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.
Tags: · 400 ppm, BarbaraKesslerBlog, Carbon Dioxide, Climate Change, CO2 pollution, disease, Drought, fires, Forest, freshwater, global warming, Greenhouse Gases, ice melts, Oceans, planet, rising seas, super storms, Wildlife
Air pollution continues to plague many large U.S. cities, where coal plants and tailpipe emissions poison the air with asthma-aggravating, cancer causing ozone and particle emissions. But the picture, and the air, is much clearer in Peoria, Springfield and a few dozen other mid-sized meccas, according to the American Lung Association’s annual report. See what the air rates where you live.
Tags: · air, American Lung Association, Asthma, car emissions, Carbon Dioxide, coal plants, COPD, diabetes, heart disease, lungs, Ozone, particle pollution, pollution, smog
The possible next big thing in the battle against climate change sounds like something straight out of science fiction. “Dry water” may be an effective new way to absorb and store carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. That was the finding of a group of scientists at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, who added that the substance might also be a greener way to produce hundreds of consumer products and even store and transport potentially harmful industrial materials.
Tags: · American Chemical Society, Carbon Dioxide, dry water, global warming, Methane, silica
By Harriet Blake
Green Right Now
In what might seem a no-brainer, the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday pronounced greenhouse gases to be a verifiable public health threat to all Americans.
The announcement came on the first day of the Copenhagen Climate Conference and after what the EPA describes as a “thorough examination of the scientific evidence” required by government rules as the agency prepares to set standards for “light-duty vehicles.”
Tags: · Carbon Dioxide, carbon pollution, climate talks, Copenhagen, EPA, GHGs, Greenhouse Gases
By Barbara Kessler Green Right Now In honor of blog action day, so designated by the group Change.org with partners like Greenpeace and 350.org, I found myself explaining the 350 number to my kids on the way to school. As it happens, the teenager already knew about this benchmark, thanks to AP science classes and [...]
Tags: · 350, 350.org, BarbaraKesslerBlog, Carbon Dioxide, International Day of Climate Action
By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now
Shall we have an omelet with vegetables and cheese for breakfast?
Let’s order a Caesar salad for lunch, with some chicken noodle soup.
And dinner – Who’s up for meatloaf, with macaroni and cheese on the side and some chocolate chip cookies to top it off?
Oh, while you’re at it, stop for a second and ask yourself: What impact does this food have on the environment?
Here’s some food for thought: An entertaining interactive tool lets you add up your “carbon points” and see just how badly those three cups of coffee are hurting the world.
Tags: · "fresh" seafood, Carbon Dioxide, Co2e, food system and greenhouse gases, food waste, Greenhouse Gases, low carbon diet calculator, processed food, regional food, seasonal food, Sierra Club, Sierra Club GreenHome
By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
As inventors of all varieties race to develop the magic eco-fuel, the best ion battery or the most effective solar collection system, geologists are quietly exploring how certain types of rocks absorb our human carbon emissions.
The phenomenon is not unique. Trees and plants absorb some carbon. The ocean absorbs carbon. But trees can only do so much, and when they die, they release the carbon back into the atmosphere. The ocean has limits as well; it is already becoming acidic as gobbles our thickening stream of pollution.
Rocks, though, can capture carbon and render it into a solid, where it is virtually inert.
Tags: · Carbon Dioxide, Carbon sequestration, Columbia University, Earth Institute, Juerg Matter, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, ultramafic rocks
By John DeFore
Green Right Now
Environmental scientists were to have a new set of eyes starting this week, thanks to a brand new satellite intended to help make sense of carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere.
Tags: · Carbon Dioxide, carbon pollution, carbon sinks, Greenhouse Gases, NASA, Orbiting Carbon Observatory
By John DeFore
The changing schedules of fall foliage may be a headache for nature lovers who time their forest vacations to maximize viewing of autumnal reds and oranges. But they could be good for the environment those travelers set out to enjoy.
According to a new article in the journal Global Change Biology, a team led by Michigan Tech forestry professor David F. Karnosky has established that increased levels of atmospheric CO2 “act directly to delay the usual autumn spectacle of changing colors and falling leaves in northern hardwood forests.”
Tags: · Carbon Dioxide, Travel, Trees
Barbara Kessler
Andrew Winston
Danielle Nierenberg
Anthony Swift