This post is by James Wang, Ph.D., a climate scientist at Environmental Defense Fund.
This month, while Arctic sea ice hits its annual wintertime high (such as it is – see last week’s post), Antarctic sea ice reaches its summertime low.
We’ve already posted about the British Antarctic Survey’s report of a vast ice berg on the verge of breaking off the Wilkins Ice Shelf. Here’s more on what’s happening at the South Pole from NASA’s recent briefing on polar sea ice.
This post is by James Wang, Ph.D., a climate scientist at Environmental Defense Fund.
Last summer we saw record-shattering shrinkage of Arctic sea ice caused, in part, by human-induced global warming. Last week I listened in on a NASA briefing on polar sea ice, and this year looks no better.
This winter was relatively cold due to a strong La Niña, so the Arctic saw a modest increase in overall sea ice (slightly above the record low of 2005-2006, but still below the long-term average). However, the older, thicker ice that lasts through the summer has declined sharply, and this is very worrying.
This post is by James Wang, Ph.D., a climate scientist at Environmental Defense.
You may have heard about the persistent droughts in the western U.S., Australia, and other regions. The Upper Colorado River Basin is experiencing a protracted, multi-year drought that started in 1999. Australia’s record drought is threatening the livelihood of traditional farmers and ranchers.
At what point does a passing drought become a permanent shift to desert conditions, and why would such a thing happen?
It can happen because of global warming. Climate change can alter global winds, the strength and location of high and low pressure systems, and other climate factors.
This post is by James Wang, Ph.D., a climate scientist at Environmental Defense.
Climate change denier and U.S. Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla) published a report just before Christmas with the headline: "Over 400 Prominent Scientists Disputed Man-Made Global Warming Claims in 2007." Does that leave you surprised and wondering? It shouldn’t. It’s a shocker of a headline, but the report itself doesn’t back up the claim.
This post is by James Wang, Ph.D., a climate scientist at Environmental Defense.
The wildfires in California prompted the largest mass evacuation in California history, destroying half a million acres and over 1500 homes. People are saying that global warming may have played a part in the severity of the blazes. But where is the connection? And how can global warming cause both floods and droughts?
Satellite photo of California wildfires. Source: NASA.
This post is by James Wang, Ph.D., a climate scientist at Environmental Defense.
A study by Weaver et al., published this month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, reports that "All emission targets considered with less than 60% global reduction by 2050 break the 2.0°C threshold warming this century…." (They mean 2.0°C above the pre-industrial temperature, equivalent to 2.3°F above today’s temperature. For more on threshold temperatures, see “How Warm is Too Warm?“) Even more disturbing, they say, "Even when emissions are stabilized at 90% below present levels at 2050, this threshold is eventually broken."
That makes all our efforts seem hopeless. But are they right? In a word, no. Here’s why.
