Climate Climate & Energy

Top 100 science stories of 2004

Discover Magazine's January 2005 issue features a list of the 100 most important scientific discoveries and developments of 2004. The number one story? Global warming. Called "Turning Point," the magazine's three-page feature says that climate change evidence became overwhelming in 2004, and recalls many of the year's headlines, including Russia's signing of the Kyoto Protocol, the premiere of the blockbuster movie The Day After Tomorrow, and Schwarzenegger's vow to defend California's limits on CO2 emissions. It claims hopefully that "it's only a matter of time before the rising tide of evidence washes over the last islands of resistance in Washington." Well, I don't know about that, but greenies should feel heartened to know that a good number of environmental stories are represented in the top 100. Perhaps someone out there is listening.

Migrate Expectations

Climate change taking its toll on North American wildlife Never mind polar bears and penguins — turns out global warming is having its way with the feathered and furry throughout […]

Counter-Inuitive

Eskimos cast global warming as human-rights issue The Inuit people of the Arctic are trying to shift the debate on global warming, casting it as a human-rights issue rather than […]

The Rise and Fall of the Bird Reich

Ten percent of all birds could go extinct by 2100 By the end of the century, 10 percent of all extant bird species may be extinct, with another 15 percent […]

Downright Unalaskan

Shipwreck oil spill in Alaskan waters threatens wildlife refuge A cargo ship that ran aground Wednesday on the shore of Unalaska Island, 800 miles southwest of Anchorage, has begun to […]

Climate Wars III: Return of the Scientists

Legitimate climate scientists are at something of a disadvantage. They do careful research and publish peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals. Then a squadron of industry-funded pseudo-scientist hacks descends on the popular media to stir up doubt and confusion. By the time the scientists can defend their work in, say, Science, popular attention has moved on. Thus the false sense in the American public that there is real scientific uncertainty about the basic fact of anthropocentric climate change (when there really isn't).

Enter RealClimate.org, a new blog written by a group of bona fide climate scientists.  "We aim," they say, "to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary." Already they've got invaluable entries on the recent Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, the "hockey stick" kerfuffle, and the recent study showing that the stratosphere is cooling.

This is an essential resource -- one wishes experts in more areas would start similar blogs -- one that we'll be returning to frequently. Bookmark it.

Would You Like to Come Up for a CO2 Cap?

Bipartisan energy-policy panel calls for CO2 caps The notion of imposing mandatory restrictions on greenhouse-gas emissions in the U.S. continues to gather steam among those with no power to impose […]

Hull to Pay

Delaware River oil spill elicits new criticism of single-hulled oil tankers Last weekend’s oil spill on the Delaware River — which U.S. Coast Guard officials now say may be considerably […]

Mister Sandman, Bring Me a Stream

Glen Canyon Dam releases flood waters in massive experiment An extraordinary experiment got underway this past weekend, as four large valves at the base of Glen Canyon Dam in northern […]

Whereof One Cannot Speak, Thereof One Must Cope Nonetheless

Inuit don’t have words for the species global warming sends their way Among the many cruel and unexpected ironies of the melting Arctic — and fasten your seat belts, kids, […]