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  • Here’s what Earth was like last time CO2 was this high

    Last time there was this much CO2 in the atmosphere was 3 million years ago, in the Pliocene era. What can that tell us about what we're in for? The world will probably keep warming. Sea levels will probably keep rising. Ice sheets will probably keep melting. Saber-tooth tigers? NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. Okay, […]

    Jess Zimmerman Science

  • Stalking the wild salamanders of Manhattan [UPDATED]

    Perfectly at home.Photo: Sarah GoodyearIf I asked you where the picture above was probably taken, I don’t think your first answer would be Manhattan. But that’s exactly where I found this fine-looking red-backed salamander: In a brushy, overgrown part of a park in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. This is the second […]

    Sarah Goodyear Science

  • Supreme Court set to weigh in on whether we can hold companies responsible for climate change

    Tomorrow, the Supreme Court is set to rule on American Electric Power vs. Connecticut, a case where the state of Connecticut is suing a power company for contributing to global warming. Trying to research the legal details of this case is making me cry, so I hope you people appreciate the following bullet points, which […]

    Jess Zimmerman Science

  • Bill McKibben’s must-watch speech at Power Shift

    Bill McKibben gave a fiery speech to young climate activists Saturday night at Power Shift 2011. Here’s the video and transcript: All right, listen up. Very few people can ever say that they are in the single most important place they could possibly be, doing the single most important thing they could possibly be doing. […]

    Grist staff Science

  • A leading expert withdraws his name from the Climate Shift report

    Matthew Nisbet’s conclusions don’t match his own report’s data.Professor Matthew Nisbet of American University has written an error-riddled, self-contradictory, demonstrably false report, “Climate Shift: Clear Vision for the Next Decade of Public Debate” [PDF]. The 99-page report’s two central, but ridiculous, claims are: The environmental movement outspent opponents during the climate bill debate. Media coverage […]

    Joseph Romm Science

  • The planet strikes back: Why we underestimate the Earth and overestimate ourselves

    The Earth may look glum, but it’s not to be messed with.Photo: John LeGearThis essay was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom’s kind permission. In his 2010 book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, environmental scholar and activist Bill McKibben writes of a planet so devastated by global […]

    Michael T. Klare Science

  • How to explain climate change to Joe Sixpack

    (click to embiggen) Look, not everyone's motivated by the threat of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and threatened habitats. But nobody likes warm beer. Use this chart to put climate change in perspective for the beer guzzler in your life. (Note: Will not work in Britain.)

    Jess Zimmerman Science

  • Mitch Daniels has quacky climate views a la Michael Crichton

    Mitch Daniels takes on the “climate change theocracy”Photo: Indiana Public MediaIndiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says he’ll decide by April 29 whether to run for the Republican presidential nomination. While he’s pondering his prospects, let us ponder his views on climate change. Turns out they’re a lot weirder than you thought. It’s well-known that Daniels has […]

    Lisa Hymas Science

  • Even Osama bin Laden thinks we need to do something about climate change

    You’d think people who are willing to blow themselves up any day now wouldn’t worry too hard about the future of the planet. But as it turns out, it really isn’t possible to get MORE cynical about the future than a congressional Republican — even if you’re an Islamic militant. Last October, Hezbollah guerilla chief […]

    Jess Zimmerman Science

  • Climate change kills our buzz, and vice versa

    Grist’s offices are in Seattle, so we take this one really seriously: Climate change is threatening Costa Rica’s coffee crops. Coffee’s a fussy little plant, and it can’t handle extreme temperatures, so yields are going way down as temperature inches up. And if you think that’s a buzzkill, try this: An independent study by a […]

    Jess Zimmerman Science