Our Watery Coastal Futures
This interactive map by Climate Central shows how sea-level rise will impact coastal areas around the globe with varying degrees of temperature increases. These rises will not be immediate, but what we "lock in" if we let climate change continue unchecked. Even at 2 degrees Celsius, the impacts are enormous. Little Blue Marble is based […]
Meat or No Meat? The debate continues
Here's an interesting counterpoint in the Guardian to the "giving up meat will save the climate" argument. The problem with abandoning meat is that the resulting industrial farming puts too much pressure on the soil, and depletes already limited fertilizer resources. In the UK topsoil depletion is so severe that in 2014 the trade magazine […]
Climate change won’t wait for political change
Over at the Star, Linda McQuaig writes about how taking action to stop climate change is often thwarted at the political level, often by politicians more beholden to Big Oil's interests than their constituents'. This despite the fact that more people in Canada now oppose than support things like new pipelines, and want to see their […]
For the wine industry, climate change could be the ultimate buzzkill
People love wine. We don’t just drink it; we share it, pair it with food, and toast occasions with it. We study it, taste it, and write books and articles about it. A nice bottle of wine is a foolproof hostess gift; a slightly nicer one, a go-to retirement or wedding present. At some point […]
The Great Global Species Shakeup
The Toronto Star runs a great feature about species migration and their changing geographical locations as a result of climate change. How and where species will move is not completely intuitive. But these global averages mask local chaos: ecosystems aren’t plodding predictably forward in lockstep. Two trees in the same forest might respond totally differently. […]
Help document sea level rise in Vancouver
Do you live in Vancouver? The City of Vancouver is looking for citizen scientists to help them document this month's king tides between December 5-9. Since king tides are often higher than regular tides, this is part of an overall effort to document and predict the effect of sea level rise on the city. Upload […]
Surprise! Eating local and organic isn't all that climate helpful
The CBC reports on two new studies that examine the effects of organic vs. conventional agriculture, and purchasing food from local vs. non-local vendors. They come to some disappointing conclusions on their impact on your carbon footprint. So while there are lots of good reasons to buy local or eat organic, mitigating climate change isn't necessarily […]
Cornell Launches Free Climate Change Course On Sept. 11
Looking to learn about more about climate change? Consider taking Cornell's free climate change course which starts on Sept. 11 and runs until Oct. 1, 2017. You may register no matter where you live. More details here.
If Everyone Ate Beans Instead of Beef
James Hamblin at The Atlantic examines the results of a study by Helen Harwatt at Oregon State University that examines how a single food substitution affects greenhouse gas production: beans for beef. A relatively small, single-food substitution could be the most powerful change a person makes in terms of their lifetime environmental impact—more so than downsizing […]
On The Flip Side - Corporate Responsibility For Climate Change
Our last post discussed individual options for reducing one's carbon footprint. However, that can seem like a drop in the bucket when one looks at where, exactly, most carbon emissions are coming from. The Carbon Majors Report (pdf) “pinpoints how a relatively small set of fossil fuel producers may hold the key to systemic change on carbon […]
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