climate41
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Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/11
Slicing Silicon Thinner to Cut the Price of Solar Cells, NY Times, Mar 13: The cost of silicon has been an important barrier to expanding the penetration of solar photovoltaic power. New manufacturing techniques using less silicon could help dramatically reduce the price of producing solar cells, potentially helping expand the industry and bringing down…
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Climate News Roundup: Week of 3/04
Climate Change May Kill OFF 900 Bird Species, Treehugger, Mar 7 Scientists say climate change is likely to drive up to 900 bird species into extinction by the end of the century unless additional conservation measures are taken. Tropical bird species are particularly vulnerable because they are adapted to living in a stable climate, where…
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Climate change may be affecting the jet stream
A new study provides evidence that climate change may be affecting the northern hemisphere jet stream, which appears to be moving north and slowing down. The slowing of the jet stream could cause weather patterns to remain in place for longer, resulting in prolonged heat waves or cold snaps.
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What Really Sways Public Opinion on Climate Change
Being part of the Columbia Climate Center, which endeavors to improve public understanding of climate change as part of its mission, I was dismayed, but not surprised to read a study confirming that dissemination of scientific information on climate change to the public has a minimal effect on public opinion. A recent analysis shows that…
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China’s South-North Water Transfer Project: A Means to a Political End
In order to maintain the status quo, let alone to grow, cities like Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang and Zhengzhou need more water. But the South-North Water Transfer Project–which when completed will transfer 174 times more water per year than the city of Los Angeles receives from various diversions of the Colorado River– is putting in place…
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EPA’s greenhouse gas rule poses challenges for US policy review process
Just in case anyone you missed it, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving, albeit almost imperceptibly, toward regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It took one more step in January, published the emissions of 6700 facilities with annual emissions of more than 25,000 MtCO2e. This category of emitters was required to report these figures…
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Fixing Climate: Beyond Carbon Dioxide
Climate scientists at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this week were elated to hear that the United States and five other countries had agreed to work toward cutting pollutants other than carbon dioxide thought to cause about a third of current human-influenced global warming. After all, many of them…
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A Climate Tipping Point for World Food Prices?
Increased growing-season heat due to climate change in coming decades could push staple U.S. crops off a cliff, and cause world food prices to jump, a Columbia University economist told a press briefing at a top scientific meeting this week. In a panel organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, economist Wolfram…
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Did the Oceans Influence Human Evolution?
Scientists often invoke climate as a possible factor in human evolution; but only recently have they developed the ability to get enough information about past climates and related fossil evidence to see any details. A half-dozen leading paleontologists and climate scientists discussed recent advances in a symposium this week at the annual meeting of the…
The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. This Earth Month, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.