New York Times (July 28)
Richard Muller had been one of the most outspoken climate-change skeptics. No longer. The “converted skeptic” writes, “three years ago I identified problems in previous climate studies that, in my mind, threw doubt on the very existence of global warming. Last year, following an intensive research effort involving a dozen scientists, I concluded that global warming was real and that the prior estimates of the rate of warming were correct. I’m now going a step further: Humans are almost entirely the cause.”
Richard Muller had been one of the most outspoken climate-change skeptics. No longer. The “converted skeptic” writes, “Three years ago I identified problems in previous climate studies that, in my mind, threw doubt on the very existence of global warming. Last year, following an intensive research effort involving a dozen scientists, I concluded that global warming was real and that the prior estimates of the rate of warming were correct. I’m now going a step further: Humans are almost entirely the cause.”
Tags: Climate change, Global warming, Humans, Muller, Skeptic
New York Times (July 10)
“The recent heat wave that has fried much of the country, ruined crops and led to heat-related deaths has again raised the question of whether this and other extreme weather events can be attributed to human-induced climate change. The answer, increasingly, is a qualified yes.” While individual events such as floods, hurricanes and heat waves cannot be blamed directly on global warming, the consensus is that global warming increases the frequency of these and other extreme weather events.
“The recent heat wave that has fried much of the country, ruined crops and led to heat-related deaths has again raised the question of whether this and other extreme weather events can be attributed to human-induced climate change. The answer, increasingly, is a qualified yes.” While individual events such as floods, hurricanes and heat waves cannot be blamed directly on global warming, the consensus is that global warming increases the frequency of these and other extreme weather events.
Tags: Extreme weather, Floods, Global warming, U.S.
The Economist (June 16)
Glaciers are retreating and permafrost is thawing in the Arctic, where June snow cover is just 80% of what it was in the 1960s. As the habitat changes, some species will win and others will lose. “Perhaps not since the 19th-century clearance of America’s forests has the world seen such a spectacular environmental change. It is a stunning illustration of global warming, the cause of the melt. It also contains grave warnings of its dangers. The world would be mad to ignore them.”Glaciers are retreating and permafrost is thawing in the Arctic, where June snow cover is just 80% of what it was in the 1960s. As the habitat changes, some species will win and others will lose. “Perhaps not since the 19th-century clearance of America’s forests has the world seen such a spectacular environmental change. It is a stunning illustration of global warming, the cause of the melt. It also contains grave warnings of its dangers. The world would be mad to ignore them.”
Tags: Arctic, Glaciers, Global warming, Habitat, Species
Wall Street Journal (December 12)
Our obsession with cutting carbon emissions overlooks the “negligible impact” any deal would have on climate. “Even if we were to cut emissions by 50% below 1990-levels by 2050—an extremely unrealistic scenario—the difference in temperature would be less than 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit in 2050.” Our main focus should instead be on “adaptation and economic growth to improve resilience,” especially in developing countries which will get hit hardest by the impact of climate change.
Our obsession with cutting carbon emissions overlooks the “negligible impact” any deal would have on climate. “Even if we were to cut emissions by 50% below 1990-levels by 2050—an extremely unrealistic scenario—the difference in temperature would be less than 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit in 2050.” Our main focus should instead be on “adaptation and economic growth to improve resilience,” especially in developing countries which will get hit hardest by the impact of climate change.
Washington Post (November 18)
“The past month hasn’t been good for climate-change skeptics.” More evidence has been produced in support of climate change. While there is still much uncertainty about the specifics, “the debate should no longer be about whether the world is warming or whether there is reason to act. It must be about how to respond.”
Tags: Climate change, Global warming, Response
Wall Street Journal (October 21)
Long considered a climate change skeptic, Richard Muller received funding to disprove the research. Muller’s two-year project analyzed 1.6 billion measurements from 39,000 global temperature monitoring stations. “When we began our study, we felt that skeptics had raised legitimate issues.” Instead, Muller’s research confirmed previous research. He writes, “Global warming is real. Perhaps our results will help cool this portion of the climate debate.”
Tags: Climate change, Environment, Global warming, Muller
The Economist (September 24)
Arctic ice is disappearing faster than previously thought. The ice is now estimated to be just half as thick as it was 1979 “and there is probably less ice floating on the Arctic Ocean now than at any time since a particularly warm period 8,000 years ago, soon after the last ice age.” Models had predicted that summer ice would disappear by century end. Instead “at current rates of shrinkage… this looks likely to happen some time between 2020 and 2050.”
Arctic ice is disappearing faster than previously thought. The ice is now estimated to be just half as thick as it was 1979 “and there is probably less ice floating on the Arctic Ocean now than at any time since a particularly warm period 8,000 years ago, soon after the last ice age.” Models had predicted that summer ice would disappear by century end. Instead “at current rates of shrinkage… this looks likely to happen some time between 2020 and 2050.”
http://www.economist.com/node/21530079
Tags: Arctic, Global warming, Ice, Summer
Los Angeles Times (August 28)
“Politicians who dismiss the risk of climate change like to talk about the uncertainties of the science.” They’d spend less time talking and more time working to halt climate change if they took their cues from professionals who deal with risk. “The real economic costs of mispricing this risk have caught the attention of a good segment of the business community, from commodity traders to insurers. Reinsurers in particular (companies that insure the insurers against catastrophe) see risks on a global scale.”
Tags: Catastrophe, Climate change, Global warming, Politicians, Risk
BBC (August 20)
Global warming is directly impacting many species. “Animals and plants are shifting their natural home ranges towards the cooler poles three times faster than scientists previously thought.” The study of 2,000 species found that “on average organisms are shifting their home ranges at a rate of 17km per decade away from the equator.” In addition, it appears the quest for suitable temperatures is driving some species upward to higher elevations.
Tags: Climate change, Global warming, Species, Temperature
USA Today (August 10)
Much of the U.S. is experiencing another summer heat wave. It should be a reminder. “Too often, climate change is discussed as something to be worried about far off into the future… Both the latest global data and the USA’s sweltering summer suggest, however, that the future might be now.” The newspaper believes “a prudent society would begin moving aggressively to reduce carbon emissions and to develop cleaner energy sources.”
