Dear Umbra, The many articles on global warming conclude with something about the inherent complexity and uncertainty of the issue. So exactly what is the evidence for (and against) arguing that the current warming trend is inside the scope of normal fluctuations? What is the evidence for (and against) arguing that the trend is caused by human activities, and is not just part of a "natural cycle"? Is it true that the U.S. is just about the only country where scientists seriously debate the reality of global warming? Who are these people writing articles telling us we don't have anything …

Elizabeth Kolbert. Over the past year, a perfect storm of scientific studies, dire weather events, and media coverage lifted global warming onto the mainstream national agenda. No writing had more impact than a series of closely observed pieces in The New Yorker by journalist Elizabeth Kolbert, which have now been collected and expanded into a book: Field Notes From a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change. (Read a review of the book.) While most writing on climate change has relied on dry data and statistics, Kolbert's is vivid, technicolor reportage. She went on expeditions with some of the world's top …

As the developed world scratches its collective head over the puzzle of fuel efficiency -- "Why would we want something that's good for us in the short term and the long term?" -- a Los-Angeles-based company has patented technology to reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency, all with the humble holder-of-plastic-letters-onto-the-refrigerator: the magnet. Save the World Air, Inc., do-gooders and lovers of acronyms, own the manufacturing and marketing rights to ZEFS and CAT-MATE devices, which are ... ... specifically engineered to minimize environmental pollution, to enhance fuel system performance and to increase engine efficiency. Variations of these devices can be …

Tuesday saw a tectonic shift in the climate-change debate during an all-day Senate conference on global-warming policy. A group of high-powered energy and utility executives for the first time issued this directive to Washington: Bring on the carbon caps! The Energy and Natural Resources Committee heard statements from leaders representing eight big energy companies, including General Electric, Shell, and the two largest owners of utilities in the U.S., Exelon and Duke Energy. Six of the eight said they would either welcome or accept mandatory caps on their greenhouse-gas emissions. Wal-Mart too spoke in favor of carbon caps. The two outliers …

Discovery of oil in Belize leads to craziness all around A few years ago, a Mennonite farmer in Belize dug a well looking for water and found something else entirely: Black gold. Texas tea. Oil, that is, in a country where it had never before been discovered. This brought on a private firm, which hit the jackpot: three wells of petroleum so sweet and light that tractors could run on the unprocessed crude. The government's share from production of 60,000 barrels a day could cover the debt-strapped country's national budget. How much oil is in them thar hills? Nobody knows …

BP under criminal investigation for oil pipeline problems in Alaska When your massively profitable oil company is under criminal investigation by the U.S. government for possible violations of the Clean Water Act, it's not a good idea to spill tens of thousands of gallons of crude onto the Alaskan tundra. So oopsie at BP. Turns out that federal regulators have for several months been investigating the company's oil-pipeline management on Alaska's North Slope, and that probe has now been expanded to include the early March rupture of a BP-operated pipeline. Caused by internal pipe corrosion, the spill dumped anywhere from …

Police arrest peaceful Indian anti-dam activist for hunger striking Demonstrations against dams in India's Narmada Valley yesterday brought the heavy hand of police, who roughed up protestors and arrested India's most famous environmentalist eight days into a hunger strike on charges of -- get this -- attempting suicide. Medha Patkar's fast started when officials began raising the height of the biggest Narmada dam last month. After refusing government exhortations to end her hunger strike, Patkar was forcibly taken to a state hospital, where she's said to be under heavy guard and receiving a saline drip. For 21 years, Patkar, founder …

Dear Umbra, I need a good stick-it-to-ya comeback to friends who, while they acknowledge global warming and hear me rattle off all that is bad about it, are liking the direct effects, which right now are sunnier and warmer days. What can I do or say to get them to snap back into reality, especially when some of these folks are addicted to tanning and the sun? Kate Semmens Perkiomenville, Pa. Dearest Kate, What about hitting them on the head with a stick? Just kidding. Violence is never the answer. Oh Betty, isn't climate change tan-tastic? Photo: iStockphoto. I've been …

Polls find Americans worried about energy and climate problems To paraphrase Benjamin Disraeli, there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and poll results. So take the following factoids from three recent polls with a big block o' salt. An Environmental Defense survey found that 71 percent of Americans think global warming is real and 53 percent think it's largely caused by human activity. A Civil Society Institute poll found that two-thirds of conservatives think fuel-efficient vehicles are "patriotic" (!) and the Bush administration isn't doing enough to address global warming. Finally, a Gallup poll found that 77 percent …

Idaho legislature passes two-year moratorium on coal-fired power plants In a two-for-one snub of President Bush and Idaho Gov. (and likely future Interior Secretary) Dirk Kempthorne (R), Idaho's Republican-controlled legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill last week that would put a two-year moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in the state. The bill -- which says the plants "may have a significant negative impact upon the health, safety, and welfare" of state residents, natural resources, and agriculture -- now goes to Kempthorne for his signature or veto. The Kempster's now squished between the will of Idahoans, who overwhelmingly support the bill, …