The ‘Big Five’ primary causes of biodiversity loss … are habitat destruction, overharvesting and poaching, pollution, climate change and introduction of invasive species.” Migratory species are especially vulnerable “as they depend entirely on a network of well-functioning ecosystems to refuel, reproduce and survive in every ‘station’ they visit and upon unrestricted travel.” … [more]
Author Archives: Michael Tobis
Italian Pesticide Ban Improves Bee Colony Health
A ban on the insecticide-soaked seed coating enforced by the Italian government last year seems to have worked wonders, judging from the freshest data collected on the ground by researchers, beekeepers and regional authorities alike.… [more]
Ambient Carbon Capture
It’s time to start thinking about how to subtract carbon from the atmosphere.
See also this recent article on Slate.
UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan has a roundup of the topic.
And Chris Tackett at Treehugger has an interesting take on it.
… [more]
Canada to Abandon Pure Science Altogether?
Phil Plait reports that the National Research Council—the Canadian scientific research and development agency—has now said that they will only perform research that has “social or economic gain”. In the past, civilized countries as a matter of pride contributed to the common pursuit of knowledge.
… [more]
Syria, the First Domino?
Writing in The Guardian, Nafeez Ahmed explicitly points to climate change as a component of the humanitarian disaster that is the Syrian civil war.… [more]
So Much Terrible Serendipity
There’s a thoughtful, beautifully written, and terrifying story about human/wildlife interaction, specifically an endangered seal in Hawai’i, written by Jon Mooallem, at the New York Times Magazine site.… [more]
400 Fest
There’s a lot of discussion of the fact that daily mean CO2 concentrations at Mauna Loa exceeded 400 ppmv for the first time.… [more]
CO2 on Trial vs WSJ’s Ironic Op-Ed; Various Rebuttals on CSW
As argued recently, CO2 is not a defendant accused of a crime, and we should not care whether it can be proven guilty. By now it can be proven, but that was never the right framing. Emissions are a risk management issue. Nevertheless the Wall Street Journal just ran an op-ed entitled “In Defense of CO2″. The explicit doubling down on the misframing of the problem is notable.
… [more]
Republicans Behind the Scenes Struggle to Overcome Climate Denial
A concerted push has begun within the party—in conservative think tanks and grassroots groups, and even in backroom, off-the-record conversations on Capitol Hill—to persuade Republicans to acknowledge and address climate change in their own terms, according to a feature story today in the National Journal.… [more]
The Whipsaw: Tornado Edition
The recent very low tornadic activity in the US is even stranger than the very high tornadic activity of 2010-2011, according to an analysis by tornado expert Patrick Marsh.… [more]