The amount of sea ice in the Arctic has fallen to the lowest level on record, a confirmation of the drastic warming in the region and a likely harbinger of larger changes to come. “It’s hard even for people like me to believe, to see that climate change is actually
Continue readingTag: Climate breakdown
earthgauge: Arctic ice could vanish within 10 years: Scientists
Arctic sea ice could vanish within 10 years as it is melting much faster than previously believed, thanks to global warming, warn scientists, claiming that the process is 50 percent faster than the current estimates. New satellites being operated by the European Space Agency paint a grim picture of 900
Continue readingearthgauge: Earthgauge Radio August 9, 2012: Burning down the house!
Download: earthgaugeradio-podcast-aug9-2012.mp3 On Earthgauge Radio this week, we continue with our summer programming schedule with a special guest episode from our friend Alex Taylor and Radio Ecoshock in Vancouver. Today’s episode is called Burning Down The House and it was produced during the recent devastating Colorado forest fires of late
Continue readingearthgauge: A World Without Coral Reefs – NYTimes.com
Just to brighten your day a little more, check out this astonishing article from the NY Times on the state of the world’s coral reefs. It ain’t pretty. The article is written by an ecologist in Australia where the world’s largest reef, the Great Barrier, is experiencing unprecedented declines in
Continue readingearthgauge: Greenland Ice Melt, Measured By NASA Satellites, Reaches Unprecedented Level
Yikes. More bad news.. Unprecedented melting of Greenland’s ice sheet this month has stunned NASA scientists and has highlighted broader concerns that the region is losing a remarkable amount of ice overall. Check out this Huff Po article for more info: Greenland Ice Melt, Measured By NASA Satellites, Reaches Unprecedented
Continue readingearthgauge: We’re all climate change idiots!
In a timely follow up to my post below, Beth Gardiner wrote an article in today’s New York Times in which she considers why in the face of so much scientific evidence, we are doing so little to address the crisis of climate change. Entitled ‘We’re all climate change idiots”,
Continue readingearthgauge: Global CO2 emissions rise 3 percent in 2011: report
Climate change is upon us folks and it’s only going to get worse. Yes, events like the current U.S. drought, which is being called one of the worst in recent memory, cannot be conclusively linked to climate change but it is entirely consistent with what climate scientists have been predicting
Continue readingearthgauge: Earthgauge Radio June 28, 2012: Rio +20 Earth Summit in review and the Emerald Ash Borer beetle
Download: earthgaugeradio-podcast-june28-2012.mp3 On Earthgauge Radio this week, we take a look at the recently concluded Rio +20 Earth Summit and we discuss Ottawa’s Emerald Ash Borer beetle infestation, which is becoming a growing problem in regions across North America. I have two interviews on today’s program: David Suzuki (courtesy of
Continue readingearthgauge: The Rio +20 Earth Summit and the Emerald Ash Borer beetle infestation on Earthgauge Radio tomorrow
On tomorrow’s show, we’re taking a look at the recently concluded Rio +20 Earth Summit and discussing the increasing problem of the Emerald Ash Borer beetle in Ottawa. The Rio Summit was of course a huge international United Nations meeting that came on the 20th anniversary of the original Rio
Continue readingearthgauge: Will UN Summit on Sustainable Development make anyone happy?
What on Earth is going on at the Rio +20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro? Well, this article might provide some indication. If you had low expectations for the so-called Sustainable Development Summit, you’re not alone. Here’s an excerpt from the article that tells you just about everything you need
Continue readingearthgauge: And now a few comments on The Tyee’s new sustainable energy project…
In my post below, I recommended following a new investigative reporting series being produced by The Tyee. I commend this initiative as it is important, timely and deserves our attention. Now for some thoughts on what The Tyee is hoping to achieve with this project. First, a few words of caution
Continue readingearthgauge: Can we “green” the tar sands? The Energy Conversation Canada Needs
For anyone interested in the tar sands “debate” – and this should include all of us as it is really a debate about our collective energy future – you will want to keep an eye on a new investigative reporting series being produced by The Tyee. Under the general heading
Continue readingearthgauge: Interview with Charles Hodgson of Ecology Ottawa on the City of Ottawa Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Download: charles-hodgson-ottawaghgs.mp3 Click the audio player to hear my interview with Charles Hodgson of Ecology Ottawa who produces the excellent blog climateottawa.ca. Right click here to download the interview. We discuss the recent City of Ottawa greenhouse inventory and what is going on at city hall with regard to Ottawa’s
Continue readingearthgauge: Woolly mammoth extinction has lessons for modern climate change
Check this out. In a paper published June 12 in the journal Nature Communications, UCLA researchers and colleagues reveal that not long after the last ice age, the last woolly mammoths succumbed to a lethal combination of climate warming, encroaching humans and habitat change — the same threats facing many
Continue readingearthgauge: Earthgauge Radio June 7, 2012: State of the Global Environment
Download: earthgaugeradio-podcast-june7-20121.mp3 On Earthgauge Radio this week, we’re taking a look at the state of the global environment and we talk to the founder of the Ottawa-based organization One Change. We hear a recent speech to the United Nations by the esteemed economist Jeffrey Sachs who offers a dire warning
Continue readingearthgauge: United Nations Rio+20 Summit: Global Environment Outlook Report Warns Of Irreversible Damage
The much anticipated U.N. GEO 5 Report came out today. At this point, is anyone surprised by its findings? * Only 4 of 90 international environmental goals making significant progress * Climate change, fish stocks showing little or no progress Time is running very short, U.N. Under-Secretary General and UNEP
Continue readingearthgauge: #BlackOutSpeakOut today to protest the environmental assaults of Conservative Budget Bill C-38
For more info: http://www.blackoutspeakout.ca/index.php
Continue readingearthgauge: “Dark Age” for Canadian Science
In yet another example of the Canadian government’s antipathy toward science and hatred of all things environmental, check out this article from the excellent journalist Andrew Nikiforuk. Here’s an excerpt: Just as citizens flocked to their cottages and launched their boats, the government of Stephen Harper pulled the plug on
Continue readingearthgauge: Earthgauge Radio May 24 2012: Special program on Canada’s changing North
Download: earthgaugeradio-podcast-may24-2012-arctic-special.mp3 On Earthgauge Radio this week, we’re taking a look at issues facing Canada’s rapidly changing northern regions. I have three interviews for you on today’s special show: Mary Simon, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national organization representing Inuit Ed Struzik, author of The Big Thaw: Travels
Continue readingearthgauge: Fossil fuel subsidies vs renewables: WTF?
Check out this article from the Guardian. We all know that the fossil fuel industries continue to be subsidized but did you have any idea of just how much money the oil, gas and coal industries are receiving from governments the world over? It’s a lot. In fact, the International
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