We have drilled a second core through the ice to bedrock, and are done at our first site. Unfortunately, the helicopter that we need to move the heavy pieces to our second planned spot is down for regular maintenance until next Monday, June 21. That means the team must wait it out at the relatively sheltered “saddle…
Earlier this year, 14 energy academics, analysts and advocates gathered with hopes of reinventing the way the international community treats climate policy. The result, The Hartwell Paper: A new direction for climate policy after the crash of 2009, aims to examine “all aspects of the crisis which enveloped global climate policy” last December during the…
I was eagerly anticipating President Obama’s speech last night and very much hoping it would mark a true turning point in the administration’s handling of the crisis. However, like many others, I was sorely disappointed. While the speech used plenty of combative terms (“battle plan”, “siege”) it was completely absent of specifics, both for responding…
On Friday, April 23, 2010, the Earth Institute hosted its annual Student Research Showcase. More than 25 students shared their cutting-edge research on environmental and sustainable development through short presentations, followed by a poster session that gave participants the chance for more detailed discussions with the presenters. The student researchers represented a wide range of…
I recently returned from a trip to the Mbola Millennium Village cluster in Tanzania to evaluate the progress of the project’s HIV/AIDS services for pregnant women. Since its beginning in 2006, the Millennium Villages project (MVP) has improved access to general medical services in the cluster, including the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT)…
Joanna Rubinstein, Director of the Earth Institute’s Center for Global Health and Economic Development (CGHED), was a recent guest of The Kojo Nmadi Radio Show on WAMU 88.5, an NPR affiliate. The program was broadcast from the InterAction 2010 Forum, a dialogue for international relief and development advocacy, in Washington, DC, where Rubinstein was in…
Stefan Sobolowski says he has always had a passion for water, weather and climate—a passion he attributes to lifetime of skiing, hiking, snowboarding, and playing in oceans. Here, Stefan discusses his research on the effects of continental snowcover on climate and why one cold winter in the United States doesn’t mean that there is no…
10 Eastern States Join Wind Energy Consortium, Providence Business News On Tuesday a memorandum of understanding signed by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and the governors of ten states established an Atlantic offshore wind energy consortium. The goal is to promote the efficient development of wind resources on the Outer Continental Shelf from Maine…
Yesterday we completed our first ice core at the Northwall Firn Glacier, down to bedrock, penetrating 30 meters through the glacier, until we hit bottom. The ice seems to contain visible layers all the way down–a sign that yearly accumulations have been preserved, instead of melding into each other. This means we should be able to…