The interagency U.S. Global Climate Change Program has released an assessment that warns that
Climate change is already having visible impacts in the United States, and the choices we make now will determine the severity of its impacts in the future, according to a new and authoritative federal study assessing the current and anticipated domestic impacts of climate change.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released the first in a series of video programs called Science Nation, which examine breakthroughs and the possibilities for new discoveries about our planet, our universe and ourselves.
Reporting in MIT News (May 19, 2009), David Chandler notes
“The most comprehensive modeling yet carried out on the likelihood of how much hotter the Earth’s climate will get in this century shows that without rapid and massive action, the problem will be about twice as severe as previously estimated six years ago - and could be even worse than that.”
The National Science Foundation’s Special Report on Climate Change notes that:
“To explain the difference between weather and climate, scientists often say, “climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.” Climate is the weather of a particular region, averaged over a long period of time.
In the Abstract to their report, published in Environmental Health Prespectives (May 2009), a broad-based panel of stakeholders note that:
“Dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) was used worldwide until the 1970s, when concerns about its toxic effects, its environmental persistence, and its concentration in the foodsupply led to usage restrictions and prohibitions.
A landmark U.S. Geological Survey study documents for the first time the process in which increased mercury emissions from human sources across the globe, and in particular from Asia, make their way into the North Pacific Ocean and as a result contaminate tuna and other seafood.
“May is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 19th Annual American Wetlands Month – a celebration of wetlands and their importance to environmental, economic and social health. Attached are two information resources:any wetlands in the U.S. are being impacted by urban development, water pollution and the introduction of invasive species
The American Lung Association points out that “Breathing polluted air can seriously harm your health and even shorten your life.
President Pledges Clean Energy Education Opportunities to Inspire the Next Generation of Scientists and Engineers.
April 27, 2009
During a speech at the National Academy of Sciences on April 27, 2009, President Obama announced a National Science Foundation / Department of Energy collaboration that addresses the need to “spark a sense of wonder and excitement” in the nation’s young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.
Obama to Speak at National Academy of Sciences
On Monday, April 27, President Barack Obama will address members of the National Academy of Sciences
Charles F. Kennel, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and founding director of the Environment and Sustainability Initiative at the University of California, San Diego, writes in the Winter 2009 Issues in Science and Technology
EPA hosts the 5th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo to display new sustainable or green technologies. More than 40 college teams and other exhibitors from across the country will show their innovative solutions for an environmentally sustainable future, including generating ethanol from coffee production wastewater, embedding small glass spheres in house paint to deflect heat in the summer, and the use of Geographic Information Systems
The Earth Day Network gives some perspective to the why and how of Earth Day:
Earth Day is celebrated around the world on April 22, although larger events such as festivals and rallies are often organized for the weekends before or after April 22. Many communities also celebrate Earth Week or Earth Month by organizing a series of environmental activities throughout the month of April.
April 12 - 18, this year is National Environmental Education Week. The National Environmental Education Foundation, coordinator of National Environmental Education Week (EE Week), characterizes the event-filled week as
Today, March 22, 2009, is World Water Day. This year, the focus of World Water Day is on Transboundary Waters: Sharing water, Sharing opportunities.
Earth Gauge notes that
March 16-20 is Fix a Leak Week! Leaks account for large amounts of water wasted in U.S. homes—on average, more than 10,000 gallons per home per year, enough to fill a backyard swimming pool.
The National Research Council’s Panel on Strategies and Methods for Climate-Related Decision Support has produced a pre-publication report on “Informing Decisions in a Changing Climate“. The report recommends that
The U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with the USA National Phenology Network at the University of Arizona, announces that “Volunteers across the nation are being recruited to get outdoors and help track the effects of climate on seasonal changes in plant and animal behavior.”
The
If nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, what will you face in annual costs?
The Climate Leadership Initiative at the University of Oregon, and ECONorthwest released reports on February 16, 2009, on the economic costs of inaction on climate change for Washington, Oregon, and New Mexico.