Blogs

What frontline communities are pushing for at the Paris COP

By Laurie Mazur / On December 7th, 2015
As representatives of communities of color on the frontlines of climate change, we appreciate the sentiments of hope, ambition, accountability, and commitment in President Obama’s remarks at the Paris climate talks.
Photo credit: Flock/bandada by Flickr.com user Rafael Edwards

Recovery of the Great Bear?

By Cristina Eisenberg / On December 3rd, 2015
As was the case for other large carnivores in the lower 48 United States, by the 1960s grizzly bears were nearly extinct.

Hold the Keystone bubbly: Our fossil fuel addiction remains

By Alec Appelbaum / On November 30th, 2015
Did you hear that Keystone XL—the long-planned pipeline from the Canadian tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast—got canceled? That President Obama nixed it because it would contribute to climate change? Did you, as a reader of sites like this, exhale?

A New Global Tinderbox: The World’s Northern Forests

By Edward Struzik / On November 24th, 2015
Ted Schuur has spent the better part of his career making the connection between climate change and wildfires that are burning an increasing amount of land in Alaska and in sub-Arctic and Arctic forests around the world. So the Northern Arizona University scientist wasn’t all that surprised this summer to find his field stations in the interior of Alaska surrounded by fires on three sides. At the time, the state was well on track to recording its second-worst fire season ever.

Racial Equity, Poverty and the Promise of Clean Power

By Laurie Mazur / On November 22nd, 2015
Very influential people are starting to connect the dots among climate change, racial equity and poverty. The United Nations' new sustainable-development goals explicitly link these issues, and in his historic address to Congress last month Pope Francis called for an "integrated approach" to the climate, requiring inclusive dialogue and a focus on fighting poverty. 

#ForewordFriday: Thanksgiving Edition

By Katharine Sucher / On November 20th, 2015
As Thanksgiving approaches, take a moment to consider your food. Ask children where food comes from, and they’ll probably answer: “the supermarket.” Ask most adults, and their replies may not be much different. Where our foods are raised and what happens to them between farm and supermarket shelf have become mysteries. How did we become so disconnected from the sources of our breads, beef, cheeses, cereal, apples, and countless other foods that nourish us every day?   

The Count: Tracking a Formerly Endangered Species

By Erin Johnson / On November 17th, 2015
They went into the muslin bags easily as we freed them one by one from under the heavy net. Some were stunned, frozen, immobile; others struggled between the strands, exploding with powerful wings when handled. I was a tag-along, a newbie, an invited guest to this fall ritual of trapping, counting, banding, and collaring Aleutian cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii leucopareia), an annual joint venture between the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

KEYSTONE XL VICTORY: TO WIN A FIGHT, YOU HAVE TO PICK ONE

By Jason Mark / On November 15th, 2015
President Barack Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline marks one of the biggest victories for the U.S. environmental movement in years. Speaking this morning from the White House, Obama–flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry–made one of his most forceful statements to date about the importance of moving the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels.

Urban Resilience in the Era of Climate Change: WEBINAR

By Kyler Geoffroy / On November 13th, 2015
In an era rocked by climate change and other large-scale disruptions, our cities must be resilient to survive and thrive. But what does that mean, exactly? What characteristics do resilient cities share, and what can be done to cultivate them? How does resilience differ from sustainability, and where do the concepts overlap? Is resilience determined by a city’s “hardware”—its infrastructure and built environment—or it’s “software,” its political will and social capital? 

Pages