The author of today’s post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.
Researchers have been expecting Arctic ice to melt and shrink, but not this fast! The National Snow and Ice Data Center, part of the University of Colorado at Boulder, reports that Arctic sea ice has shrunk to a 29-year low, significantly below the previous record low set in 2005.
The author of today’s post, Lisa Moore, Ph.D., is a scientist in the Climate and Air program.
A frame from an Environmental Defense ad campaign about the danger of unchecked global warming.“Most Polar Bears Gone by 2050“. You may have seen that headline in the news this week. The study behind this depressing conclusion could land polar bears on the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
The author of today’s post, Lisa Moore, Ph.D., is a scientist in the Climate and Air program.
This week I came across several interesting articles related to climate, but two in particular caught my eye. In the first, scientists found that excess carbon dioxide (CO2) may be what’s leaving livestock with less food to eat. The other study explores the role of greenhouse gases on the record-breaking heat Americans experienced in 2006.
The author of today’s post, Lisa Moore, Ph.D., is a scientist in the Climate and Air program.
Last weekend’s Mercury News ran a news story about vehicle emissions harming native species in California. The excess nitrogen from vehicle emissions caused invasive species to displace the plants that feed the bay checkerspot butterfly, which is threatened with extinction. My friend and colleague Dr. Stuart Weiss, the scientist who uncovered the link, calls this "drive-by extinction".
Nitrogen pollution has profound effects on life, health, and climate, yet these go mostly unnoticed by policymakers and the public.
The author of today’s post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.
If you had any doubts that the globe is warming and the Arctic is melting, this month’s flag incident should put them to rest. A Russian submarine dove to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean to plant a flag in the seabed. Why? There’s oil and gas in the Arctic seabed, which is now becoming accessible due to global warming.
Russia is not the only country vying for Arctic rights. Canada and Denmark are arguing about rights to the Northwest Passage, and the U.S. is getting into the act as well. But unfortunately, more than just oil and gas will be exposed as the Arctic melts.
The author of today’s post, Lisa Moore, Ph.D., is a scientist in the Climate and Air Program.
If you’re in or near a big city, you’ve probably heard your local news give ozone alerts. Those warnings mean that smog levels are high enough to affect your lungs. Even moderate pollution causes respiratory problems for kids with asthma. Really high levels of ozone make it dangerous for even the healthiest adult to be outdoors.
Now scientists are warning that smog could make global warming worse because of its effects on plants.
