In The News

New York Times: Forests Protect the Climate

Henry Fountain March 7, 2018
Hurricanes and other large storms have ravaged forests in recent months. Writing for the New York Times, Henry Fountain reports on the environmental implications after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September. About 23 million to 31 million of the island’s trees were damaged or killed after the hurricane. Researchers are assessing the damage to forests and studying how extreme weather...

Mother Jones: S Africa Leadership, Climate Crisis

Nathalie Baptiste February 1, 2018
The metropolitan area of Cape Town has about 4 million people, and officials warn that the city’s water supply, dependent on rainfall, could go dry in April. Droughts, poor planning, population growth, urban migration and high consumption rates contribute to water supply challenges in Cape Town. Restrictions of 50 liters per day have been imposed for residents, but compliance has been uneven....

Deutsche Welle: Indian Prime Minister Modi Identifies Three Global Threats

January 24, 2018
The world is not preparing for its most pressing challenges, and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized global institutions for failing to recognize widespread aspirations or to confront reality. He addressed the World Economic Forum, an annual meeting of corporate, government and other leaders to review global priorities. Modi “urged sweeping reforms to modernize and restructure current...

Bloomberg Businessweek: Climate Change Could Make Borrowing More Expensive

Emily Chasan January 23, 2018
The value of bond holdings for locales or companies struck by disaster can plunge: “bond rating agencies such as Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings are looking at whether they should be including more disaster forecasting in calculating the grades they give to government debt and to companies in industries ranging from insurance to construction,” writes Emily Chasen for...

PRI: The Link Between Severe Winters and Climate Change

Carolyn Beeler January 9, 2018
Climate-change skeptics point to a severe winter, long stretches of below-average temperatures and a so-called “bomb cyclone” as confirming that average rising temperatures may not be a problem. PRI’s Carolyn Beeler reports that the term “bomb cyclone” refers to an intense course caused by a quick drop in atmospheric pressure. But the icy weather reaching far beyond the Arctic confirms a...

Newsweek: What Happens If the World No Longer Has Water?

Peter Schwartzstein December 27, 2017
Countries of the Middle East, a region where population growth is high, may be among the first to run out of water. Shortages are associated with a series of conflicts and refugee crises after the country hosted Palestinians, Lebanese, Iraqis and Syrians. “Globally, water demand is forecast to rise by roughly 50 percent by 2050,” explains Peter Schwartzstein for Newsweek, adding that “21 out of...

The New York Times: When Climate Change Becomes a Credit Problem

Jeff Nesbit December 13, 2017
This year has shown that disasters linked with climate change carry enormous economic costs, and communities that ignore the risks of climate change can expect increased upfront borrowing costs. “In a welcome but long overdue development, one of the world’s leading credit-rating agencies, Moody’s Investors Service, announced recently that it would give more weight to climate change risks in...