EartherClimate Change

Scientists Aren’t Sure What Climate Change Did to Harvey

Hurricane Harvey and its remnants have quickly become one of the worst natural disasters in US history. The unprecedented duration and intensity of the storm has sparked a heated debate about how much climate change is to blame. The short answer is that we don’t really know, yet. But attempting to answer that question will … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Scientists Think They Know Why the Caspian Sea Is Shrinking

The Caspian Sea is about as strange as a body of water gets. Its surface still sits 27.5 meters (90 feet) below sea level, and water doesn’t flow out of it—it’s isolated from the oceans, and relies on a series of Asian rivers to maintain its levels. A team of researchers from universities around the … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Hurricane Harvey Is Only Getting Worse, With Floodwaters Continuing to Rise

The situation in Houston and surrounding areas of southeast Texas hit hard by Hurricane Harvey this weekend has gone from bad to worse as floodwaters continue to rise, with some of those left behind beginning to panic. According to CNN, the pace of emergency calls has only sped up as the water continues to deluge … Continued

EartherClimate Change

EPA Spokesperson: Abandoning Our Sponsorship of Climate Leadership Program ‘Shouldn’t Be a Surprise’

On Friday, the EPA announced it was ending its sponsorship of the Climate Leadership Awards, a national program that rewards businesses and organizations making efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Launched under Obama in 2012, the CLA awards companies for setting and meeting voluntary GHG emissions goals, publicly releasing emissions targets, or creating new … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Donald Trump Is Impressed by Hurricane Harvey and He’s Letting Everyone Know

This weekend Category 4 storm Hurricane Harvey, the biggest natural disaster of President Donald Trump’s presidency so far, barreled into southeast Texas, whipping coastal areas with 130 miles per hour (209 kilometers per hour) winds and causing unprecedented, catastrophic flooding in the Houston/Galveston region. Trump, in predictable accordance with what has felt like decades of … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Hurricane Harvey’s Fallout Continues With Nightmare Flooding in Houston Area

Just one day after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in southeastern Texas, historic flooding continued to wrack the city of Houston and surrounding areas. According to CNN, authorities said they have rescued more than 1,000 people from the rising waters, with more than 24 inches of water falling on the Houston area in the past 24 … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Hurricane Harvey Floods, Thrashes Southeast Texas After Making Landfall [Updating]

Hurricane Harvey smashed into the Texas Gulf Coast on Friday night and Saturday morning after being elevated to Category 4 status, wiping out buildings with 130 miles per hour (209 kilometers per hour) winds and a 12-foot storm surge. At least one person died in Rockport, Texas during the storm when their house caught fire, … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Another Government Agency Has Purged References to Climate Change From Its Site 

Data-tracking watchdog group, Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI), has reported dozens of instances where the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has deleted references to climate change from its site. As the name suggests, the NIEHS’ site links to research summaries detailing how the environment affects personal health. Since it began tracking changes to … Continued

EartherClimate Change

It Turns Out That Knowing More About Science Doesn’t Correct Misbelief

When Kevin Esvelt, an evolutionary biologist at MIT, started thinking about using genetically engineered mice to fight Lyme disease, among his first stops was a community meeting in the small Martha’s Vineyard town of Chilmark. Esvelt makes regular field trips to talk to the public about his work. If the potential of tools like CRISPR … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Exxon Acknowledged Climate Change Internally But Still Spread Denialist Propaganda

A Harvard study released Tuesday analyzed 40 years worth of documents from Exxon Mobil, concluding that the fossil fuel titan has, since 1979, internally acknowledged that carbon emissions are responsible for climate change, even as it has spent thousands over the years publicly denying the global consensus. As internal findings from peer-reviewed research grew more … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Donald Trump’s NOAA Just Disbanded the National Climate Assessment Advisory Committee

President Donald Trump and his administration’s assault on the climate science community has continued, the Washington Post reported, with the elimination of a 15-person advisory committee which helps translate federal scientific research into policy. According to the Post, acting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Ben Friedman informed the Advisory Committee for the Sustained National … Continued

EartherClimate Change

NASA: July 2017 Didn’t Even Need an El Niño to Tie For Hottest July in Recorded History

Good news, everyone! The Earth is still like a car with the windows rolled up, and it doesn’t seem like anyone is coming by with the keys anytime soon. July 2017 is statistically tied with July 2016 for the title of hottest July in 137 years of records, Mashable reported, which is especially concerning because … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Saving the Earth’s Ozone Layer Went Even Better Than Expected

In 1989, amidst mounting scientific evidence, dozens of nations joined forces to sign a treaty aimed at halting the expansion of a massive hole in Earth’s ozone layer. Nearly thirty years later, the Montreal Protocol has done just that. But it has also done something its architects never intended. It has become one of America’s … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Why Are Sea Levels Around Miami Rising So Much Faster Than Other Places?

In Miami, it’s no secret that sunny day flooding is occurring more often, nor that rising sea levels and climate change are to blame. But, as is often the case when you drill down into the inner workings of our planet, the full story is a bit more complicated. Sea levels in South Florida have … Continued

EartherClimate Change

The Radical Plan to Cool Down LA as the World Heats Up

LOS ANGELES — It’s barely 10 a.m. on an August day in Hollywood, and the heat is already becoming oppressive. The temperature’s only in the mid-80s, but in the direct sun it feels hotter—and it’s getting worse by the minute. Part of the reason is the ground. The black asphalt of this side street off … Continued

EartherClimate Change

These Climate Scientists Think House Science Chair Lamar Smith Has No Idea What He’s Talking About

Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, the Republican chair of the House Science Committee who also happens to believe global warming might actually be a really good thing, flew off the hook this week. The cause? The New York Times publicized a draft version of a federal scientific report which climate scientists worry Donald Trump’s administration is … Continued

EartherClimate Change

The NYC Subway Is Still Getting Ready for the Next Hurricane Sandy

So far, the MTA’s “summer of hell” included a power failure that trapped train passengers in A/C-less car for two hours, a track fire that resulted in disastrous delays, and a train derailment caused by “improper maintenance.” Incredibly, some passengers have even been walking the tracks to escape stalled trains. Last Tuesday, the MTA dropped … Continued

EartherClimate Change

We’re Not Totally Sure How Much the Planet Will Warm This Century—But We Still Need to Act

It’s a well-worn fact that our round Earth is warming, and that human carbon emissions are the cause. What’s less well-known is how much warming we’ve already committed our planet to in the future. A new study crunched some numbers and came to an alarming answer—but other experts are already criticizing its approach, reminding us … Continued

EartherClimate Change

This Is Not How Science Works

Last week, a draft of a Department of Energy study on electric grid reliability leaked. Though its final version could change, it essentially found that an increased reliance on renewable energy sources, including solar and wind, have not made the grid less stable. Instead, electric grids are “more reliable today” than before the ongoing adoption … Continued

EartherClimate Change

The UK Plans to Ban All New Gas and Diesel Cars and Vans by 2040

The days of the good old trusty internal combustion engine, which revolutionized transportation but also maybe helped usher in a looming environmental apocalypse, may be numbered across the pond. Reports in the Guardian and Financial Times both indicated the UK is set to ban the sale of all diesel and petrol-burning cars and vans by the … Continued