Climate Science

Get ready for Hurricane Eggbeater

XKCD tackles a neglected aspect of the new climate normal: What are we going to call all these new hurricanes?

New York's one-inch escape from Irene

New York City dodged a bullet with Irene, but big trouble passed more closely than most people think.

Fox News viewers 'confused' by Bill Nye, science in general

Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com

You'd think Fox News would already be mildly embarrassed by the fact that their outside consultant on science is the host of a children's program. ("And now, to discuss transportation infrastructure, Mr. Rogers!") But what's even more embarrassing is the fact that they can't understand a word he's saying, and they readily admit it.

Stranded penguin is going home

Here's your awesome for the day. A penguin named Happy Feet washed up on a New Zealand beach in June, and promptly made himself sick by eating a bunch of sand that he mistook for snow. It's not clear how he wound up 2,000 miles from his Antarctic habitat, but Happy Feet is now well and is getting a lift back home. 

Critical List: Earthquake shook nuclear plant too hard; new Energy Star labels for more efficiency

Last week's earthquake may have shaken a Virginia nuclear plant more than the plant was designed to withstand. There wasn’t much damage, but, uh, maybe it’s time to retrofit these older East Coast plants, just in case.

Since Energy Star labels have come to mean next to nothing, there are new ones. Look for "most efficient" Energy Star labels to find appliances that meet the highest standards for energy saving.

Japan passed a bill promising incentives for renewable energy, but companies are waiting for the government to hash out the details before they jump in.

Climate change makes hurricanes like Irene more destructive

Instead of asking whether climate change causes disasters like Irene, we should be asking if it increases the damage toll (the answer is a resounding yes).

Global warming will make future hurricanes worse, full stop

Ignore the members of the peanut gallery bleating about whether or not we can blame hurricane Irene on global warming. What matters is that in the future, warmer temperatures will mean more moisture in the air, so more flooding. And higher sea levels will make cities, especially New York, substantially more vulnerable to storm surges.

Elizabeth Kolbert, in The New Yorker:

Are more events like Irene what you would expect in a warming world? Here the answer is a straightforward “yes."

Everything you've heard about the tar sands and energy security is wrong

Here’s the reality: Protecting the United States’ energy security means keeping our continent’s oil in the ground for when we need it in an emergency.

Climate change has made New Yorkers more vulnerable to Irene

A new map shows that climate change-related sea-level rise has boosted the number of people living in areas vulnerable to storm-surge flooding from Hurricane Irene.

State Department concludes Keystone XL has 'no significant impacts'

The State Department issued its final environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline, finding it would bring no significant environmental impacts.