Blogs & Ecology

Cross Between Skidoo & Ultralight Plane
Researchers taking part in the Moon-Regan expedition have a new very cool toy. The biofuel-powered Concept Ice Vehicle (CIV), made by Lotus, will be used to cross the coldest contintent, Antarctica, to raise awareness about "how Antarctica’s fate affects the whole environment." Live feeds and results from scientific experiments will be available on the web and used in classrooms around the world.

Moon-Regan Trans Antarctic Expedition

Although researchers may still largely be dealing in uncertainties when it comes to predicting Greenland's exact fate, the data and observations that continue to trickle in suggest a "greener" (see: ice-free) future for the island nation. According to scientists from Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center, there is new evi...

Image by: Deng Cheng-hong

Real Estate prices in Canada are expected to rise as the effects of global warming set in. Warming temperatures there are expected to make its otherwise frosty winters, a perfect place to live. But we all know that if the predictions are right, our world’s demographic shift to a severe change in weather patterns is probably going to be a lot more complicated than relocating to the higher latitudes.

The following summary was submitted by Andrea Hill, who works with Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development.
Amidst all the complexity of international climate change negotiations, it is easy to lose sight of actions we can take now, using proven technologies. Such “immediate mitigation” is essential if [...]

Image from exfordy

It turns out there's a lot of truth to that old saying, "Mom knows best". A new study published in Biology Letters hypothesizes that old female elephants' redoubtable memory may have helped them steer their family groups toward food and safety during past incidents of drought and famine. This, the authors argue, may give them a crucial edge over other species during future extreme climate change-induced events. ...

Late last week in Windsor, England, Lego activists – possibly the world’s smallest campaigners – stood together as one to make their feelings known about the planned new coal plant in Kingsnorth, Kent – home to this year’s Climate Camp.

After scaling E.ON’s replica of the Kingsnorth smokestack in Legoland, Lego protesters managed to shut down the coal-fired power station. The once-inch tall activists appeared at the top of the Kingsnorth construction at around 11am GMT Friday before unveiling a banner saying STOP CLIMATE CHANGE down the length of the tower.

Image from NASA

Image from Jeff Kubina

Remember this term: carbon-capture farming. While it may not yet have received much attention, this practice, which would consist of paying delta farmers to plant carbon-sequestering crops, could soon become a big business.

On this week’s episode: Natalie Portman releases her vegan shoe line. The UN grants China access to import African Ivory. We interview documentary film director Randy Olson on his new movie Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy.

Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post points out that not everything can be blamed on global warming, that lousy farming practices, overpopulation and bad policies contribute. Morever, "Weather alarmism" gives ammunition to global-warming deniers. He notes:

"Last week, we saw reports of more wildfires in California. Sure as night follows day, people will lay some of the blame on climate change. But there's also the minor matter of people building homes in wildfire-susceptible forests, overgrown with vegetation due to decades of fire suppression. That's like pitching a tent on the railroad tracks.

Image from jaredw_1986

Climate scientists the world over are about to receive a treasure trove of valuable new weather data from an unlikely source: old Royal Navy logbooks. The thousands of logbooks kept by British captains, some dating back to the early 17th century, were discovered by a team of academics and Met Office scientists, reports Times Online's Jonathan Leake.

Old logbooks provide reams of climate data

5 Fuel-Saving Technologies
In the long run, the internal combustion engine (ICE) is on the way out and electric motors are on the way in, but ICEs have been around for so loooong that we should be careful about announcing their demise. They're going to stick around a while longer, and so it's very important to make them as efficient and clean as possible.

Dell has set some pretty aggressive green goals for itself in the past few years, and we're happy to learn that it wasn't just talk.

How Dell Became Carbon Neutral

Lets finally give Roland Emmerich some credit; climate chaos and change actually does happen in real time. In the autumn 12,679 years ago, the Younger Dryas cold period swept in during the space of a year.

According to Discovery News, a team from the German Research Center for Geosciences in Potsdam, Germany, believes such a quick, profound change in climate could only have been brought about by a shift in winds across the northern hemisphere.