Overview: How a changing relationship with cars may shape the future of transportation – “Automobiles make up 70% of the emissions from all forms of transportation. There are an estimated 1 billion cars on the planet, with around 80 million new cars sold each year. Despite continually strong sales, experts suggest we have reached ‘Peak Car’… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Climate Change
Peak Bloom With Ten Fun Facts About Cherry Blossoms
Smithsonian Magazine – The National Park Service predicts the pink-and-white blossoms will reach peak bloom between March 27 and 30 – “very spring, the 3,800 cherry trees along Washington, D.C.’s Tidal Basin burst into a symphony of pink-and-white blossoms. Because this picturesque period lasts, on average, just four to seven days, the spectacle is a… Continue Reading
Why is the BLM clearing vast swaths of piñon-juniper forests across the West?
Slash and Burn – Sierra Club -“Over the years, I have often seen the evidence of this mass deforestation: in geometric clearcuts along the ranges of Catron County, New Mexico; in old-growth piñon forest reduced to pulp on the remote Tavaputs Plateau in Utah; in vast fields of stumps on rugged mountainsides in the basin… Continue Reading
It’s OK to feed wild birds – here are some tips for doing it the right way
The Conversation – “Millions of Americans enjoy feeding and watching backyard birds. Many people make a point of putting food out in winter, when birds needs extra energy, and spring, when many species build nests and raise young. As a wildlife ecologist and a birder, I know it’s important to understand how humans influence bird… Continue Reading
The ends of the Earth are melting really fast. Here’s what you need to know
The Correspondent: “The ends of the Earth are melting at a rate not seen in at least 115,000 years. And over the past few months, there’s been increasing evidence that the changes we’re seeing at our planet’s poles are only growing more severe. On 1 August, the Greenland ice sheet lost 12.5bn tonnes of ice… Continue Reading
Forest Service says Appalachian Trail isn’t “land” in pipeline fight at SCOTUS
Quartz: “It’s not every Supreme Court brief that goes off the beaten legal path, supplementing jurisprudence with humor and spicing up statutory interpretation with devastating wit. But the filing from environmentalists fighting the US Forest Service (USFS) over its grant of a license for a gas pipeline through the Appalachian Trail is one such gem. … Continue Reading
New York City Tree Alphabet
“Katie Holten has created a New York City Tree Alphabet. Each letter of the Latin alphabet is assigned a drawing of a tree from the NYC Parks Department’s existing native and non-native trees, as well as species that are to be planted as a result of the changing climate. For example, A = Ash. Everyone… Continue Reading
You want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food?
Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local – “Our World in Data presents the empirical evidence on global development in entries dedicated to specific topics. This blog post draws on data and research discussed in our entry on the Environmental impacts of food and CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions.”People across the… Continue Reading
Are plastic containers safe for our food?
The Guardian – The industry says its containers are safe but some experts point to a lack of data and warn that plastic and heat aren’t a good mix: “Many of us have an overflowing kitchen cupboard of plastic containers to store our leftovers.But as awareness grows over the health and environmental pitfalls of plastic,… Continue Reading
Visualizing Climate Change Data in Real-Time
Center for Data Innovation – “Bloomberg has created a climate data dashboard that features a series of data visualizations that update in real-time. The dashboard includes visualizations that show that arctic sea ice is melting faster than scientists’ projections and that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to increase rapidly. The visualizations… Continue Reading
1,000 of the most stunning landscapes in Google Earth
Google Blog: “…Earth View is a collection of thousands of the planet’s most beautiful landscapes, seen from space. Over the last decade, the collection has been witnessed by millions around the world as wallpapers for Android devices, screensavers for Chromecast and Google Home, and as an interactive exhibit in Google Earth’s Voyager. Earth View was… Continue Reading
In Manila and San Francisco, Rising Seas Are a Crisis Right Now
The New York Times: “…An estimated 600 million people live directly on the world’s coastlines, among the most hazardous places to be in the era of climate change. According to scientific projections, the oceans stand to rise by one to four feet by the end of the century, with projections of more ferocious storms and… Continue Reading
