A recently released video game allows users to balance the Earth’s resources and climate changes against a growing population and their food, energy, and space requirements to determine the Fate of the World. Players select from ten different scenarios that can result in outcomes that range from saving the planet to...
In The News
Colorado Wins Secure Green Energy Future
November 9, 2010 |
Colorado Independent
The election of John Hickenlooper as governor and Michael Bennet to the U.S. Senate bodes well for the development of green energy and jobs in Colorado, reports the Colorado Independent. Hickenlooper, formerly a geologist and the mayor of Denver, replaces Gov...
Navajo Coal Mine Expansion Suspended
November 9, 2010 |
New York Times
A federal judge has voided a permit previously granted to expand one of two coal-mining operations on Navajo land. The permit to expand the present mine by 4,800 acres was originally granted by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 2005, when the agency’s assessments of the expansion concluded that it would have no impact on the environment or...
Most U.S. Rivers Significantly Altered by Humans
November 9, 2010 |
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
A new study by U.S. Geological Survey scientists concludes that most rivers in the U.S. have had their flow significantly altered by humans. The study measured mean annual, maximum, and minimum streamflow between 1980-2007. Streamflow alteration was calculated based on these values compared to reference values...
Tribe Tries to Block Solar Project
November 9, 2010 |
LA Times
The Quechan tribe living on Fort Yuma Reservation near the lower Colorado River is suing the federal government over the construction of a solar energy project near their lands. Tessera Solar's Imperial Valley Solar...
Californians Support Clean Energy Regulation
November 6, 2010 |
Time.com
In a contest that some predicted might be close, Californians soundly defeated Proposition 23, which if passed would have suspended implementation of Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, until unemployment drops below 5.5% for four consecutive quarters. Several Texas-based oil companies contributed heavily to the Prop...
Warming Effects on Vegetation Varies by Elevation
November 6, 2010 |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
A two-degree warming over 60 years appears to have resulted in more significant vegetation change at lower montane forests (1,600 to 3,900 feet above mean sea level) than at upper montane to subalpine forests (4,900 to 6,900 feet elevation). Researchers analyzed changes in understory vegetation (herb) communities...
America Has Strong Climate Opinion but Little Climate Knowledge
November 2, 2010 |
Yale University
Yale University’s Project on Climate Change Communication has released a report, Americans' Knowledge of Climate Change, that details the limits of individual Americans’ knowledge on climate, the causes and impacts of global warming,...
Tribes Eager to Expand Renewable Energy Projects
November 2, 2010 |
Solve Climate News
Ten percent of U.S. renewable energy supplies are located on tribal land, and tribes are eager to develop it, reports Solve Climate News. Already, the Campo Kumeyaay have shown how to do it. The small tribe east of San Diego has partnered with...
Polluting Companies Want Emissions Kept Confidential
November 2, 2010 |
Associated Press
As the U.S. EPA prepares to regulate greenhouse gas emissions across the country, one of the first steps is tracking how much of the global warming-causing gases are released. EPA has been collecting emissions data for industry sectors, like manufacturing and electricity, but now...