The Conversation: “Giant redwood trees grow as fast in the U.K. as they do in their native range in California, according to a recent study. Interest in planting giant redwoods has grown in the U.K. due to their public appeal and ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Giant redwoods, the world’s largest tree, were… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Climate Change
Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community
February 5, 2024 – Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI): “This annual report of worldwide threats to the national security of the United States responds to Section 617 of the FY21 Intelligence Authorization Act (Pub. L. No. 116-260). This report reflects the collective insights of the Intelligence Community (IC), which is committed every… Continue Reading
Report – AI likely to increase energy use and accelerate climate misinformation
The Guardian – Claims that artificial intelligence will help solve the climate crisis are misguided, warns a coalition of environmental groups – “Claims that artificial intelligence will help solve the climate crisis are misguided, with the technology instead likely cause rising energy use and turbocharge the spread of climate disinformation, a coalition of environmental groups has… Continue Reading
Do firms mitigate climate impact on employment? Evidence from US heat shocks
Acharya, Viral V. and Acharya, Viral V. and Bhardwaj, Abhishek and Tomunen, Tuomas, Do firms mitigate climate impact on employment? Evidence from US heat shocks (August 15, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4660007 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4660007 “How do firms mitigate the impact of rising temperatures on employment? Using establishment-level data, we show that firms operating in multiple… Continue Reading
Researchers Warn Arctic Ocean could be ‘ice-free’ within the decade
Los Angeles Times: “The loss of Arctic sea ice has long been a graphic measure of human-caused climate change, with wrenching images of suffering polar bears illustrating a worsening planetary crisis. Now, new research has found that Arctic Ocean sea ice is shrinking even faster than previously thought — and that the Arctic may start… Continue Reading
Recycling robot is saving millions of bottles from the landfill
Fast Company: “If you throw a plastic water bottle or yogurt cup in a recycling bin, it might not necessarily be recycled.Inside sprawling warehouses that the industry calls “MRFs” or materials recovery facilities, machines and workers often sort through hundreds of tons of waste a day. The process is imperfect, and valuable recyclables can often… Continue Reading
The European Extreme Events Climate Index
“The European Extreme Events Climate Index (E3CI) provides a general overview of weather-induced hazards by combining seven components: Extreme Max and Min Temperature, Drought, Extreme Precipitation, Hail, Fire, Extreme Wind. The European Extreme Events Climate Index (E3CI) is an ensemble of indices aimed at providing information about the areas affected by different types of weather-induced… Continue Reading
Celebrating Birds, Together
“The 2024 Great Backyard Bird Count saw hundreds of thousands of people turn their eyes and ears outside to watch and listen for birds—on every continent and virtually every country. Fortunately for us, many of those people brought cameras and shared their photography from all parts of the globe. The results are simply amazing, as… Continue Reading
Watch and learn about bats on the Bat World Sanctuary livecam
BoingBoing: “If you love bats, you should check out Bat World Sanctuary, which is located in north Texas and which posts cool and educational videos of the various bats they care for. According to their website: Bat World Sanctuary is on the front line to end the mistreatment of bats. Each year we rescue hundreds of… Continue Reading
Air pollution could be significant cause of dementia even for those not predisposed
The Guardian: “Air pollution from traffic is linked to some of the more severe forms of dementia, and could be a significant cause of the condition among those who are not already genetically predisposed to it, research suggests. Research carried out in Atlanta, Georgia, found that people with higher exposure to traffic-related fine particulate matter… Continue Reading
Air pollution linked to more signs of Alzheimer’s in brain
Grace M. Christensen, Zhenjiang Li, Donghai Liang, Stefanie Ebelt, Marla Gearing, Allan I. Levey, James J. Lah, Aliza Wingo, Thomas Wingo, Anke Hüls. Association of PM 2.5 Exposure and Alzheimer Disease Pathology in Brain Bank Donors—Effect Modification by APOE Genotype. Neurology, 2024; 102 (5) “People with higher exposure to traffic-related air pollution were more likely… Continue Reading
The National Wetlands Inventory
Data is Plural: “The National Wetlands Inventory, maintained by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, provides interactive maps and bulk data containing “geospatially referenced information on the status, extent, characteristics and functions of wetland, riparian, deepwater, and related aquatic habitats.” With contributions from 160+ organizations, coordinated through a dedicated national standard, the inventory represents “more… Continue Reading
