Cyclone Nargis decimated part of Myanmar from May 2-4, its huge rains and storm surge flooding the Irrawaddy River delta, killing at least 22,000 people and leaving twice as many missing as of this writing.
Archive for the 'Global Warming' Category
Why the Myanmar cyclone was so deadly
Published May 9th, 2008 in Hurricanes, Science, Photos, Oceans, Climate & Weather, Earth and Global Warming. 2 CommentsCarbon dioxide, methane on the rise
Published April 29th, 2008 in Science, Arctic, Earth, Climate & Weather and Global Warming. 0 CommentsA new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is not surprising, but it is important: Global levels of carbon dioxide and methane both increased sharply in 2007.
Big step forward for ‘green gasoline’
Published April 10th, 2008 in Plants, Science, Innovation, Sustainability, Global Warming and Human World. 1 CommentOne day the gasoline in your car might come from plants — and no, I’m not talking ethanol. I’m talking actual gasoline made from a plant.
‘Earth: The Sequel’ touts clean-energy inventors
Published March 31st, 2008 in Innovation, Science, Earth, Sustainability, Global Warming and Human World. 1 CommentThis new book tells the stories of the scientists who are blazing trails on the clean-energy frontier, using everything from solar nanotechnology to algae and viruses to create power in new ways.
Glacial melt accelerates
Published March 20th, 2008 in Glaciers, Science, Arctic, Earth, Climate & Weather and Global Warming. 1 CommentA new report finds that glaciers around the globe melted and thinned twice as fast in 2006 as they did in 2004. Ice at the North Pole isn’t faring much better: This winter, the thin seasonal ice spread farther than usual, but the thicker perennial ice thinned out and retreated.
How does ‘global climate disruption’ sound?
Published February 29th, 2008 in Hurricanes, Science, Oceans, Earth, Global Warming, Climate & Weather and Human World. 7 CommentsThat’s the term we should use instead of “global warming,” says Harvard scientist John Holdren. He argues that “global warming” underrates the problem. Here’s why …
M.I.T. president envisions sustainable energy future
Published February 27th, 2008 in Innovation, Science, Earth, Sustainability, Global Warming and Human World. 0 CommentsRecently I heard M.I.T. President Susan Hockfield speak at a scientific conference about what may be the biggest challenge facing the world: How can the global community meet the needs of people who aspire to better lives — and do it without irreparably harming the planet?
How do you conserve what the climate’s going to change?
Published January 31st, 2008 in Oceans, Science, Earth, Climate & Weather, Global Warming, Animals and Human World. 4 CommentsAn article this week in the New York Times explores an interesting predicament: In an era of climate change, conservation groups that work to preserve biologically important landscapes could find their work eventually undermined, or even pointless.
2007 continued warm trend
Published January 25th, 2008 in Science, Oceans, Earth, Climate & Weather and Global Warming. 3 CommentsTwo recent reports put 2007 as either the second-warmest year in the last century, or the fifth-warmest. Either way, 2007 was part of a trend of warm years — a trend that has seen the rate of warming triple in recent decades.
Which biofuel is best?
Published January 8th, 2008 in Plants, Science, Innovation, Earth, Sustainability and Global Warming. 6 CommentsTwo stories from the last few days address biofuels and their prospects for replacing more of the gasoline we use to power our vehicles. One provides evidence for what could be a biofuel champion; the other compares 26 contenders in search of an environmental winner.