The scientific community is facing an existential crisis

By Emily Atkin27 February 2017 (New Republic) – Earlier this month, thousands of scientists from around the world came together for their favorite nerd fest: The annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest scientific organization and publisher of the renowned Science journals. There were panels on everything […]

U.S. Secretary of State and former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson snubs UN request for global warming meeting

By Ian Johnston2 March 2017 (The Independent) – The US Secretary of State, former oil industry mogul Rex Tillerson, has not responded to a request from the United Nations’ most senior climate change official for a face-to-face meeting amid concern about the Trump administration’s stance on global warming. Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UN […]

Massive permafrost thaw documented in Canada, portending huge carbon release

BY Bob Berwyn28 February 2017 (InsideClimate News) – Huge slabs of Arctic permafrost in northwest Canada are slumping and disintegrating, sending large amounts of carbon-rich mud and silt into streams and rivers. A new study that analyzed nearly a half-million square miles in northwest Canada found that this permafrost decay is affecting 52,000 square miles […]

Members of U.S. Congress met to discuss the costs of climate change. They ended up debating its existence.

By Chelsea Harvey 28 February 2017 (The Washington Post) – A hearing held Tuesday by several House subcommittees was meant to be an examination of the methods used to calculate an oft-contested metric known as the social cost of carbon, a way of quantifying the costs — environmental, health-related or otherwise — of emitting on […]

Chicago has no snow in January and February for the first time in 146 years of recordkeeping

By Lorraine Chow1 March 2017 CHICAGO (EcoWatch) – a city well known for its windy and snowy winters—is experiencing some unusually warm weather. For the first time in 146 years, there was no documented snow on the ground in January and February, according to the local National Weather Service. January and February are usually the […]

White House proposes steep budget cut to NOAA – “A reduced investment now would virtually guarantee jeopardizing the safety of the American public”

By Steven Mufson, Jason Samenow, and Brady Dennis 3 March 2017 (The Washington Post) – The Trump administration is seeking to slash the budget of one of the government’s premier climate science agencies by 17 percent, delivering steep cuts to research funding and satellite programs, according to a four-page budget memo obtained by The Washington […]

After ceremonial start, Iditarod heads to Fairbanks in search of snow

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, 5 March 2017 (Associated Press) – The sound of howling dogs filled downtown Anchorage on Saturday as mushers from around the world gathered for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. About 2,000 dogs belonging to 72 mushers waited their turn — some more patiently and less vocally than others […]

Photo gallery: How the U.S. looked before the Environmental Protection Agency

By Kacy Burdette28 February 2017 (Fortune) – Back in 1970, then-President Richard Nixon signed an executive order establishing the Environmental Protection Agency. Just after its creation, the EPA created a photo-documentary project called Project Documerica. Its purpose? To “record the state of the environment and efforts to improve it.” Similar to the famous photography program […]

Video: An Alaskan outfitter’s perspective on global warming

23 January 2017 (Outside) – On a trip to Alaska, the filmmakers at Aura ran into a small town outfitter with a large story. Rick runs an adventure outfitter company in Seward, Alaska, and has witnessed the drastic recession of the glacier in town. So when he was willing to show them around and share […]

“The blob” of abnormal conditions boosted Western U.S. ozone levels in 2015

By Hannah Hickey15 February 2017 (University of Washington) – An unusually warm patch of seawater off the West Coast in late 2014 and 2015, nicknamed “the blob,” was part of an offshore pattern that had cascading effects up and down the coast. Its sphere of influence was centered on the marine environment but extended to […]

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