Permafrost thaw’s runaway effect on carbon release – Tim Radford

An international team of scientists has settled one puzzle of the Arctic permafrost and confirmed one long-standing fear: the vast amounts of carbon now preserved in the frozen soils could one day all get back into the atmosphere. Since the Arctic is the fastest-warming place on the planet, such a release of greenhouse gas could only accelerate global warming and …

Renewable Energy isn’t a Shortcut to Reversing Global Warming – PETE DOLACK

Denmark has distinguished itself as the country moving the fastest toward the eventual replacement of fossil fuels. Its goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 is laudable, but the assumption that this path will reverse global warming while otherwise continuing business as usual, is unrealistic. At first glance, Denmark has made remarkable strides. The country’s intention to totally eliminate …

An Epidemic of CNE Syndrome Strikes Our State Governments – Jim Hightower

It’s well-known that harsh climate conditions can mess with your mind — from cabin fever to heat delirium. But America is now experiencing an even more dangerous mind-numbing disease called Climaticus Non-vocalism Extremism. Oddly, CNE Syndrome almost exclusively afflicts a narrow segment of our population: Republican political officials and candidates. Scientific studies suggest that CNE Syndrome might stem from a …

In 50-49 vote, US Senate says climate change not caused by humans – Sean Cockerham

The Senate rejected the scientific consensus that humans are causing climate change, days after NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared 2014 the hottest year ever recorded on Earth. The Republican-controlled Senate defeated a measure Wednesday stating that climate change is real and that human activity significantly contributes to it. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, offered the measure as …

In A Bid To Put An End To The Fossil Fuel Crisis, Audi Has Made Diesel Only From Air And Water.

Luxury car maker Audi has announced that it is making synthetic diesel fuel from just water and carbon dioxide. Audi’s pilot plant, which is operated in Dresden by German start-up Sunfire, has produced its first batches of the “e-diesel” fuel earlier this month. To commemorate the potentially huge accomplishment, German Federal Minister of Education and Research Johanna Wanka put a …

Scientists show that long-term temperature rise is the inevitable consequence of increasing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. – Tim Radford

The so-called hiatus in global warming will probably make no difference to the world in the long run, according to Australian scientists. Using computer models to take the planetary temperature in 2100, they found that one set of models incorporated the slowdown, but others did not. In the end, the difference was barely significant: less than 0.1°C. The hiatus is …

Warming Climate May Release Vast Amounts Of Carbon From Long-Frozen Arctic Soils

More carbon is released into the atmosphere would amplify climate warming, and that, in turn, would cause more permafrost to thaw and release more carbon, causing the cycle to continue. Recent research by scientists has confirmed the suspicion scientists were making regarding the Arctic permafrost. Scientists estimate there is more than 10 times the amount of carbon in the Arctic …

Hotter and Wetter: Report Finds Global Warming Driving Extreme Weather – Lauren McCauley

It’s not just your imagination. The punishing heat waves, record snowfall, and 500-year floods, which seem to be occurring with increasing frequency, are doing just that, thanks to global warming. According to a study (pdf) published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change, these extreme weather events are clearly attributed to human-induced climate change and will only worsen as average temperatures tick higher …

Move Over Shale, Solar Is Shining Brighter With Each Passing Day – Jon Queally

Move over dirty fossil fuels, the solar revolution is coming. That, at least, is the buried headline contained in new reporting from Reuters on Sunday which looks at the ability of the solar industry to upend the world’s energy system in ways similar to recent innovations which allowed oil and gas companies to squeeze previously unattainable deposits from underground shale formations. With a focus …

Plants may not protect us against climate change – Tim Wogan

Plants are one of the last bulwarks against climate change. They feed on carbon dioxide, growing faster and absorbing more of the greenhouse gas as humans produce it. But a new study finds that limited nutrients may keep plants from growing as fast as scientists thought, leading to more global warming than some climate models had predicted by 2100. Plants …