Climate253
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EPA Under Attack
On February 19th, the House approved spending legislation that, if also passed in the Senate, would mean major cuts to climate and environmental initiatives. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hit hard, with cuts targeting its general budget, and specifically addressing its ability to regulate mercury and other toxic pollutants, to set new health standards…
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Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/20
Climate Change Affecting Owl Color in Finland, USA Today, Feb. 22 A longitudinal study of 28 years found that the brown variant of the Finnish tawny owl is surviving at a better rate than the grey owl. Milder winters with less snow cover allow the brown owls to better camouflage themselves from predators. Researchers from…
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Flood Impacts: Don’t Forget Other Factors
As scientists continue to try to sort out climate change effects, it’s important to remember also that when it comes to the impact of floods, there are many factors outside of global climate change that affect outcomes for people. Here are a few.
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Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/13
Republicans Gut EPA Climate Rules, Slash Deeply into Climate Research, Aid and Technology Programs, NY Times, Feb. 14 On Friday, Feb. 11, House Republicans introduced a continuing resolution (CR) on spending legislation which would fund government operations through Sept. 30. Aiming to trim $100 billion from the Obama administration’s 2011 fiscal budget, the bill proposes cuts…
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La Niña Begins to Weaken
The current moderate-strength La Niña is now weakening and is expected to dissipate by late spring, said Tony Barnston, the lead forecaster at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, which holds a monthly climate briefing. Early February showed the first easing in strength of the cool sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern…
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Celebrating the end of the Antarctic field season
It is the end of a highly successful field season for our ‘Antarctica’s Secrets’ team – a mix of sadness and joy
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A Tentative Year for REDD+: Placing Value on Forests
Forests, particularly tropical forests, are economically valuable for their biodiversity and, especially relevant for climate change, their ability to store carbon within their vegetation and soil. Alternately, destruction of forests releases carbon into the atmosphere. Deforestation and forest degradation account for 12-20% of GHG emissions. REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is a…
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Columbia Climate Center Co-hosts Screening of HOME
On Monday, January 31st, the Columbia Maison Française and the Columbia Climate Center co-hosted the American pre-screening of “HOME”, a film directed by world-renowned photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, well known from his “Earth from Above” series. A panel discussion, moderated by science journalist and author David Berreby, followed the film. The panelists included Mr. Arthus-Bertrand, Olivier…
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Climate News Roundup: 2/6-2/11
Droughts, Floods and Food, NYTimes, Feb. 6 Extreme weather events in 2010 are linked to the current global food crisis, in which the prices of wheat, corn, sugar, and oils have exploded. In combination with growing demand from developing nations and increased competition for crop land, extreme weather events such as droughts in Brazil, wildfires…
By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings“
