NASA satellites continue to capture remarkable new images of the wildfires raging in Southern California. At least 14 massive fires are reported to have scorched about 425 square miles from north of Los Angeles to southeast of San Diego.
Are efficiency and technology the key to sustainable energy?
Experts call for the worldwide introduction of price signals for carbon emissions, the development of technologies for capturing and sequestering carbon from coal and other fossil fuels, and the acceleration of the development and deployment of renewable-energy technologies. A doubling of public and private expenditure on critical energy technologies is also needed, along with cutting subsidies to established energy industries … Read More
Antarctic snowmelt progresses inland
Using 20 years of data from satellite observations, NASA scientists have confirmed that snow has been melting further inland and at higher elevations in Antarctica. Warmer temperatures are probably responsible for these phenomena, says the team.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide increasing faster than expected
A new study performed by researchers working at the Global Carbon Project, at the University of East Anglia and the British Antarctic Survey, shows that the growth rate of carbon dioxide emissions has increased from 1.3% to 3.3% each year since 2000. The study shows that global carbon dioxide emissions from all human activities had increased 35% over the … Read More
Drug-Resistant Staph Killed More Americans Than AIDS in 2005
A study published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” shows that infections caused by anti-bacterial resistant staph infections are no longer confined to hospitals and are increasingly found in community settings such as schools and pose a major health threat.
U.S. Senators Propose Compulsory Greenhouse Gas Cuts
A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate proposes mandatory, not voluntary, limits on greenhouse gases with the goal of reducing the nation’s emissions more than 60 percent by mid-century. Is this too little? Too late?
Human Behavior, Global Warming, and the Ubiquitous Plastic Bag
Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year that require an estimated 12 million barrels of oil to produce. What can be done to curb America’s insatiable desire to consume disposable waste products? I confess… I too fail to use alternatives when going to the store, although I usually decline and give back the plastic bags when I can carry … Read More
Grim Outlook for Polar Bears
If emissions of greenhouse gases and resulting global and Arctic warming continue apace, the study said, two-thirds of the 22,000 or so bears will disappear by midcentury. Some bear experts see that prognosis as overly dire.
Australian Fires Add to Fears on Climate Change
Extreme weather, including a drought that has persisted in some places for six years, has focused the Australian public on climate change, and it is shaping up as a major issue in the general elections that are expected to be called in the next few weeks.
U.N. Warns of Rapid Decay of Environment
Climage change, the rate of extinction of species, and the challenge of feeding a growing population are putting humanity at risk, the United Nations Environment Program says in its fourth Global Environmental Outlook since 1997.