Jul 25 Mongolian Herders See Changes as Temperatures Rise By Lauren Knapp The East Asian nation of Mongolia is home to about 3 million people, half of whom make their living off of livestock. Since 1960, Mongolia's average temperature has increased by 3.85 degrees Fahrenheit -- a change faster than the… Continue reading
Jun 22 Oceans Face Mass Extinctions, New Report Warns By Hari Sreenivasan When 27 marine experts from a half-dozen countries met in England this April for a workshop on the state of the oceans, they knew the news would not be good. But seeing the data on overfishing, acidification, chemical pollution, temperature… Continue reading
Jun 03 Could studying seawater saltiness be key to decoding the climate puzzle? By Jenny Marder A satellite slated to launch into space next week will study the saltiness of the oceans, and, scientists hope, provide a better grasp of extreme weather events. Continue reading
Jan 13 Australia Flooding Threatens Already Sensitive Great Barrier Reef As muddy river water swept through parts of Australia, inundating more than 20,000 homes and claiming at least 15 lives, it also poured into the ocean, where it now threatens one of the country's most precious natural ecosystems:… Continue reading
Dec 16 Polar Bears Have a Chance — If Drastic Steps are Taken A study by a team of high-profile agencies says that polar bears have a chance -- if (and that's a big "if") we sharply cut our greenhouse gas emissions. Polar bears depend on sea ice platforms to hunt… Continue reading
Dec 10 Cancun Climate Talks: Signs of Progress or More Stumbling Blocks? By Jenny Marder As the U.N. Climate Negotiations wind up in Cancun, Mexico, we asked a variety of experts and climate watchers what they make of the summit so far, and what its outcome could mean for the future of international climate policy. Continue reading
Dec 09 Cancun Climate Talks Enter Final Days, Report Shows Rapidly Melting Glaciers As global temperatures rise, glaciers are rapidly losing mass, especially in low-lying, arid regions, according to a report released by the United Nations Environment Program this week. Glacier melt could sap water resources and cause severe flooding in some… Continue reading
Nov 29 Addressing Ocean Acidification on Both Coasts DetectFlashDecision_Blog('news01s45b8qfc4', 'kOPf8-hsWXk', '29'); An Environmental Protection Agency memo on ocean acidification played a role in the settlement of a lawsuit that challenged the EPA's failure to address the issue under the Clean Water Act. To help us… Continue reading
Aug 31 Review Puts U.N. Climate Panel on the Hot Seat By Jenny Marder A management overhaul, more transparency, more alternative views and a stronger communications policy. These are among the recommendations that the InterAcademy Council (IAC,) a multi-national group of science academies, has urged for the U.N. Climate Panel, the international body… Continue reading
Aug 16 What’s Behind This Summer’s Severe Weather Around the World? By Talea Miller It's been a summer of extreme weather: monsoon flooding is wreaking havoc in Pakistan and a persistent heat wave is fueling wildfires and creating health hazards in Russia. The United States has also not been immune, as sweltering… Continue reading