A journalist, not identified, sought referrals from the Climate Science Rapid Response Team concerning whether scientists should engage with the public and the media and even express their views on political and policy issues. CSRRT co-founder Scott Mandia sent the question out to several climatologists for their responses to the reporter. That is, after all, what CSRRT does […]
Posted inThis Is Not Cool
Western U.K.’s winter of weather discontent featured in new video
New video points to historic storms ripping through much of southwestern coast of United Kingdom virtually since the start of 2014 and suggests slim odds they occurred naturally.
Posted inPolicy & Politics
Strange bedfellows … and fear of broad impacts of Mann/UVa court ruling
Pitting the interests of academic freedom against transparency, media access, and freedom of information, a high-profile case before the Virginia Supreme Court involving climate scientist Michael Mann is expected to be decided over the next few weeks. The plaintiffs in the case are Virginia Republican Delegate Robert Marshall and the American Tradition Institute (ATI), a […]
Posted inFeature Article
Six climate freelancers seeking support base of 800 subscribers
Six self-described “seasoned freelance journalists” with a combined 90 years of relevant reporting experience are looking to online crowd-sourcing to fund their climate and environmental coverage. They face a deadline of March 5 to get to 800 backers. The freelancers, all based in the San Francisco Bay area, are using beaconreader.com to build support for […]
Posted inThis Is Not Cool
Thoughts on abrupt climate change, as in 30 years, not 100
University of Colorado Professor Jim White offers examples in the individual and corporate sectors of impacts that could be felt as a result of abrupt climate change.
Posted inWeather Extremes
Reviewing impacts of historic drought facing California and the West
It’s been widely reported that California got some much-needed rain recently. For those suffering through recurring ice storms, sleet and ice, polar vortexes, and biblical floods, that news may come as a kind of insult. But California’s been getting its own share of misery, in the form of an epic drought now in its third […]
Posted inCommentary
Thinking appropriately about climate change
In his recent State of the Union message, President Obama flatly stated that “Climate change is a fact.” These are fighting words with an influential minority of the American public, and the President may be itching to have this fight. But saying that climate change is a “fact” is a disservice to the public because […]
Posted inThis Is Not Cool
Abrupt climate change focus of new video
An issue that for years received only passing attention, even in many professional circles, abrupt climate change and potential impacts on at-risk ecosystems is getting more attention in the scientific sphere.
Posted inSnow & Ice
Olympic skiers’ fear: The beginning of the end for snow sports?
SOCHI, RUSSIA, FEB. 12, 2014 — Mother Nature hasn’t been so reliable recently. Olympic officials in Sochi, tasked with ensuring sufficient quantities of snow for the winter games, aren’t taking any chances on her either. They’re making their own snow. The process started more than a year ago: Sochi produced 500,000 cubic meters of artificial […]
Posted inEnergy
Key facts, issues and next steps on Keystone XL Pipeline
After five-plus years of bureaucratic deliberations, landmark protests, and headline-making acts of civil disobedience by a reinvigorated and broader environmental movement, the basic numbers involving the Keystone XL Pipeline were served up to the media and the public on a Friday afternoon just before Super Bowl weekend in late January. Total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions […]
Posted inSpecies & Ecosystems
Scientist emphasizes ecosystems management approaches
The scientist responsible for contributing a marine perspective as a member of the BP Oil Spill Commission has no doubts his scientific expertise is coming in handy. When marine scientist Donald Boesch isn’t informing policymakers with his scientific knowledge, he’s addressing agriculture scientists on food and environmental security related to climate change impacts, advising the […]
Posted inPolicy & Politics
Nuclear arms talks seen as useful experiment for climate negotiations
Decades of experience with international nuclear arms negotiations “could be a model” for making meaningful global progress on climate change issues. That’s the thrust of an argument made by two long-time outside observers who say the drawn-out history of disappointing international climate change negotiations makes now an apt “time to experiment.” Try something other than […]