A room-sized aquarium fills with water and then empties. Inside, a woman performs a mundane daily task: cleaning, drinking tea, and getting ready for bed. Sometimes the water fills the space quickly, other times it’s slow, but unfazed, the ballerina-like performer does her best to complete the tasks – even though she is sometimes under […]
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Discovery Channel changes to emphasize science
The Discovery Channel is updating its approach to documentary films, and to lead the way, it’s brought in acclaimed HBO producer John Hoffman and added a new documentary unit. His plan to elevate science across the network, which includes Animal Planet and the Science Channel, is key for a brand that has been criticized in […]
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Challenges in residential heating upgrades
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has set an ambitious goal of cutting the Big Apple’s carbon pollution by 80-percent within the next 34 years. But achieving this goal means overcoming complicated challenges. For example, one hot-button issue is how to retrofit old, inefficient heating systems in apartment buildings across the city. For example, […]
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A growing business: helping cities adapt
When a major city floods, there can be widespread power outages, businesses shut down, and lives at risk. So there’s an urgent need for coastal cities to prepare for more severe sea level rise, high tides, and extreme weather due to climate change. Batten: “There is a whole movement to reassess how cities are fortified […]
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Protecting kids on playgrounds in a warming climate
When you take your child to the community park, do you ever touch the playground equipment? Sometimes it gets so hot you could fry an egg. Jennifer Vanos, assistant professor in atmospheric science at Texas Tech University, says there are currently few safety guidelines to help protect children from extreme heat at the playground. And […]
Posted inOceans
North Carolina sea level: No more head-in-sand?
In the summer of 2002, a few years after receiving a PhD in geography in England, Ben Horton flew across the Atlantic to the U.S. and joined a climate research team from East Carolina University. They scrambled around the North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a 200-mile-long string of narrow islands and peninsulas vulnerable to hurricanes and […]
Posted inFood & Agriculture
World’s water: a precious but finite resource
Our planet’s invaluable but finite water resources are essential to life, and home to countless species. However, the quality and quantity of water essential to the planet’s growing population are threatened by climate change and other stresses. For nearly two years, as part of our regular Climate Connections daily radio broadcasts, we’ve captured the ideas and initiatives […]
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Climate’s canary in the coal mine
Canfield: “The birds are like a canary in the coal mine. They’re already telling us that something’s happening.” That’s Audubon’s Chris Canfield. He says even the relatively minor climate changes we’ve seen to-date have affected many bird species. Canfield: “We have already seen birds moving north in terms of their migration and their wintering stays.” […]
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Self-transportation in a changing climate
The future of transportation is connected to the future of global warming. As cities encourage residents to shift away from driving, they must also keep in mind: what if it’s just too darn hot or cold to walk or bike? Alex Karner is an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Karner: “Our goals […]
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Reconnecting the water cycle
The Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada is likely to get more intense rainfall as the climate warms. And that’s a problem for heavily populated areas with storm water and sewer systems already under pressure from the sheer number of people using them. Jackson: “It overwhelms the pipe system. It starts backing up. […]
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A ski town’s climate commitment
Climate change is a serious threat to many of the earth’s fragile ecosystems. But in Park City, a ski town in northern Utah, rising temperatures threaten not only the environment but a way of life. Abbott: “A city like Park City is hugely dependent on snow, and climate change is eroding our position as a […]
Posted inFood & Agriculture
Western aquifers: ‘We can’t be wasting water’
From San Francisco to Denver a north-south line will increasingly divide the West into two distinct regions in coming decades: one that’s wetter, and the other drier. You can guess which one will be on the losing end as far as water is concerned: the American Southwest. Now, a new study led by the University […]