Mt. Everest Glaciers are Rapidly Melting, and Humans are Probably to Blame

Image via Shutterstock The glaciers atop Mt. Everest are melting at an unprecedented rate and anthropogenic global warming is likely to blame. The news comes on the heels of reports that CO2 levels have reached their highest in human history , surpassing the 400 parts per million mark, and climate change is shifting the location of the North and South Poles . Researchers from the University of Milan say that ice coverage on top of Earth’s highest mountain has shrunk by 13 percent in the last five decades. Read the rest of Mt. Everest Glaciers are Rapidly Melting, and Humans are Probably to Blame Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: anthropogenically-induced climate change , Climate Change , Environment , global warming , melting glaciers , News , University of Milan , world’s highest mountain        

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Mt. Everest Glaciers are Rapidly Melting, and Humans are Probably to Blame

UN Report Says Disasters Have Cost $2.5 Trillion Since 2000

A new United Nations report makes the startling assertion that disasters have resulted in $2.5 trillion in damage within the last 13 years alone. Those losses fall principally on the private sector, warned UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said at a New York City launch event for the report : “Governments bear the responsibility for disaster risk reduction. But the level of risk is also related to the where and the how of investment by the private sector, which is responsible for 70 to 85 percent of worldwide investment in new buildings, industry and critical infrastructure.” Read the rest of UN Report Says Disasters Have Cost $2.5 Trillion Since 2000 Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: ban ki-moon , Climate Change , disaster risk reduction , extreme weather , GAR , global warming , UN , UNISDR , United Nations        

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UN Report Says Disasters Have Cost $2.5 Trillion Since 2000

Study Finds Conservatives Less Likely to Buy Light Bulbs Labeled as Good for the Environment

New research suggests that fewer people with right wing views will purchase light bulbs that are labeled as “pro-environment” due to the politicized nature of the carbon debate in the United States. Published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dena Gromet of Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania found that consumers’ purchasing decisions are divided along party lines. Read the rest of Study Finds Conservatives Less Likely to Buy Light Bulbs Labeled as Good for the Environment Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: carbon emissions , cfl bulb , Climate Change , conservative , consumer , dena gromet , Environmentally Friendly , green , incandescent , jacquelyn ottman , liberal , light bulb , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , protect the planet , the new rules of green marketing , wharton school of the university of pennsylvania        

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Study Finds Conservatives Less Likely to Buy Light Bulbs Labeled as Good for the Environment

Climate Change and Melting Ice are Shifting the Polar Poles

Every year since 2005, the North Pole has shifted several centimeters, and researchers have now attributed those rapid changes to climate change . While the location of the geographical poles are always in seasonal flux, researchers from the University of Texas at Austin used data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to establish whether the melting Greenland Ice sheet and other ice losses are responsible for the accelerated yearly polar drift. Read the rest of Climate Change and Melting Ice are Shifting the Polar Poles Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Climate Change , Environment , global warming , melting greenland ice sheet , melting polar caps , Nature , News , Shifting polar poles , university of texas        

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Climate Change and Melting Ice are Shifting the Polar Poles

Wall Street Journal Prints Laughable Op-Ed Claiming CO2 Emissions Are Good for the Planet

Photo via Shutterstock According to a recent op-ed on the Wall Street Journal , rising CO2 levels are the best thing to happen to the planet since the Big Bang. The column was written by Harrison Schmidt, a former astronaut and adjunct professor of engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and William Happer, a professor of physics at Princeton University. In it, they claim that increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere will result in increased agricultural productivity. But mainstream science of course says this is a bunch of hooey. Read the rest of Wall Street Journal Prints Laughable Op-Ed Claiming CO2 Emissions Are Good for the Planet Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: carbon dioxide good for plants argument , columbia journalism review , global warming , harrison schmidt , in defense of carbon dioxide , intergovernmental panel of climate change , mariana ashley , more co2 is good for the planet , phil plait , rapid rate of increase in co2 levels , ryan chittum , skeptical science , slate magazine , wall street journal , william happer        

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Wall Street Journal Prints Laughable Op-Ed Claiming CO2 Emissions Are Good for the Planet

New VisionAIR Vertical Axis Wind Turbine to Debut at Beijing International Garden Expo

Alternative energy company Urban Green Energy (UGE) has announced the launch of its new vertical axis wind turbine , the VisionAIR . The turbine was the result of over a year of dedicated testing at UGE’s research and development facility and according to the company, and it could be used in distributed energy applications, which are typically located near the point of energy consumption. The VisionAIR will debut at the  Beijing International Garden Expo  next week. Read the rest of New VisionAIR Vertical Axis Wind Turbine to Debut at Beijing International Garden Expo Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “wind power” , “wind turbine” , Seamless Grid , UGE , urban green energy , vertical axis wind turbine , VisionAir , wind energy        

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New VisionAIR Vertical Axis Wind Turbine to Debut at Beijing International Garden Expo

Hiroshima’s Optical Glass House Hides a Secret Garden Behind its Glazed Façade

Read the rest of Hiroshima’s Optical Glass House Hides a Secret Garden Behind its Glazed Façade Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “energy efficiency” , Architecture , Botanical , Daylighting , glass , glass bricks , glazed facade , Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Co. Ltd , Hiroshima , Japan , Optical Glass House        

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Hiroshima’s Optical Glass House Hides a Secret Garden Behind its Glazed Façade

Can Technology Save the World?

Can technology save the world? In short: No, not by itself. A sweeping set of changes in the way we interact with the planet is needed to stabilize our rapidly deteriorating biosphere and avert a bleak future. Technology is simply a tool to help us achieve these changes. A dangerous argument, however, is when decision-makers and influencers say our impact on the planet is not a concern, and changes in our behavior are not needed in the near future, or ever, because technology will save us. Sounds ridiculous, but various forms of this argument are commonly invoked in government and international forums, particularly when profits and votes come into play. Read the rest of Can Technology Save the World? Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: can tech save the world , drones , eco-innovations , environmental damage , genetic engineering , global issues , life saving inventions , recycling , tech solutions for a changing world , technology and climate change , technology and global warming , water issues        

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Can Technology Save the World?

UN Scientists Estimate Sea Levels Could Rise 27 Inches This Century

Photo via  Shutterstock We all know that sea levels across the world are steadily rising due to climate change , but just how these changes will affect us remains to be seen. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just released a report that states melting ice could cause water levels to rise nearly 27 inches around the world by 2100. Read the rest of UN Scientists Estimate Sea Levels Could Rise 27 Inches This Century Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Climate Change , eco design , global warming , green design , Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , melting glaciers , rising sea levels , sustainable design        

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UN Scientists Estimate Sea Levels Could Rise 27 Inches This Century

SunWater Gives Farmers an Affordable Way to Pump Water Using Solar Power

Many people around the world rely on cash crops to create extra income for their families. During the dry season, shallow wells and drought are challenges that reduce crop yield – and extra income. In order to produce a bountiful harvest during this season, farmers rely on pump irrigation to keep the water flowing. The only problem is that pumps can be costly to buy and to maintain – so the folks at International Development Enterprises (iDE) developed SunWater , an affordable water pump system that uses the power of the sun. Read the rest of SunWater Gives Farmers an Affordable Way to Pump Water Using Solar Power Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: green energy ideas , green power , Indiegogo projects , International Development Enterprises , irrigation for poor areas , irrigation for poor farmers , solar power applications , solar power technology , solar water pump , SunWater , third world irrigation , water pump for irrigation        

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SunWater Gives Farmers an Affordable Way to Pump Water Using Solar Power

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