Renewable energy like wind and solar is abundant, but sporadic. It’s not windy or sunny all the time! Our society relies on the availability of continuous electricity, so sporadic energy is not good enough. Finding a cost-efficient way to store electricity for use when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow is a […]
Posted inReview
(What) do we learn from cli-fi films?
Noah Gittell, in his review for The Atlantic, first expressed his disappointment with Interstellar as a message film — “as a climate-change parable, it fails” — and then broadened his critique: Why does Hollywood keep getting the environment wrong? Maybe it’s for the same reason that politicians have been unable to fix it. Because the […]
Posted inAudio
Basic goal of Boulder Strong … resiliency
Boulder, Colorado has suffered two devastating wildfires, a multi-year drought, and a historic flood, all in the last few years. Resilience is now a fundamental goal of city government. But what does that mean? Resiliency is the ability of a community to survive, bounce back, and improve after suffering a disaster or crisis. For example, […]
Posted inAudio
Multiple benefits seen from Portland, Oregon’s ecoroof initiative
Strolling through Portland, Oregon, one can see something surprising – roofs covered not with black asphalt shingles, but plants! A green roof – or an ecoroof – is made by first sealing the top of a building with a waterproof membrane to prevent leaks. Then a drainage layer is covered with soil, low-growing grasses and […]
Posted inAudio
Biochar: when their waste stream becomes our energy
Could a heap of charcoal help mitigate climate change? Bob Wells, Co-Founder of the Chargrow Biochar Company, in North Carolina believes it can. Wells stands by a kiln that is drying wood scraps from saw mills, pallet companies, and furniture factories. WELLS: “To them, it’s trash. They need to get rid of it. But for […]
Posted inAudio
Loss of land ice (not sea ice) = more sea level rise
There are two warnings about melting ice and rising oceans: one is by land, the other, by sea. But it’s ice sheets on land, not icebergs in the ocean, that are the biggest contributors to sea level rise. Land ice includes mountain glaciers and ice sheets, covering Greenland and Antarctica. These giant blocks of ice […]
Posted inAudio
Feeding a growing population in a warmer world
Farming accounts for about forty percent of land use worldwide and has a big impact on the climate. How can we sustainably feed a growing world population? Paul West of the University of Minnesota’s Institute of the Environment says most of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions come from specific countries and crops. West: “And so in […]
Posted inReview
Interstellar: looking for the future in all the wrong spaces
Those eagerly anticipating Interstellar as a possible “serious season” addition to the genre of cli-fi had plenty of company. But while often beautiful and sometimes compelling, Interstellar is closer to climate skepticism than it is to climate fiction. So eager is director Christopher Nolan to make the case for the return to space that he […]
Posted inThis Is Not Cool
South Florida sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion
This month’s ‘This is Not Cool’ video by Peter Sinclair focuses on mounting challenges facing residents and property owners in south Florida as saltwater intrusion and rising sea level become increasingly problematic.
Posted inAudio
Boston learning ways to reduce GHG emissions
Kermit the Frog reminds us “it’s not easy being green.” But when it comes to reducing climate change, small steps and simple actions go a long way. Just ask the folks in Boston where the city has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions 25 percent by the year 2020, and 80 percent by 2050. The […]
Posted inAudio
Gardeners adapting to changing weather, rain patterns
It’s a crisp fall day in Rochester, New York, and Master Gardener Mary Walsh is moving her perennials to a site with better drainage. She wants to protect the plants from the extreme rains that have become more frequent. Walsh says it’s just one of many ways changes in the weather are affecting gardeners: Walsh: […]
Posted inAudio
Costly and devastating fires plaguing far west
Wildfires in the U.S. are getting bigger and lasting longer. Rachel Cleetus, a climate economist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, says climate change and policy decisions are making fires worse. Cleetus: “Climate change is producing hotter and drier conditions… and we’ve had a past history of very aggressively suppressing wildfires, and this is combined […]