EarthScape

U.N. climate talks opened on Monday, exposing familiar rifts between rich and poor countries which delegates said were likely to delay a re-start of formal negotiations. The 185-nation Bonn conference, which will run until June 11, is the biggest international meeting on climate change since a summit last December in Copenhagen failed to agree a…

Under the Clean Air Act, states must develop State Implementation Plans (SIP) to convince the US EPA that they can meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQAS). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejected Arizona’s claim that dust storms caused the high pollution readings in Phoenix in 2008, a decision which could have significant…

U.S. government and BP officials are warning that the blown-out oil well causing an environmental disaster on the Gulf Coast may not be stopped until August as the company begins preparations on a new attempt to capture the leaking crude. The disaster, in its 42nd day on Monday, is already the largest oil spill in…

BP Plc’s “top kill” oil well plug failed on Saturday, practically killing any optimism among Gulf coast residents that the mammoth spill fouling their coast and fishing industry will end any time soon. Even U.S. President Barack Obama, hit with a tide of criticism that he is not sufficiently in command of the largest oil…

How can a painting help us understand the likely effects of a warming climate? It is perhaps the best way to do so, since an artist capable of creating highly realistic scenes can show us the species likely to be present in an ecosystem as its average and extreme temperatures change over time. “Climate Impacts…

“Climate Impacts on Olympic Peninsula Forests” vividly portrays the ongoing effects of climate change on our beautiful native plants and animals, through the interpretation of award winning fine artist of John C. Pitcher. John Pitcher can be reached at: goldleafart@myfairpoint.net May 17, 2010 – Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula contains several distinct ecosystems and supports biodiversity…

The worst oil spill in U.S. history hits its 40th day on Saturday with Gulf residents clinging to one tenuous hope: that BP’s complicated “top kill” operation will plug the gushing well. Beleaguered Louisiana residents heard from President Barack Obama and BP CEO Tony Hayward on separate visits to the Gulf coast on Friday as…

There are many earth cycles. One is a cycling between warmer and colder periods which are commonly called ice ages. The causes of these cycles are complex and are related to how much sun radiation we get as well as some slight variation in the sun itself. Scientists have recently found a possible source of…

While Western policymakers direct their focus toward mitigating carbon emissions, Bangladesh is one of the few countries to accept the inevitability of climate change and start tackling adaption head-on. Once the very symbol of backwardness—an ‘international basket case’ in Henry Kissinger’s infamous words—today’s Bangladesh may well soon be leading the way into a shared future…

Don’t worry about stocking up on sunscreen, but our solar system may be headed for a celestial version of global warming. A new analysis suggests that in about 100 years the sun could plunge into a hot cloud of interstellar gas. The change should have no impact on our planet, but it could boost the…