The big melt: Antarctica’s retreating ice may re-shape Earth – ‘We have to stop it; or we have to slow it down as best as we can’

By Luis Andres Henao and Seth Borenstein28 February 2015 CAPE LEGOUPIL, Antarctica (Associated Press) – From the ground in this extreme northern part of Antarctica, spectacularly white and blinding ice seems to extend forever. What can’t be seen is the battle raging thousands of feet (hundreds of meters) below to re-shape Earth. Water is eating […]

In 1998, fossil fuel companies devised a plan to fuel climate science skepticism in the U.S. public. We reveal where the 12 people behind that plan are now.

By Graham Readfearn27 February 2015 (The Guardian) – In early 1998, some of the biggest fossil fuel companies in the world were hatching a plan to hijack the science of human-caused global warming. Representatives from major fossil fuel corporations and industry groups had joined forces with operatives from major conservative think tanks and public relations […]

Most Americans see combating global warming as a moral duty – ‘When climate change is viewed through a moral lens it has broader appeal’

By Bruce Wallace; Editing by Stuart Grudgings27 February 2015 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A significant majority of Americans say combating climate change is a moral issue that obligates them – and world leaders – to reduce carbon emissions, a Reuters/IPSOS poll has found. The poll of 2,827 Americans was conducted in February to measure the impact […]

Graph of the Day: Observed and projected snowfall decline in Australia, 1958-2090

27 January 2015 (CSIRO) – Snowfall in the Australian alps is projected to decrease, especially at low elevations. There is very high confidence that as warming progresses there will be a decrease in snowfall, an increase in snowmelt and thus reduced snow cover. These trends will be large compared to natural variability and most evident […]

Greenhouse effect observed directly over 10-year span – ‘We’re actually measuring the fact that rising carbon dioxide concentrations are leading to the greenhouse effect’

By Becky Oskin   25 February 2015 (LiveScience) – The climate-changing greenhouse effect exists and has been directly measured in the United States, a new study reports. The results confirm what scientists had already proved through models and laboratory experiments: Pumping carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere is warming the Earth’s surface. “We’re actually measuring the […]

Researchers: Climate change affecting Hawaii Island storms – 20-year storms now happening every three to five years

HONOLULU, 8 February 2015 (AP) –  Hawaii island is seeing more frequent heavy storms, and climate change may be the reason, according to two University of Hawaii researchers. Ying Chen, a UH-Manoa graduate student at the time of the study, and Pao-Shin Chu, professor of atmospheric sciences at UH-Manoa, in a paper published in the […]

Huge new holes in Siberia have scientists calling for urgent investigation of the mysterious craters

By Macrina Cooper-White   23 February 2015 (The Huffington Post) – Scientists were baffled last July when they discovered three giant holes in the ground in the Yamal Peninsula in northern Siberia. Now, with the help of satellite imagery, researchers have located four additional craters–and they believe there may be dozens more in the region. That […]

Prominent climate change denialist was funded by energy industry

By JUSTIN GILLIS and JOHN SCHWARTZ21 February 2015 (The New York Times) – For years, politicians wanting to block legislation on climate change have bolstered their arguments by pointing to the work of a handful of scientists who claim that greenhouse gases pose little risk to humanity. One of the names they invoke most often […]

Graph of the day: Humid Heat Stroke Index in U.S. Midwest, projected to the year 2099

January 2015 (Risky Business Project) – This graph shows the mean number of days in a typical Midwest summer when the temperature and humidity could reach Humid Heat Stroke Index (HHSI) category II, III, or even greater. These are days when the heat and humidity could be so high that it will be dangerous for […]

Image of the Day: ‘Welcome to the Cantareira desert’

15 January 2015 (EPA) – A message in graffiti which reads ‘Welcome to the Cantareira desert’ is written on a car which was once submerged in water, at the Atibainha dam, part of the Cantareira System, which shows lowest levels of water, in Nazare Paulista city, 90km away from Sao Paulo, Brazil, 15 January 2015. […]

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