Climate Climate & Energy
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The sun’s atmosphere looks like an amazing painting
Sure, the surface of the sun is hot and all, but the sun’s atmosphere is hotter — by a factor of 1,000. And as it turns out, it’s not just hot like “will burn you up faster than a Tony Robbins seminar” hot. It’s also hot like gorrrrrrrrgeous. Scientists know that the sun’s atmosphere (the […]
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Stunning map shows 11 years of U.S. wildfires
This map by John Nelson shows all major U.S. wildfires (and probably some prescribed fires) since 2001, with yellow being more intense. That bright purple over most of the country except the lucky Northeast is fires that put out maybe half as much energy as a power plant produces in the course of a year. […]
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Why is the U.S. government so bullish on coal predictions?
The Department of Energy has a more favorable outlook for coal than virtually any other major forecasting institution.
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Holy crap, iceberg tsunami!
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to almost get flattened by a collapsing glacier, now you can find out. This boat was right in the line of fire — er, ice — so this video is the next best thing to being there. Actually, it’s the first best thing, because being there looks like […]
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Here’s what lightning looks like in 3-D
From our vantage point on the ground, lightning usually looks like a forked line from the sky to the ground. But it's way more complicated and cool, as this model of lightning from the D.C. derecho shows.
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The right gets mad about the carbon tax, as everyone knew they would
On Friday, we predicted outrage over a right-wing convening on the carbon tax. It happened. We're basically psychic.
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Talking the talk on the environment doesn’t equal walking the walk
People who advocate green behavior are not more likely to engage in it, according to new research in Hungary. How you think America is doing is a glass-half-full sort of question.
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This drought ain’t the Dust Bowl, but it ain’t good
The current drought is devastating agriculture, but it's not as bad as the Dust Bowl. Not that "this isn't the worst thing ever" is cause for optimism.
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The U.S. is the most environmentally sustainable country in the world, except all the others
The annual Greendex places the U.S. in dead-last in sustainability and near dead-last in giving a shit about it.
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Brazilian inmates can reduce their sentence by providing human-powered electricity
Brazil is pioneering a new sort of jailhouse workout, in which inmates ride bikes instead of pumping iron. The bikes, unlike weightlifting or prison-yard basketball, help power a nearby town.
