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Tag Archives: climate change
Climate Rapid Response Team
Scientists have never been particularly good at communicating with the media— historically it’s not really been their job. Scientists are trained not to shape public opinion but to examine the natural world. But that may have to change the longer climate science remains in the crosshairs of the fact-free conservative punditocracy. Enter the Climate Rapid Response Team, a group of 40 climate scientists who will spend their spare time fielding questions from the media about global warming. Polls show that the number of Americans who believe in global warming has decreased sharply in the past 5 years, no doubt a result of the onslaught of anti-science garbage being peddled by people like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. But as Science … More >>
Rising Waters: How Could NYC Cope With Higher Sea Levels?
I stumbled upon a stunning and inspiring exhibit at MOMA this weekend. For all of us concerned about climate change, the next 100 years for New York City–and particularly the borough of Manhattan–can be a frightening future to think about. Last February, the Panel on Climate Change found that rising sea levels would quickly submerge vast swaths of the city. So someone decided to do something about it: “Rising Waters” was initiated by the Latrobe Team, a multi-disciplinary Princeton University affiliated group led by Professor Guy Nordenson, a structural engineer. Each of the five teams was given a geographical area to focus on. The project is meant to create real adaptive solutions for New York city and New Jersey. The … More >>
Tagged climate change, moma, ps1, rising currents
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The Economics of Climate Change
Paul Krugman has a very good story in this weekend’s New York Times Sunday Magazine about the economics of climate change. He explains terms like externality and cap-and-trade, but also does a detail analysis of the cost of action, the cost of inaction, a little foreign affairs, etc. I would suggest reading the article, which is quite clear — I learned a lot and I bet you will too. Kurgman describes a Pigovian tax: … economic activities that impose unrequited costs on other people should not always be banned, but they should be discouraged. And the right way to curb an activity, in most cases, is to put a price on it. So Pigou proposed that people who generate negative … More >>
Copenhagen Diary: “Martial Law Is The Only Answer”
When I picked up my newspaper this morning, I was met by a startling front page headline: “Permanent political martial law is the only viable answer to the climate catastrophe”. The headline belonged to the Danish newspaper Information which today released a mock issue from the year 2059. Combining humor and horror, the issue was written as if the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP15) had been a failure 50 years earlier. The Problem with Democracy The funny (or tragic) thing is that the headline is not all that farfetched. If you remove the word ‘permanent’, it runs close to Thomas Friedman’s dream of being “China for a day”. The idea is that at least totalitarian politicians can get painful legislation … More >>
Tagged climate change, congress, democracy, obama
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(No More) Polar Bear Swim At 17,000 Feet
Brrrrr: Lewis Pugh, the epic cold-water swimmer and climate-change activist, has announced his next swim: a kilometer-long lap across a glacial lake at the top of Everest, in a pond of meltwater 17,000 feet up. He told me the swim will highlight climate-change issues in two massive countries bordering Everest, China and India. The lake he’ll swim in, atop Khumbu Glacier, “shouldn’t even be there.” Meanwhile state-side, a (surprisingly) strong climate bill is starting to wend its way through the Senate. The bill is stronger than the House bill, calling or a 20% reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 2020 and an 83% reduction by 2050. It’s especially important that the Senate take action now (instead of waiting until … More >>
Tagged climate change
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