Minding Nemo: Dr. Jeff Masters on Snowstorms and Climate Change

greenman3610

Published on Feb 13, 2013

I spent tuesday in Ann Arbor, at the regional Town Hall meeting to review the latest US Global Change Research program report on climate change impacts. More on that in later posts.
http://ncadac.globalchange.gov

As I keep dropping in on meetings like this, I learn more and more that Woody Allen was right. 90 percent of life is showing up.
I bumped into Dr. Jeff Masters — which seemed right on script, because I needed a meteorological ninja to beat down the predictable flurry of climate deniers pumping the “it’s snowing outside, there can’t be climate change” meme. Short, sweet, and to the point.
http://www.wunderground.com

Global Climate Change
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A Wake Up Call on Global Warming

Bernie Sanders

Published on Jan 14, 2014

Sen. Bernie Sanders joins members of a new congressional task force to discuss climate change.

Global Climate Change
Environmental Justice
Environment Ethics

Senator Markey Discusses Climate Change

Senator Markey

Published on Jan 14, 2014

Senator Markey and members of the Senate Climate Action Task Force discuss plans to combat climate change.

Global Climate Change
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Eco Student Summit: Steve Hallett is a god | Indiana Living Green

http://www.indianalivinggreen.com/eco-student-summit-steve-hallett-is-a-god/

By Jim Poyser on April 1, 2013 in Doom & Bloom

Hallett, a fan of Kurt Vonnegut, allowed me to take this photo outside the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library on Saturday. Now I bet he wishes he didn’t.

My headline is intentionally provocative, and designed to make Steve Hallett mad. I know it will, too, because every time I tried to tell him how amazing and wonderful and entertaining and disturbing his keynote speech was, he brushed me aside with self-deprecation.

Steve Hallet is one funny guy.

A botanist from Purdue, Hallet wrote a book called Life Without Oil that riveted my attention, and helped get him invited to the inaugural Eco Student Summit 2013 this past Saturday at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law at IUPUI.

After a great day of panels and workshops and presentations, Hallett took the stage. I’d estimate that a full third of the 150 people who’d attended were departed, and boy did they miss it.

Hallett, whose new book, The Efficiency Trap, is about to be released, regaled and challenged the audience by explaining how an increase in energy efficiency never leads to a healthier planet — it just leads to more consumption and thus energy consumption and waste.

…(read more).

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CLIMATE JUSTICE RESOURCES

http://www.climateaccess.org/resource/collection/climate-justice-resources

A collection of guides and reports on taking action to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income communities and communities of color.

Global Climate Change
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Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living

Forum Network

Published on Jan 14, 2014

Jeff Deyette, co-author of Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living , the recent book from Union of Concerned Scientists, describes how individuals can reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprints by at least 20 percent -and achieve a healthier lifestyle in the process. It is encouraging to know that commitments by individuals and communities can make a significant contribution toward reducing global warming. Mr. Deyette also gives an update on the unmistakable human factor in climate change and an overview of the progress of alternative energy innovations.

Global Climate Change
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Long-Term Health Threats of BPA and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Forum Network

Published on Jan 14, 2014

BPA and other endocrine disruptors are used in plastics, can linings, and other products. These chemicals, which are now widespread in the environment, are implicated in cancer, reproduction problems, childhood obesity, and autism. Drs. Ana Soto and Carlos Sonnenschein are leading researchers in this field. They explain how endocrine disruptors affect living organisms over multiple generations and why the impact is so broad. And they discuss the urgent need to control the use of such chemicals.

Ana Soto, M.D. Professor of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, School of Medicine, Tufts University
Carlos Sonnenschein, M.D. Professor of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, School of Medicine, Tufts University

See:

http://www.scienceforthepublic.org/medical-research/long-term-health-threats-of-bpa-and-other-endocrine-disruptors/http://www.scienceforthepublic.org/authors/soto-sonnenschein/
http://www.scienceforthepublic.org/speakers-guests/meet-ana-soto-m-d-/

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Accelerated Climate Change: Can Nature Adapt?

Forum Network

Published on Jan 14, 2014

A leading authority on conservation issues, especially flora and fauna adaptations to rapid climate change, Professor Primack brings a truly global perspective to Nature’s rapid response mechanisms. He discusses changes in the Massachusetts habitat that Henry David Thoreau made famous, and describes the limitations of plants and animals to adapt to this era of intense current climate stress.

Richard B. Primack is a Professor in the Biology Department at Boston University. He received his B.A. at Harvard University in 1972 and his Ph.D. at Duke University in 1976, and then was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Canterbury. He has served as a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong and Tokyo University, and has been awarded Bullard and Putnam Fellowships from Harvard University and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Dr. Primack was President of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of the journal Biological Conservation. Twenty-seven foreign-language editions of his textbooks have been produced, with local coauthors adding in local examples. He is an author of rain forest books, most recently Tropical Rain Forests: An Ecological and Biogeographical Comparison, Second Edition (with Richard Corlett). Dr. Primack’s research interests include: the biological impacts of climate change; the loss of species in protected areas; tropical forest ecology and conservation; and conservation education. He is currently writing a popular book about changes in Concord since the time of Henry David Thoreau and Walden.

For further information see:

http://www.scienceforthepublic.org/earth/accelerated-climate-change-can-nature-adapt/

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Cyprus International Institute (CII) (Harvard School of Public Health) http://Cyprus-Institute.us
Food-Matters

Science for the Public

http://www.scienceforthepublic.org/

Science for the Public is committed to improving public knowledge of science and public appreciation for the contributions of science to social progress.

Environment Ethics

Erin Brockovich: After Chemical Spill, West Virginians Organizing “Stronger Than I’ve Ever Seen”

democracynow

Published on Jan 14, 2014

http://www.democracynow.org – West Virginia has begun partially lifting its ban on tap water five days after a chemical spill in the Elk River. More than 300,000 residents have been unable to use their water for drinking, cooking or bathing since Thursday, when the company Freedom Industries leaked up to 7,500 gallons of 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (Crude MCHM), an agent used in coal extraction, into the water supply. Scores of schools and businesses have been closed, including in the state capital, Charleston. The ban has been lifted in four zones so far, but is still in effect for a vast majority of residents. Dozens of people have been hospitalized since the spill, with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, rashes and reddened skin. We get reaction from Erin Brockovich, the renowned environmentalist, consumer advocate and legal researcher. While a single mother of three working as a legal assistant, she helped win the biggest class-action lawsuit in American history, holding the California power company Pacific Gas & Electric Company for polluting a city’s water supply. Her story was told in the Oscar-winning film “Erin Brockovich.” Today, Brockovich and her team are investigating the spill in West Virginia. On Monday evening, she held a town hall meeting in Charleston to discuss the spill with local residents. “They’re banding together stronger than I’ve ever seen before,” Brockovich says of West Virginians self-organizing in the spill’s aftermath.

Environmental Justice
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