The Week That Was: What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

By Climate Central

As the Grateful Dead would say, What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been.  Or in our case, what a long, strange week it’s been.

Tragically, we said goodbye all too soon to three people, all stars in their own right.

Credit: Michael Caulfield/WireImage.com. 

Whitney Houston, a pop singer who sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos, died at the age of 48 in a hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Gary Carter, a Hall of Fame catcher who starred first for the Montreal Expos and later in New York, where he led the Mets to their 1986 World Championship, died of brain cancer at the age of 57.

And finally, Anthony Shadid, a New York Times foreign correspondent who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his reporting for the Washington Post, died of an apparent asthma attack while on assignment in Syria. He was 43.

Not all the news was so depressing. There was the dog that looked like a rabbit that won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show.

There was the continued brilliance of the New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin, the overlooked underdog story that has taken not just the NBA by storm, but the nation as well. Well, that’s if you count making the cover of Time Magazine. 

And, of course, there was our news — The Week That Was at Climate Central. Some of it was depressing, some of it uplifting. And yes, some of it was strange. Enjoy.

Monday, Feb. 13

How Much Ice is Vanishing? You Don’t Want to Know
A new, accurate census of disappearing ice pegs the loss at 385 billion tons yearly for the past decade or so, enough to fill Lake Erie with water eight times over


Top Scientists Write Letter to Congress, Oppose Keystone
With House and Senate votes on the Keystone XL oil pipeline looming, 15 top climate scientists wrote to Congress.

Tuesday, Feb. 14

Bittersweet Future for Chocolates and Valentine’s Day
The rising temperatures in West Africa are expected to damage a major portion of cocoa supplies, raising chocolate prices.


What’s Beneath Antarctica’s Ice? No, not Hitler’s Remains
Last week, scientists broke through to an environment untouched for millions of years that could transform our understanding of life as we know it.

Wednesday, Feb. 15

Back by Popular Demand: Watch 131 Years of Global Warming in 26 Seconds
More than 100,000 people have watched this amazing 26-second video depict how temperatures around the globe have warmed since 1880.


Hurricanes Pose Major Risk to Wind Energy
A new study finds offshore wind energy turbines along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico are vulnerable to hurricanes.

Thursday, Feb. 16

U.S. Launches Effort to Cut Short-Lived Pollutants
The United States has joined with five other nations to cut emissions of short-lived climate pollutants.

Friday, Feb. 17

If You Thought It Was Hot Last Summer . . .
A new study finds an increased likelihood for very hot summers in the U.S., driven in part by global warming.


Why I Like Global Warming
With balmy winters likely to become more common in the long term, the idea of climate change doesn’t seem so bad, suddenly.