Climate Science

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  • Poor nations demand stringent emissions deal, unicorns

    At the ongoing climate talks in Durban, South Africa, 48 of the world's "Least Developed Countries" demanded that world governments sign an ambitious climate deal. By “ambitious” we mean it commits them to a level of atmospheric greenhouse gases lower than what's currently in the atmosphere. There’s a rider requiring free Pegasuses (Pegasi?) for all […]

    Christopher Mims Science

  • Durban dispatch: Climate-talks failure is ‘moral apartheid’

    The march on Saturday. Photo: Oxfam InternationalCross-posted from ThinkProgress Green. As the first week of climate negotiations drew to a close, Saturday saw people from across Africa and beyond march through the streets of Durban to demand progress on a fair, ambitious, and legally binding global climate deal. Caritas Internationalis President Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga […]

    Brad Johnson Science

  • The age of thirst in the American West

    This essay was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom’s kind permission. Consider it a taste of the future: the fire, smoke, drought, dust, and heat that have made life unpleasant, if not dangerous, from Louisiana to Los Angeles. New records tell the tale: biggest wildfire ever recorded in Arizona (538,049 acres); […]

    William deBuys Science

  • The brutal logic of climate change

    The consensus in American politics today is that there’s nothing to be gained from talking about climate change. It’s divisive, the electorate has more pressing concerns, and very little can be accomplished anyway. In response to this evolving consensus, lots of folks in the climate hawk coalition (broadly speaking) have counseled a new approach that […]

    David Roberts Science

  • The Onion warns that global warming could be irreversible within negative five years

    If you've ever felt confused about the definition of "lolsob," read this Onion headline: "Report: Global Warming May Be Irreversible By 2006." Oy. The Onion has been on a roll lately of just reporting the news straight and letting it satirize itself (see also: "Rumors Of Extramarital Affair End Campaign Of Presidential Candidate Who Didn't […]

    Jess Zimmerman Science

  • This is what Antarctica looks like naked

    Scientists have made a detailed map of Antarctica's rock bed — what the land looks like underneath the ice — as part of their attempt to predict how the continent might respond to global warming. Figuring out what will happen when Antarctic ice melts requires an understanding of what's going on down below: Scientists are […]

    Jess Zimmerman Science

  • Cloning a mammoth: Totally gonna happen

    Back in August, a team of scientists uncovered a woolly mammoth's thigh bone, which had been so well preserved in Siberian permafrost that it offered the possibility of creating a mammoth clone. And this weekend, a team of Japanese and Russian scientist announced that, yes, they are going to do this thing. Mammoth clones. They're […]

    Sarah Laskow Science

  • New study shows three-quarters of global temperature rise is humans’ fault

    A study published this weekend in Nature Geoscience has double-checked, and confirmed, the idea that climate change is mostly human-made. It uses "an alternative line of evidence" to prove that most observed climate change — 74 percent of it — comes from greenhouse-gas emissions, not natural variability. We basically knew that already, but it's always […]

    Sarah Laskow Science

  • Climate change finally hits Apple geeks where it hurts: Mac shortages

    As Bangkok dries out from epic floods that the IPCC says will only get worse as climate change accelerates, its leaders are contemplating moving the entire capitol city to higher ground. But I know what you're thinking: How does this affect me? Answer: It’ll hit you right in the hard drive. Now that supply chains […]

    Christopher Mims Science

  • Critical List: 74 percent of warming is human-made; Schwarzenegger takes on clean energy

    A study quantified the share of climate change that can attributed to humans and found that at least 74 percent of warming is human-made. 2010 saw the biggest jump in carbon dioxide output, ever. The mission of Occupy Green/Red Chile is to keep the GM industry's hands off of New Mexico's peppers. Ah-nold doesn't think […]

    Sarah Laskow Science