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  • NOAA: The new normal is hot

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center has just released an overview of its new “1981-2010 Climate Normals” [PDF]. Meteorologist Paul Douglas, founder and CEO of Broadcast Weather, explains what this means: NOAA just released the latest climate “normals” for the USA. When you hear the “average high” or “average low”, […]

    Joseph Romm Science

  • This is what the history of climate change research looks like

    Need at-a-glance visual evidence of that "scientific consensus on climate change" we keep talking about? Skeptical Science has put together an interactive visualization of 4,000 peer-reviewed climate science papers. You can drag the year slider around to see how research changes over time. And it gets even more interactive! The site also lets you see […]

    Jess Zimmerman Science

  • Rockies snowpack level in severest decline in a millennium

    Although all of that water flooding into the Midwest is coming from record snowpack in the Rockies, in the long term, snow pack levels in the mountain range have been decreasing since the 1980s. The U.S. Geological Survey wanted to know how dramatic the current dip in levels is, so it looked back more than […]

    Sarah Laskow Science

  • Death threats for Australian climate scientists

    Australian climate scientists are paying a steep price for their work, as opponents of Australia’s proposed tax on carbon emissions have embraced an attack the messenger strategy. More than 30 researchers told the Canberra Times that they have received emails “threatening violence, sexual assault, public smear campaigns and attacks on family members.” In response, several […]

    Aaron Ross Science

  • The most powerful climate video you’ll see all week

    Bill McKibben published a must-read op-ed in The Washington Post last month about the connection between climate change and recent extreme weather events. Now Stephen Thomson has combined McKibben’s words with striking footage of the events he writes about. The result is a chilling must-see video:

    Grist staff Science

  • 73 million sharks are dying for something that tastes lousy

    As shark's fin soup becomes more popular in China, shark fishermen are killing as many as 73 million sharks each year in order to harvest their fins. It’s not because the fins are delicious, because they aren’t, says a local restaurateur. It’s just because people want to look rich. Shark's fin soup signals status, and […]

    Sarah Laskow Science

  • How bad is climate change for your lungs?

    Higher ozone concentrations could lead to more school absences.Photo: Ole OlsonA new study puts a hefty price tag on climate change by linking it to the air you breathe. The report, published last Thursday by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), concludes that CO2-induced temperature increases will worsen ground-level ozone concentrations (the kind coming from […]

    Jaeah Lee Science

  • Industry-funded climate crank becomes a media darling

    A new study examining TV news coverage of federal proposals to regulate global warming pollution has turned up evidence of journalistic malpractice when it comes to accurately informing viewers about one of the most critical issues of our time. It also shows how the mainstream media turned a relatively obscure climatologist into a star — […]

    Sue Sturgis Science

  • Three energy developments that are changing your life — and not in a good way

    This essay was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom’s kind permission. Here’s the good news about energy: Thanks to rising oil prices and deteriorating economic conditions worldwide, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that global oil demand will not grow this year as much as once assumed, which may provide some […]

    Michael T. Klare Science

  • Watch the ad that made Australian climate scientists get death threats

    I'm no Peggy Olson, but if someone asked me to put together an ad that would NOT cause anybody to get death threats, I'd probably say something like: "Make it positive and upbeat about the future. Throw a baby in there. Can we get Cate Blanchett? See if we can get Cate Blanchett." Positivity + […]

    Jess Zimmerman Science