans to protect the power system from the effects of climate change as part of a new multi-year rate plan.
Crossroads Project Taps into a Deeper Connection to Climate

Climate science can come across as a little dry, so Robert Davies, a physicist at Utah State University, thought he’d spice it up with music and visual art, to penetrate deeper into his audiences’ consciousness. The result is The Crossroads Project, coming to Symphony Space Feb. 13.
This Dance Class Could Be Worth $1 Million

You could be dancing a Dollu Kunitha in Karnataka, or a Kpanlogo in Ghana, or a samba in Rio. Dance is integral to most cultures, and it’s also a social and fun way to improve physical fitness. It can help prevent cardiovascular disease and control weight, among other health benefits. And that is the point…
2013 Ranks in Top 10 Warmest Years

Last year was one of the warmest on record, according to analyses of global temperature data by NASA and NOAA. Both federal agencies placed 2013 among the top 10 warmest years since records began in 1880, continuing a longer-term trend of global warming.
Why Do We Run Hot and Cold on Climate Change?

People’s views on climate seem easily swayed, or in some cases manipulated, by daily weather. In a new study, researchers drilled into what goes on in people’s minds when they respond to these smaller-scale stimuli.
Map Your Food

Where does London get its fruit? Where are the “food swamps” in Los Angeles? Where do tomatoes from Spain wind up? Where are the composters in New York City? For lovers of geography, and of the sociology of food, “Food: an atlas” offers lots of informative and curious distraction.
Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

Understanding the climate history of Mono Lake will help scientists understand the future impact of climate change. This is no esoteric question for Los Angeles, which depends in part on Mono Lake’s watershed for drinking water, green lawns, agriculture and industry.

The U.S. Water Challenge: Watch the Video

Most American’s live with the expectation that fresh water will continue to flow freely from their faucets. The reality is that environmental degradation, an aging water infrastructure, water scarcity, job instability, and the ability to provide food for a growing population are now pressing issues.
Warming Hiatus? Hangout and Find Out

Wondering about the slowdown in global warming? Need a little context? Try visiting a Google hangout session with physical and social scientists and science communicators on March 20 at 11 a.m. EDT.
Con Ed Agrees to Climate Change Plan

In a groundbreaking agreement, Consolidated Edison, one of New York’s major utility companies, will incorporate plans to protect the power system from the effects of climate change as part of a new multi-year rate plan.
Crossroads Project Taps into a Deeper Connection to Climate

Climate science can come across as a little dry, so Robert Davies, a physicist at Utah State University, thought he’d spice it up with music and visual art, to penetrate deeper into his audiences’ consciousness. The result is The Crossroads Project, coming to Symphony Space Feb. 13.
This Dance Class Could Be Worth $1 Million

You could be dancing a Dollu Kunitha in Karnataka, or a Kpanlogo in Ghana, or a samba in Rio. Dance is integral to most cultures, and it’s also a social and fun way to improve physical fitness. It can help prevent cardiovascular disease and control weight, among other health benefits. And that is the point…
2013 Ranks in Top 10 Warmest Years

Last year was one of the warmest on record, according to analyses of global temperature data by NASA and NOAA. Both federal agencies placed 2013 among the top 10 warmest years since records began in 1880, continuing a longer-term trend of global warming.
Why Do We Run Hot and Cold on Climate Change?

People’s views on climate seem easily swayed, or in some cases manipulated, by daily weather. In a new study, researchers drilled into what goes on in people’s minds when they respond to these smaller-scale stimuli.
Map Your Food

Where does London get its fruit? Where are the “food swamps” in Los Angeles? Where do tomatoes from Spain wind up? Where are the composters in New York City? For lovers of geography, and of the sociology of food, “Food: an atlas” offers lots of informative and curious distraction.
Climate Change and the Future of Mono Lake

Understanding the climate history of Mono Lake will help scientists understand the future impact of climate change. This is no esoteric question for Los Angeles, which depends in part on Mono Lake’s watershed for drinking water, green lawns, agriculture and industry.