Climate Science
All Stories
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Keystone XL: The story of a big-ass pipeline proposal — so far
Everything you need to know about Keystone XL -- the pipeline with nine lobbyist-funded lives.
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A new way of measuring carbon emissions that doesn’t let rich people cheat
There's no comprehensive, standardized way for cities to track their carbon pollution, but a new study puts forward a useful model. And it counts not just the CO2 we produce, but the CO2 we consume.
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Tar-sands magnate, Bill Gates support research on geoengineering
The latest to join the fray are Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and "tar sands magnate Murray Edwards." Just goes to show you what strange bedfellows geoengineering makes.
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Representative thinks oil pipeline will help caribou get laid
Foolish enviros might think that oil pipelines are bad for wildlife, what with the habitat-destroying and whatnot. But Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert (Texas) is an expert on ungulate romance, and he knows the score: Oil pipelines are the caribou equivalent of a hotel room with a heart-shaped bed, a champagne glass-shaped hot tub, and a […]
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Squirrel is purple
A couple from Jersey Shore, Penn. (not that Jersey Shore), trapped a purple squirrel who was getting into their bird feeders. This is obviously awesome, but we felt you might have some questions. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT A PURPLE SQUIRREL:
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Whales get stressed out by noise from shipping
Where I live in New York, we’re constantly holding community meetings where neighbors complain that noise from local bars is stressing them out and keeping them awake. Whales don’t get to protest when their home jet streams get turned into noisy shipping alleys, but it’s otherwise basically the same. Just like late-night drunken clamor stresses […]
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‘Cohort replacement’: Climate deniers won’t change, but they will die
I don't think the climate deniers will ever change their minds. But they're old, and they will pass into the sweet beyond. So let's concentrate on building the climate movement among the young.
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Watch President Obama shoot a marshmallow cannon
Sometimes, even when there’s a Democratic president, I worry about science policy — whether there will be sufficient funding for research and education, whether the administration is soliciting and heeding feedback from scientists on subjects like climate, that sort of thing. And then I see the genuine delight on President Obama’s face as he helps […]
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Help name this baby polar bear
The Toronto Zoo is having a contest to name its new baby polar bear. Here are my entries, based on my initial responses to seeing the above photo (from the zoo’s Facebook page):
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The oldest living thing on Earth is 6,000 tons of grass
Meet Posidonia oceanic, a type of Mediterranean seagrass that is also the longest-lived thing on Earth. What’s its secret? The usual — clean living, plenty of exercise, asexual reproduction, being 6,000 tons of grass, and not getting flattened by climate change … YET.