May 13th, 2013

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is hovering at a landmark 400 parts per million, a level never before experienced by human beings. Scientists say we’re playing with fire, risking the planet’s future if we don’t start to lower the greenhouse gas levels forcing climate change. How should we react to this news? First, we need to envision climate change more accurately, as a deadly threat.

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April 5th, 2013

Climate change will continue to worsen wildfires in the U.S., with the area burned each year expected to double by 2050, according to a report released this week by the USDA’s Forestry Service. But that’s not all. Profound changes are ahead for forests in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, as climate change rearranges natural habitats.

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March 18th, 2013

Americans consume a lot of water as a result of their food and lawn choices. Read Danielle Nierenberg’s blog about how we can lower the stress we’re placing on dwindling water supplies. Ms. Nierenberg, co-founder of Food Tank, has traveled the world, studying food and water scarcity, and can tell you how many Kenyans survive on the same amount of water consumed by one American.

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February 1st, 2013

In an effort to address Texas’ ongoing drought, two state lawmakers have proposed legislation that would free thousands of homeowners from having to water and maintain conventional sod lawns.

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August 13th, 2012

July 2012 was the hottest ever on record for the contiguous United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

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August 2nd, 2012

Steve Fleischi, NRDC director of water and climate

There can be no doubt that the current drought in the U.S. is having horrific impacts on communities across the country. Water supplies are shrinking. Crops are dying.

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July 26th, 2012

Drought continues to savage the U.S., claiming crops, threatening livestock and spurring wildfires, and it is intensifying. The U.S. Drought Monitor reveals a deepening drought in the midsection of the country, which is predicted to continue as above-average hot temperatures fail to abate.

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December 30th, 2011

If you’re wondering what to worry about in the coming year, look no further than the eco-landscape.
Climate change, species extinctions, ocean acidification, forestry losses, soil erosion and air pollution. We humans, now 7 billion strong, are pushing the planet hard, creating a brew of intractable environmental issues that threaten our way of life, and ultimately our survival.
Grim? It doesn’t get much more so.
There were bright moments in 2011. A sampling:

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November 14th, 2011

With water scarcity emerging as a major global issue in the 21st century, a drought in the southern U.S. state of Texas highlights the need for farmers to get more out of limited water supplies. Some are using new irrigation methods which give them more crop per drop.

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October 28th, 2011

Beef prices may be headed upward due to a severe, lingering drought in the southern United States which is putting a major financial squeeze on the region’s cattle producers.

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August 4th, 2011

Climate change is expected to lead to worsening drought conditions and greater heat extremes, along with myriad health problems. And a new web tool created by the Natural Resources Defense Council lets you see read just how badly your state could be impacted by climate change.

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July 29th, 2011

It’s hard to live in Texas this summer and not consider the havoc that climate change has in store for us.

In Dallas, the last 27 days have hit 100 degrees or more. People have abandoned even pools in favor of air conditioning. Longhorn cattle, bred for heat, droop under mesquite trees, and pipes have begun breaking as the cracked earth shifts underneath our streets and homes.
Like an expanding fissure across baked earth, the damage stretches across the state, encompassing the northern plains region, West Texas and the Hill Country.
Texas livestock farmers have sold off herds they cannot risk keeping for longer. Crop farmers cut their losses and stopped irrigating fields because it no longer made financial sense. Corn, hay and other crops have dried up.

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