Climate Climate & Energy

Whereof One Cannot Speak, Thereof One Must Cope Nonetheless

Inuit don’t have words for the species global warming sends their way Among the many cruel and unexpected ironies of the melting Arctic — and fasten your seat belts, kids, there are plenty more coming! — is the fact that the Inuit people who populate the region are quite literally unable to describe their changing […]

Next Up: Hybrid Zambonis

Canada vows to get tough on vehicle CO2 emissions The greenhouse-gas emissions of cars and trucks in Canada will be cut by 25 percent by 2010, according to a duo of Canadian government ministers. In a joint interview, Natural Resources Minister John Efford and Environment Minister Stephane Dion said that they were committed to the […]

Hydrogen Girlie Man?

D.C. beats California to host first hydrogen pump at gas station Despite California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) big talk about pioneering a Hydrogen Highway, the District of Columbia has bested him on one key step: opening the first hydrogen fuel pump at a public gas station. Of course, it’s not likely to kick the hydrogen […]

Hydrogen girlie man?

Schwarzenegger blusters on about building a Hydrogen Highway in "the great state of California," but little ol' D.C. has beat him to the punch on one key front. This week, the District of Columbia became host to the first hydrogen-dispensing pump at a public gas station in North America.

Green-leaning folks may or may not think the hydrogen revolution is an admirable or even attainable goal, but it seems to be inching forward nonetheless.  Or, considering the fact that the new Shell-owned pump will be servicing a mere six demonstration minivans owned by GM, millimetering forward?

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams could take a few lessons from Arnold on enthusiasm, though. "This is a good thing, unless I'm missing something," was the most effusive praise he could muster at the opening bash for the new pump.

Himalaya Hatas

Himalayan glaciers melting; catastrophe in the wings Researchers are raising alarms about the rapid rate of melting in Himalayan glaciers, the lack of current scientific data and monitoring thereof, and the possibility of resulting catastrophic floods in the short term and water shortages in the long term. Some 2,300 of the Nepalese Himalayas’ 3,300 glaciers […]

Sol Train

Spain makes solar panels on new homes mandatory Hoping to catch up to solar powerhouse Germany, sunny Spain has announced that as of next year, solar panels will become mandatory on new and renovated buildings. The government is shooting for a tenfold increase in the total square footage of solar panels by 2010. Domestic solar […]

Undercooked Marburger

Study finds effects of global warming across America Despite alarming studies about the consequences of climate change across the globe — the latest, just last week, documents massive changes in Arctic geography and wildlife — U.S. citizens remain curiously unconcerned about the issue. Perhaps a new report from the Pew Center for Global Climate Change […]

Where There’s Heat, There’s Fire

Massive forest fires may be caused by global warming The massive forest fires that have ravaged the American West in recent years may be caused by global warming, according to a new study in the journal Nature. The Bush administration has argued that the fires are unnatural, caused by overgrown forest ground cover, and more […]

The Powell and the Glory

Lake Powell is drying up; Glen Canyon is coming back Lake Powell is dropping by a foot every four days, thanks to ongoing drought in the West — and many enviros couldn’t be happier about it. Veteran conservation leader David Brower called the completion of Glen Canyon dam in 1963, and the subsequent drowning of […]

Faster, Pussycat! Krill! Krill!

Food web unraveling in Antarctic, thanks to global warming Krill, the shrimp-like crustaceans at the center of the Antarctic food chain, are rapidly disappearing, and scientists suspect global warming may be the culprit. In some key ocean regions, krill have declined by more than 80 percent in the last 25 years, according to a study […]