Climate269
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Our Race Against Time
Our team is planning to recover and analyze ice cores from glaciers on opposite sides of the tropical Pacific Ocean: Puncak Jaya in Papua-Indonesia (4,884 meters above mean sea level) and Nevado Haulcán, Peru (6,100 meters.). Puncak Jaya offers the only potential opportunity to acquire an ice core history from the western side of what…
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Reaping Ice From a High Indonesian Peak
After years of preparation, scientists are about to ascend Indonesia’s 4,884-meter (16,000-foot) Puncak Jaya, earth’s highest mountain between the Andes and the Himalayas, to drill samples of some of the last, fast-dwindling glacial ice in the tropics. From deep cores representing centuries of accumulation, they hope to extract clues to past cyclic swings in the…
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IRI Uses Climate Information to Help Prepare for Disasters
The International Research Institute for Climate and Society is starting to get serious about the use of climate information to inform disaster preparedness and management. This includes efforts growing from the IRI’s Partnership to Save Lives with the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Socieities, as well as those related to the upcoming Climate and…
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Climate Bill Released
Senators Kerry and Lieberman unveiled their comprehensive energy and climate change legislation, the American Power Act, at a press conference today. Kerry claims the bill will set achievable reduction targets while creating huge benefits for American consumers. Though a more comprehensive analysis is certainly warranted, for now we’ll just stick to highlights of the 987-page…
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Climate News Roundup – Week of 5/2
Big Wind Farm Off Cape Cod Gets Approval, New York Times In a press conference on Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced — after nine years of regulatory review – that plans for the nation’s first offshore wind farm were approved for construction. The controversial decision faced resistance from both Democrats and Republicans, including the…
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The Letter: Climate Change and the Integrity of Science
255 prominent scientists from all over the United States published an open letter in today’s Science Magazine, in defense of science, scientists and the scientific process in the face of vocal and aggressive climate change skeptics. In case you don’t subscribe to Science Magazine, it’s worthwhile reproducing the letter here.
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42,225 Daily Temperature Readings, and Counting
A Rare 114-Year Record, Kept by Generations, Logs Changing Climate
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Seeing the Big Picture of Climate Change
L. Douglas James, a former Hydrologist for the National Science Foundation (retired), is a Big Picture guy. Concerned that scientific research and public policy are both too focused on isolated bits of the climate change issue, he had a go at inspiring attendees of a Columbia Water Center Seminar to branch out, make connections, and…
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Vote for the Earth Institute in the eBay Fundraising Tournament for the Environment
Do you share our belief that the world has the know-how and resources to solve our environmental challenges in a sustainable manner? Do you support efforts by the scientific community to help understand the effects of climate change, reduce environmental degradation, and advance renewable energy technologies? Then please vote for the Columbia Water Center’s parent…

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“