Romney and Obama ignore coal’s dark side

By the Editors 17 October 2012 Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have traded barbs over coal in both their debates, each accusing the other of failing to champion the fuel. It’s a shame that neither U.S. presidential candidate acknowledges the difficult economic reality coal now faces, or mentions that this form of power still produces […]

Why the chill on climate change? Question absent in U.S. presidential debates

By Eugene Robinson18 October 2012 (The Washington Post) – Not a word has been said in the presidential debates about what may be the most urgent and consequential issue in the world: climate change. President Obama understands and accepts the scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels is trapping heat in the atmosphere, with […]

Photo gallery: Aerial view of deforestation at the Tar Sands mine in Alberta, Canada

By Mark Duell18 October 2012 These incredible pictures show the bleak landscape of bitumen, sand and clay created by the frantic pursuit of 173 billion barrels of untouched oil. The Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada, are the world’s third largest oil reserve – but lush green forests once blanketed an area there larger than England. […]

Video: More than 100 economists, scientists warn of rising sea level in Florida

Over 100 scientists and economists signed a letter to both presidential candidates warning about the dangers of rising sea levels in Florida. Anna Werner reports. Economists, scientists warn of rising sea level in Fla. Technorati Tags: Florida,flood,coastal erosion,sea level,global warming,climate change,climate refugees,North America

Ocean geoengineering scheme condemned by scientists – ‘The consequences of tampering with nature at this scale are not predictable’

By Rhian Waller of NG Explorers18 October 2012 (National Geographic) – Unbeknownst to most scientists until a few days ago, two hundred thousand pounds of iron sulphate were dumped into North Pacific Ocean in July, with the aim to trigger a large plankton bloom. This experiment was conducted by the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation, under […]

UN warns of rising food costs after year’s extreme weather – ‘It’s been soul-destroying for the farmers’

By John Vidal, Rebecca Smithers, and Shiv Malik 10 October 2012 (The Guardian) – The UN has warned of increasing meat and dairy prices in the wake of extreme weather in the United States and across large parts of Europe and other centres of global food production. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) […]

Dry summer helps push Lake Michigan water levels to near-record lows

By Cynthia Dizikes, Chicago Tribune reporter19 October 2012 As Lake Michigan water levels have dipped lower and lower this year, so too has shoreline fisherman Patrick Finley. A leisurely stand, cast and reel routine will no longer do. Actually catching a fish in such shallow water calls for methods more extreme. “You literally have to […]

Who’s moving in? Adult kids, aging parents

By Haya El Nasser16 October 2012 (USA TODAY) – Almost a third of homeowners expect their grown children or aging parents to eventually move in with them, according to a survey by one of the nation’s largest home builders. About one in seven say they already have a “boomerang kid” – an adult child who […]

Antiscience beliefs jeopardize U.S. democracy

By Shawn Lawrence Otto16 October 2012 It is hard to know exactly when it became acceptable for U.S. politicians to be antiscience. For some two centuries science was a preeminent force in American politics, and scientific innovation has been the leading driver of U.S. economic growth since World War II. Kids in the 1960s gathered […]

Study confirms sea-level rise is accelerating along northeast U.S. coast

By David Malmquist, VIMS 16 October 2012 A new study by emeritus professor John Boon of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science shows that the rate of sea-level rise is increasing at tidal stations along the Atlantic coast of North America, including those in Norfolk, Baltimore, New York, and Boston. Boon’s findings, published online in […]

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