Climate Adaptation Experts Help Prepare for Disaster
In 2008, floods in Thailand forced the temporary closure of four Nike factories, costing the company millions of dollars. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy demolished Verizon’s copper-wire infrastructure on the U.S. eastern seaboard, costing thousands of Verizon customers service and the company $1 billion in repair costs. Extreme weather … Read More
Looming Warming Spurt Could Reshape Climate Debate
Humanity is about to experience a historically unprecedented spike in temperatures. That’s the ominous conclusion of a vast and growing body of research that links sweeping Pacific Ocean cycles with rates of warming at the planet’s surface. Papers in two leading journals this week reaffirmed that the warming effects of a substantial chunk of our g… Read More
Three Tools to Solve The Mystery of Ocean Acidity
The United Nations General Assembly in late 2013 called on world governments “to urgently pursue further research on ocean acidification, especially programmes of observation and measurement.” Rapid advances since then could help scientists peer more deeply into the atomic structure of the water as policymakers search for local and global solutions… Read More
Here’s Where Ocean Acidification Will Hit the U.S. Hardest
U.S. coastal communities better start preparing for ocean acidification now, especially if we want scallops, oysters and other shellfish to keep appearing on our dinnerplates. That’s the message of a new study that shows that shellfisheries across the U.S. are more vulnerable to climate change’s less considered counterpart than previously thought … Read More
Last Tango for Nuclear?
Everybody loves a comeback story. If you like the U.S. nuclear power industry, it’s a Michael Jordan-type gallant return. If you don’t like nukes, it’s more of a Gloria Swanson gruesome comeback in Sunset Boulevard. Similar to both Jordan and Swanson’s character, Norma Desmond, the industry has tried more than one revival. The current one may be m… Read More
Warmer Oceans Helping Coral-Eating Starfish Thrive
Warmer seas are creating an additional threat to the Great Barrier Reef, with new research suggesting rising temperatures are helping a key coral predator thrive. Crown-of-thorns starfish that eat coral are more likely to survive with rising sea surface heat levels, according to a study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). An … Read More
Climate Talks Draw Praise, Herald Hard Slog Ahead
Something strange pervaded low-level United Nations climate negotiations this week in Switzerland: Smiles. Throughout the week, many rejoiced in a novel all-inclusive approach taken by the newly elected chairmen guiding the negotiations. By the end of the six days of meetings, though, the dawdling and protracted nature of the talks had turned a nu… Read More
Southwest, Central Plains Face ‘Unprecedented’ Drought
Climate change is creating an “unprecedented” risk of severe drought in the Southwest and Central Plains. Rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall mean that future drought could be more extreme than any drought seen in at least the past 1,000 years and the effects could reverberate for urban dwellers and farmers across the regions. The 1930s Dus… Read More
