Climate 411

Nasty Surprises for Health?

By John Balbus / Published: April 19, 2007

John Balbus, M.D., M.P.H. is a senior scientist and head of the Environmental Defense health program.

People tend to think that human life is independent from other species – that global warming’s effect on other life forms is sad, but not of direct concern. Think again! What happens to other species can have a profound effect on us. Global warming can change where on earth a particular life form can or cannot thrive. And when that life form carries or causes disease, look out!

Consider this case in point:

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Posted in Health / Comments are closed

U.S. emissions up, EPA calls that 'results'

By Lisa Moore / Published: April 17, 2007

Lisa Moore is a scientist in the Climate and Air Program.

The EPA just released its most recent estimate of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, which shows that our global warming pollution continues to climb. Since 1990, emissions are up more than 16 percent. But the EPA is casting this as a victory. How?

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Posted in News / Read 3 Responses

Military experts: climate change a threat

By Lisa Moore / Published: April 17, 2007

Lisa Moore is a scientist in the Climate and Air Program.

Bill Chameides is out of the office, but science, policy and news about global warming keep coming in. Yesterday, a group of military experts declared that climate change threatens national security (registration required). Their report [PDF] says:

Climate change can act as a threat multiplier for instability in some of the most volatile regions of the world, and it presents significant national security challenges for the United States…. The increasing risks from climate change should be addressed now because they will almost certainly get worse if we delay.

Posted in News / Read 2 Responses

Flood risk up close and personal

By Lisa Moore / Published: April 16, 2007

Lisa Moore is a scientist in the Climate and Air Program in Environmental Defense’s New York office. Along with principal author Jennifer Kefer, colleague Tim Searchinger and the National Wildlife Federation’s David Conrad, she is a co-author of the new report “America’s Flood Risk is Heating Up.”

This weekend’s monster nor’easter prompted flood warnings and evacuations from the Carolinas to Maine. And what ironic timing: last week, as the storm wreaked havoc in the South, Environmental Defense and the National Wildlife Federation released a report detailing how the Army Corps of Engineers’ flood-control program needs to be completely re-vamped [PDF], especially in light of climate change.

While helping draft the report, I was struck by two things in particular.

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Posted in Extreme Weather / Read 2 Responses

Quote of the Week

By Bill Chameides / Published: April 13, 2007

“Who are the fanatics now? The ones that live in denial – political denial, economic denial, and environmental denial.”

– Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, speaking on “Twenty-First Century Environmentalism: How Protecting Our Environment Will Create Economic Growth” for the Council on Foreign Relations, April 12, 2007.

Posted in What Others are Saying / Read 2 Responses

George Will Gets It Wrong… Again

By Bill Chameides / Published: April 13, 2007

ignoratio elenchi n.
A logical fallacy of presenting an argument that may in itself be valid, but has nothing to do with the proposition it purports to prove. Also known as “irrelevant conclusion”. [Lat. ignorance of refutation.]

George Will is at it again with his OpEd piece "Fuzzy Climate Math" in yesterday’s Washington Post. He makes a lot of pronouncements about global warming, and gets it all wrong. Although I already gave Richard Lindzen an Ignoratio Elenchi Award this week, Mr. Will’s piece is too deserving to go unrewarded.

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Posted in International / Comments are closed