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Study of fossil record predicts climate change could fuel mass extinction

Photo: iStockphoto Climate change may fuel a mass extinction in which half of all plant and animal species could — how to put this delicately? — exit stage left, according to a new study. If the past 520 million years of fossil records are any predictor of the future, a globally warmed world will not […]

Mining-law reform bill could change rules for mines on public land

Just 135 years after its enactment, environmentalists and fiscal conservatives may finally have a shot at reforming an antiquated U.S. law that lets mining companies dig up minerals and precious metals on public lands without paying royalties nor being responsible for post-dig cleanups. A bill to change the 1872 General Mining Law passed the House […]

College Sustainability Report Card 2008 released

Nothing gets a student’s rear in gear faster than a failing grade on an important report card. And the colleges and universities that scored poorly on last year’s College Sustainability Report Card are no different. Today, the Sustainable Endowments Institute released its 2008 edition, revealing that 68 percent of the schools surveyed improved their overall […]

… we’re off to St. Louis

Despite the whirlwindiness of our visit to Dubuque, Sarah and I feel like we got a good picture of the work that’s going on there. It helped to have a view from the country’s shortest, steepest railroad: We’ll write about all of this in more detail later in the fall. But for now, it’s off […]

Exploring Dubuque by boat

What floats our boat? Um, we’re not quite sure, but that didn’t stop us from taking the helm like two river rats making our way downstream. Thanks to the (very Dubuque) hospitality of Trish McDonald and her "chick boat" Doris Day, we were fortunate enough to spend the day out on the Mississippi River. Trish […]

Stossel

Does John Stossel have the brains God gave a chicken wing? Most people say no. Some say yes. One thing’s for sure: the debate isn’t over!

Dems try to advance climate and energy bills; Repubs work to block them

As usual, Darren Samuelsohn is the best source on the maneuvering inside Congress on climate and energy, and as usual, he’s trapped behind a pay wall, so as usual, I do my humble best to drag his reporting out into the light. Here he is on the latest with Lieberman-Warner. In short, conservative Republicans, led […]

Less hunters mean less funding for conservation, states find

Many states are lamenting the declining population of a valuable species: the American hunter. Funds from hunting licenses and fees are generally directed to wildlife conservation; while the need to maintain habitat for wild critters isn’t going to go away anytime soon, the number of sportsfolk in the U.S. has declined by some 35 percent […]

Printers emit hazardous particles, says study

You thought the office was a safe refuge for your lungs, a place to escape from the smoggy outdoors? You were wrong. Beware the polluting printer, says a new study. No one is safe!

The ocean carbon sink is saturating

The long-feared saturation of one the world's primary carbon sinks has apparently started. The BBC reports, "The amount of carbon dioxide being absorbed by the world's oceans has reduced."

After 10 years and more than 90,000 ship-based measurements of CO2 absorption, University of East Anglia researchers reached this stunning conclusion:

CO2 uptake halved between the mid-90s and 2000 to 2005.

The BBC writes: "Scientists believe global warming might get worse if the oceans soak up less of the greenhouse gas."

Sigh. Note to the BBC, you don't need a double hedge: If you're going to just say "might get worse" you surely can drop "Scientists believe." Frankly I doubt you can find many, if any, reputable scientists -- or even the few remaining deniers -- who would say that if the ocean sink saturates, global warming won't get worse. I would probably phrase it this way: Global warming will accelerate if the oceans soak up less of the greenhouse gas.

The researchers say, "it is a tremendous surprise and very worrying because there were grounds for believing that in time the ocean might become 'saturated' with our emissions -- unable to soak up any more."

Why is that bad news?