Environmental Story Trends to Watch: Climate Change

“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” – Danish physicist, Neils Bohr A few posts ago I attempted to list the top environmental stories of the last decade: the Doha development agenda stall, the 2008 economic downturn, Al Gore’s Nobel prize, and others, ending with the Credit Card Reform Act of 2009.Continue reading “Environmental Story Trends to Watch: Climate Change”

IPCC 4th Assessment Report doesn’t agree with the Center for Biological Diversity

Apparently, the Center for Biological Diversity doesn’t agree with the Mitigation Working Group Report [PDF] in IPCC’s 4th Assessment as to the best strategy for mitigating CO2. Photo from south island on New Zealand. “Biomass clearing and site preparation prior to afforestation [i.e. planting] may lead to short-term carbon losses on that site… Accumulation ofContinue reading “IPCC 4th Assessment Report doesn’t agree with the Center for Biological Diversity”

IPCC 4th Assessment Report doesn't agree with the Center for Biological Diversity

Apparently, the Center for Biological Diversity doesn’t agree with the Mitigation Working Group Report [PDF] in IPCC’s 4th Assessment as to the best strategy for mitigating CO2. Photo from south island on New Zealand. “Biomass clearing and site preparation prior to afforestation [i.e. planting] may lead to short-term carbon losses on that site… Accumulation ofContinue reading “IPCC 4th Assessment Report doesn't agree with the Center for Biological Diversity”

Forests and Climate Change, Not Clearcut

Will the Center for Biological Diversity’s lawsuit filed against Cal Fire have the putative result of slowing global warming? Not likely, probably the exact opposite effect.

The Top 13 Environmental Stories of the Aughts

Here is my olio list of profound and profane environmental news of the past decade–the aughts. Hurricane Katrina From the toxic sludge left behind on the land to removal of the vegetative buffers by encroaching civilization, hurricane Katrina exposed so many of our environmental shortcomings, all in one storm. Al Gore’s Inconvenient Nobel Peace PrizeIContinue reading “The Top 13 Environmental Stories of the Aughts”

A Green Recovery

This was written by Bill Keye, Government Affairs Specialist for the California Licensed Foresters Association. On a scale not seen since the Great Depression, unemployment and underemployment continue to grind away at California and the United States.  27 years ago, in November, 1982, the unemployment rate in the Golden State hit 11.0%.  It hung aroundContinue reading “A Green Recovery”

The Green Loss Effect

Policymakers must address the influence of global deforestation and urbanization on climate change, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to Georgia Tech’s City and Regional Planning Professor Brian Stone in an upcoming paper to be published in the December edition of Environmental Science and Technology. “The role of land use in global warmingContinue reading “The Green Loss Effect”