Circle of Blue

AUGUST 24, 2021

World Bank report sheds light on the nuanced connections between “water shocks” and human migration. Indications of migration due to water scarcity and groundwater depletion came as early as 2006 in Mexico’s Tehuacán Valley where a combination of declining rainfall and factory farms caused community wells to go dry. Francisca Rosas Valencia dabs away tears while praying for her son, Florentine, who left home to work in Los Angeles. “It is not easy to be outside of one’s homelan

2006 363

2006 Fossil Fuels Climate Change Politics 363

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 17, 2021

2020 US Census data are now available and accessible–and there are an exciting variety of tools for science and democracy advocates to use this data to demand fair and unbiased districting.

2020 362

2020 362

Real Climate

AUGUST 9, 2021

Climate scientists are inordinately excited by the release of a new IPCC report (truth be told, that’s a bit odd – It’s a bit like bringing your end-of-(seven)-year project home and waiting anxiously to see how well it will be received). So, in an uncharacteristically enthusiastic burst of effort, we have a whole suite of posts on the report for you to read.

Sea Level 363

Sea Level Climate Scientist Greenhouse 363

Yale E360

AUGUST 25, 2021

Next month, an industrial facility in Iceland will join a growing number of projects to remove CO2 from the air and put it underground. But major hurdles, including high costs, remain before this technology can be widely deployed and play a key role in tackling climate change. Read more on E360 ?.

Climate Change 348

Climate Change Technology Technology 348

Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions

In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets.

2024

Legal Planet

AUGUST 5, 2021

Investor-owned utilities supply almost three-quarters of U.S. electricity. With some notable exceptions, they’ve tended to drag their feet on the energy transition. In order to push the transition forward, we need to get them on board. This post will try to diagnose the problem and sketch some possible remedies. The proposed Clean Energy Standard is one effort to deal with this problem.

Fossil Fuels 292

Fossil Fuels Regulations Clean Energy Renewable Energy 292

New Scientist

AUGUST 25, 2021

For the first time, DNA has been extracted from a Stone Age person who lived on Sulawesi – the genetic data suggests Denisovans lived on the island and interbred with humans there

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Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 17, 2021

A Science Network guest blogger reacts to Dr. Steven Koonin's controversial book on climate science, and a perhaps overly credulous review of this book by George Will in the Washington Post.

Climate Change 335

Climate Change 335

Real Climate

AUGUST 13, 2021

My top 3 impressions up-front: The sea level projections for the year 2100 have been adjusted upwards again. The IPCC has introduced a new high-end risk scenario, stating that a global rise “approaching 2 m by 2100 and 5 m by 2150 under a very high greenhouse gas emissions scenario cannot be ruled out due to deep uncertainty in ice sheet processes.”.

Sea Level 354

Sea Level Precautionary Principle Ocean Coastal Erosion 354

Yale E360

AUGUST 10, 2021

In an interview with Yale Environment 360 , marine biologist Edith Widder talks about her pioneering research into the world of bioluminescent organisms in the deep oceans and warns of the dangers, from trawling to oil drilling, that imperil this hidden realm. Read more on E360 ?.

Ocean 343

Ocean 343

Legal Planet

AUGUST 18, 2021

California is generally known as an environmental leader, but the state has also faced tremendous environmental degradation and destruction. I chronicled my “top 10” worst environmental decisions in the state’s history last year. But what about the good things state policy makers have done? Here is my list of the most significant environmental wins in California since the state’s founding.

Environmental Protection 284

Environmental Protection Ocean Conservation 284

Speaker: Antoine M. Thompson, Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion (DEJI) policies, programs, and initiatives are critically important as we move forward with public and private sector climate and sustainability goals and plans. Underserved and socially, economically, and racially disadvantaged communities bear the burden of pollution, higher energy costs, limited resources, and limited investments in the clean energy and transportation sectors.

Clean Energy

Scientific American

AUGUST 12, 2021

In trying to explain the spectacular star trails of the star cluster Palomar 5, astronomers stumbled on a very large trove of black holes. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Circle of Blue

AUGUST 13, 2021

The basin’s big reservoirs have fallen to uncharted territory. The forecast isn’t any better. Lake Mead sits at a record low. Federal officials are expected to declare a first-ever Tier 1 shortage, which will require water cuts that fall most heavily on Arizona. Photo © J. Carl Ganter/Circle of Blue. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue – August 13, 2021.

2007 362

2007 2025 Atmosphere Government 362

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 13, 2021

Center for Science and Democracy Director Andrew Rosenberg summarizes the testimony he and his colleagues provided to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Technology 316

Technology Technology 316

Real Climate

AUGUST 9, 2021

The biggest contribution scientists can make to #scicomm related to the newly released IPCC Sixth Assessment report , is to stop talking about the multi-model mean. We’ve discussed the issues in the CMIP6 multi-model ensemble many times over the last couple of years – for instance here and here. There are two slightly contradictory features of this ensemble that feature in the new IPCC report – first is the increase in skill seen in CMIP6 compared to CMIP5 models.

2020 331

2020 Ocean Radiation 331

Speaker: Laurie Schoeman Director, Climate & Sustainability, Capital

As households and communities across the nation face challenges such as hurricanes, wildfires, drought, extreme heat and cold, and thawing permafrost and flooding, we are increasingly searching for ways to mitigate and prevent climate impacts. During this event, national climate and housing expert Laurie Schoeman will discuss topics including: The two paths for climate action: decarbonization and adaptation.

2022

Yale E360

AUGUST 18, 2021

From the Bank of England to the People’s Bank of China, monetary authorities of the world’s largest economies are gauging how climate change could rock the financial system. Though long committed to being “market neutral,” some are even starting to push greener investments. Read more on E360 ?.

Climate Change 334

Climate Change 334

New Scientist

AUGUST 26, 2021

An analysis of footage of octopuses off Australia throwing silt and shells suggests that they deliberately target others, and that females do most of throwing, often at males

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Physics World

AUGUST 23, 2021

Noise from wind farms may be more bothersome at night than it is during the day – and not only for the reasons you might expect. While it’s true that competing sources of background noise (such as traffic) tend to die down at night, and people are more likely to notice sounds when they’re trying to fall asleep, scientists in Australia have found that physics as well as psychology plays a role in wind-farm-induced sleep disturbances.

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Circle of Blue

AUGUST 11, 2021

The climate crisis will jeopardize key sources of fresh water and make extreme weather events more severe. But experts say there’s still time to prevent the worst outcomes. A farmer in the Mekong Delta uses plastic, mud, and sticks to hold back the rising sea. According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report published Monday, Southeast Asia coastal zones are among the world’s most climate vulnerable regions.

Climate Change 361

Climate Change Atmosphere Deforestation Ocean 361

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Sustainable Development

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 12, 2021

The Senate just released a federal budget resolution that includes a measure that could subsidize the production of natural gas. Here are 5 reasons why we shouldn't do that.

Natural Gas 297

Natural Gas Electricity 2021 Clean Energy 297

Real Climate

AUGUST 12, 2021

Guest post by Joeri Rogelj (Twitter: @joerirogelj). Since temperature targets became international climate goals, we have been trying to understand and quantify the implications for our global emissions. Carbon budgets play an important role in this translation. Carbon budgets tell us how much CO 2 we can emit while keeping warming below specific limits.

2018 328

2018 Climate Change 2013 2014 328

Yale E360

AUGUST 2, 2021

Next week, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will unveil its latest scientific assessment, widely considered the most authoritative review of climate research. But ahead of its release, scientists have had to grapple with the fact that several next-generation models used in the assessment project that the Earth will warm far faster than previous estimates, Science reported.

Climate Change 328

Climate Change 328

Scientific American

AUGUST 19, 2021

Face coverings are essential to protecting children, keeping schools open and slowing the highly contagious coronavirus variant, experts say. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Physics World

AUGUST 31, 2021

Detecting a brain tumour at the earliest possible stage enables faster treatment and safer surgery, which are essential to improve the patient’s chance of a good clinical outcome. But brain tumour diagnosis is a difficult task, as common symptoms such as headaches or memory change are not specific to cancer. As such, many tumours remain undetected until they are larger or of a higher grade.

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Circle of Blue

AUGUST 9, 2021

Julia Bernal came of age while living in a watershed turned upside down by dams and diversions. Now an activist, she campaigns for Indigenous rights — and the water to sustain them. Pictured at the Santa Elena Canyon in Texas, the flow of the Río Grande shrinks during the summer. Photo © iPhone Photography / Wikimedia Commons. By Laura Gersony, Circle of Blue — August 9, 2021.

2016 360

2016 Climate Change Politics Carbon Emissions 360

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 5, 2021

A conservationist writes about how many anti-trophy hunting conservation efforts miss the real needs of the people, environment, and animals most affected.

Conservation 297

Conservation 297

Real Climate

AUGUST 12, 2021

I followed with great interest the launch of the sixth assessment report Working Group 1 (The Physical Science Basis) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on August 9th. The main report is quite impressive (see earlier posts here , here , here , and here ) but the press conference didn’t come across as being focused and well-prepared.

Atmosphere 323

Atmosphere Greenhouse Ocean Sea Level 323

Yale E360

AUGUST 5, 2021

The third-place winner of the 2021 Yale Environment 360 Video Contest vividly depicts how, as the Venezuelan state collapses, the nation’s corrupt leaders are controlling — and profiting from — a flood of illegal mining in what was once one of South America’s wildest regions. Read more on E360 ?.

2021 325

2021 325

Scientific American

AUGUST 16, 2021

The size of certain infinite sets has been a mystery. Now, it turns out, each one is different than the next, and they can all be ordered by size. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.

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Physics World

AUGUST 20, 2021

Jesper Grimstrup is a Danish theoretical physicist who received his PhD in 2002. His life’s mission is to find a theory of everything. In Shell Beach: the Search for the Final Theory , Grimstrup explains how he had a brilliant idea on a trip to China two months after his PhD defence, and how he has since tried to convince other physicists of it. He calls his approach “ Quantum Holonomy Theory ”.

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Circle of Blue

AUGUST 11, 2021

In this hot, dry summer, household wells are failing and wait lists for replacements stretch up to a year. A dry field north of Maralee and Noal Child’s house in Glenn County, California, used to be an olive orchard. Now it is slated to be planted with almond trees, Maralee said. Photo courtesy of Maralee Childs. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue – August 11, 2021.

2014 358

2014 2015 Atmosphere 2019 358

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 12, 2021

Two years ago, I went on a tour of the Russell City Energy Center. Two months ago, the power plant exploded.

Natural Gas 281

Natural Gas 281

Real Climate

AUGUST 9, 2021

Two decades ago, the so-called “Hockey Stick” curve , published in 1999 by me and my co-authors (Mann, Bradley and Hughes, 1999) , was featured in the all-important “Summary for Policy Makers” (SPM) of the 2001 IPCC Third Assessment report. The curve, which depicted temperature variations over the past 1000 years estimated from “proxy data such as tree rings, corals, ice cores, and lake sediments”, showed the upward spiking of modern temperatures (the “blade”) as it dramatically ascends, during

2001 321

2001 2011 2020 Climate Change 321

Yale E360

AUGUST 12, 2021

In apartheid South Africa, the Sokhulu practice of gathering mussels was outlawed. “Ulwandle Lushile: Meeting the Tides,” the second-place winner in the 2021 Yale Environment 360 Video Contest, shows how Sokhulu women persevered and are again harvesting mussels sustainably. Read more on E360 ?.

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2021 315