In The News

The Morning After Fukushima

Nina Netzer May 24, 2011
Repercussions of nuclear accidents are not easily contained within borders, as demonstrated after an earthquake-tsunami damaged reactors at the Fukushima power plant. Explosions spewed radioactivity into the air, and Japan soon dumped more than 11,000 metric tons of radioactive-tainted water into the sea. A YaleGlobal series analyzes the pressing need for international energy planning, policy and...

Carbon Confusion

Emilie Filou May 18, 2011
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism, African nations and businesses anticipate global attitudes to swing against carbon emissions. Since Africa produces about 4 percent of annual global CO2 emissions, its mitigation potential is therefore negligible, reports Emilie Filou for This is Africa Online. Yet South Africa, the globe’s 13th largest emitter...

Today's Weather Affects Attitudes on Global Warming

Jeanna Bryner April 14, 2011
By far, most climate scientists point to evidence that human activity contributes to volatile weather, severe storms and droughts, melting polar ice and climate change. But it’s human nature to ignore long-term evidence and instead rely on day-to-day observations. Individuals check a weather forecast – if it’s chilly or snowing outside, that’s enough to reduce evidence of global warming for them...

Study: Some Natural Gas Threatens Climate More Than Coal

Tennille Tracy April 13, 2011
Colorless, odorless natural gas is touted as a clean combustible with few emissions. But it’s composed of at least 70 percent methane. A Cornell University study suggests that extracting natural gas from shale with hydraulic fracturing can release methane. The greenhouse gas traps far more heat than carbon dioxide, also blamed for climate change. Tennille Tracy summarizes the study’s conclusion...

Multitude of Species Face Climate Threat

Carl Zimmer April 8, 2011
Biologists monitoring Earth’s loss of biodiversity predict a sixth great mass extinction could be underway. Overfishing, overhunting, deforestation, development and climate could be behind some eerie changes: polar bears losing ice; whales, fish and birds adjusting migration patterns; butterflies hatching from pupae earlier, mountainside animals and plants forced to move to new heights....

Mother Nature’s Melting Pot

Hugh Raffles April 4, 2011
Environmental preservationists often raise alarms about invasive species – whether it’s Asian carp in the US or Norway rats or Canada geese in China. The “natural landscape is a shifting mosaic of plant and animal life,” argues anthropologist Hugh Raffles in an opinion essay for the New York Times. Labels “native” or “alien” bestowed by humans on others are misnomers, ignoring how migration is an...

Saudis Focus on Nuclear, Solar Energy

David Hope April 1, 2011
Nations that cling to petroleum as a leading energy source should take notice: The nation with the largest oil reserves is diversifying its energy sector, developing nuclear and solar sources. Within two decades, Saudi Arabia anticipates using most of its oil for domestic purposes, reports David Hope for UPI. A limited supply of water in the country requires desalination for consumption, which...