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Archive for June 18th, 2015
Pope Francis Backs Science, Warns of Climate Risk
Posted by ClimateWire: Scott Detrow on June 18th, 2015
ClimateWire: In a historic document addressed to "every person living on this planet,' Pope Francis warns that climate change and other forms of environmental degradation have reached a crisis point.
Francis frames "Laudato Si',' the first papal encyclical devoted solely to ecological issues, as an "urgent appeal ... for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet.' Encyclicals are among the highest forms of Catholic teaching a pontiff can publish.
"A very solid scientific consensus...
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National Parks visits could rise and fall as temps warm
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 18th, 2015
Climate Central: The number of people going to witness the eruption of Old Faithful or gawk at the grandeur of the Grand Canyon could go up along with the steady rise of overall temperatures driven by the buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere, a new study finds. But only to a point: Once temperatures reach a certain threshold, park visits could actually decline, the research shows. That could mean fewer park goers in the hot summer months, and perhaps a shift to the milder fall and spring...
Hold off on that shower, it’s #DroughtDay
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 18th, 2015
LA Times: If you haven't already taken a shower, hold off because Wednesday is #DroughtDay.
Drought Day, a national movement driven mostly by social media, was created to bring awareness of the amount of water wasted during a single shower. Those conserving water Wednesday were urged to share their experience by using the hashtag #DroughtDay.
Organized by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, officials say 2.7 billion gallons are wasted daily during showers in the U.S.
That equals...
Two billion people are running out water
Posted by TakePart: None Given on June 18th, 2015
TakePart: Forget about peak oil—we should be worrying about peak water: Groundwater basins that supply 2 billion people are being rapidly depleted, according to a new study. Worse: No one knows how long those reserves will last. A research team led by scientists at the University of California, Irvine, examined the world’s 37 largest aquifers between 2003 and 2013 and found that one-third of them were “stressed,” meaning more water was being removed than replenished, according to one of two studies published...
Release of encyclical reveals pope’s deep dive into climate science
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 18th, 2015
Washington Post: He warns of “synthetic agrotoxins” harming birds and insects and “bioaccumulation” from industrial waste. He calls for renewable fuel subsidies and “maximum energy efficiency.” And although he offers prayers at the beginning and end of his heavily anticipated missive on the environment, Pope Francis unmasks himself not only as a very green pontiff, but also as a total policy wonk.
In the 192-page paper released Thursday, Francis lays out the argument for a new partnership between science and religion...
Alaska’s glaciers are now losing 75 billion tons ice every year
Posted by Washington Post: Chris Mooney on June 18th, 2015
Washington Post: In a new study, scientists with the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and several other institutions report a staggering finding: Glaciers of the United States’ largest — and only Arctic — state, Alaska, have lost 75 gigatons (a gigaton is a billion metric tons) of ice per year from 1994 through 2013. For comparison, that’s roughly half of a recent estimate for ice loss for all of Antarctica (159 billion metric tons). It takes 360 gigatons of ice to lead to one millimeter of sea level rise, which...
Pope encyclical: we need a new dialogue to shape the future of our planet
Posted by Blue and Green: Ilaria Bertini on June 18th, 2015
Blue and Green: Pope Francis has finally released his much-expected encyclical on the environment and climate change, with unprecedented warnings over the use of resources, climate, poverty and sustainable consumption. The encyclical, named Laudato Si’- after the first words of Saint Francis of Assisi’s canticle in which he praised God’s creation – contains a series of considerations on our common home, the Earth, that now “cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and...
Pope Francis Aligns Himself With Mainstream Science on Climate
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on June 18th, 2015
New York Times: The new papal encyclical on the environment is a ringing call to action, a critique of consumerism and a prophetic warning about the dangers of ignoring what Pope Francis calls “the ecological crisis.” But amid all his soaring rhetoric, did the pope get the science right? The short answer from climate and environmental scientists is that he did, at least to the degree possible in a religious document meant for a broad audience. If anything, they say, he may have bent over backward to offer a cautious...
How Scott Walker Dismantled Wisconsin’s Environmental Legacy
Posted by Scientific American: Siri Carpenter on June 18th, 2015
Scientific American: When Wisconsin’s new state treasurer Matt Adamczyk took office in January, his first act was to order a highly symbolic change in stationery. Adamczyk, a Republican and one of three members of the board that oversees a small public lands agency, “felt passionately” that Tia Nelson, the agency’s executive secretary, should be struck from the letterhead. As soon became clear, his principal objection to Nelson, daughter of former Wisconsin governor and environmentalist-hero Gaylord Nelson, was that...