Climate271
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Around the world: Canada, Part 1
Periodically I’ll be taking a look at how countries other than the Big Four are faring in the fight against severe global warming, as commentators tend to focus on the United States, China, India and the European Union. This is the first in a two-part post on Canada. Oh, Canada! Our enlightened neighbor to the…
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Abrupt Climate Change, How Likely?
Yesterday the USGS released “Abrupt Climate Change, Final Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 3.4” of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. You can download the four page brochure or the full report here. Columbia scientists Edward R. Cook (the lead author) and Richard Seager, both from Lamont-Doherty Earth…
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Biofuels, food security, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity
Biofuel use is one of the strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that has already been incorporated into policy and regulatory frameworks. However, it has become increasingly evident that biofuel production has unintended consequences that extend beyond national boundaries and beyond the energy sector. Chief among these are concerns for food security. The food…
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Finance, Climate, and Faust
I lifted the title of this entry directly from last week’s Earth and Environmental Science colloquium at Lamont. The talk, given by Dr. Berrien Moore of Climate Central, revolved around the idea that complex systems have inherent instabilities. Using the current financial situation as an example, Moore argued that such systems are marked by important…
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Climate change law comes to Columbia
Climate change is coming to the legal profession in a big way. And law schools are starting to notice, with Columbia Law School announcing today that it has hired environmental lawyer Michael Gerrard to head a new Center for Climate Change Law.
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Climate matters, and most of the world agrees
Climate matters, and that’s not just the opinion of the Columbia Climate Center. Recent surveys in the US and overseas indicate that most people see climate change as a threat; even those that don’t consider it a serious problem agree that it is worth addressing. In a recent survey of twelve countries, made by HSBC…
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Welcome to Climate Matters @ Columbia!
Welcome to Climate Matters @ Columbia, a new blog coming out of the recently formed Columbia Climate Center from the Earth Institute, Columbia University. On Climate Matters, we’ll talk about all things climate: from basic climate science to policy considerations, from the climate impacts on public health to using conservation of biodiversity as a strategy…
Join us on Saturday, October 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House! Celebrate 75 years of science with us at our beautiful Palisades, NY campus. The event is free and open to everyone, with a suggested $5 donation. Learn More and RSVP