For a few years now the world has been aware of the poisoning of our oceans with plastic. The image of spiral-shaped debris island in Pacific off the Californian coast, called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is a haunting one as is the image of decomposing dead birds whose bodies have become plastic dumpsters.

Recent research carried out by the Australian (more…)

Mitt Romney continues to shock the environmental community with his extremely clear and forceful contempt for the ecological issues facing us all. His language couldn’t have been any more distinct in his interview on “Meet the Press” yesterday, during which he told NBC’s David Gregory, “I’m not in this race to slow the rise of the oceans or to heal the planet. I’m in this race to (more…)

Mountain forests scorched by wildfires in the southwestern U.S. in recent years have failed to regenerate as forest ecosystems because of rising temperatures, decreased precipitation, and human intervention, according to a U.S. researcher.

Speaking at an environmental conference this week in (more…)

An increase in glacial meltwater atop the Matterhorn is causing large pieces of rock to tumble from the iconic Alpine mountain, a new study has found.

Using a series of monitoring devices on 17 areas, researchers from the University of Zurich found that an increasing amount of water has penetrated (more…)

A bipartisan panel of scientists, former government officials, and energy experts is urging the U.S. government to explore the potential benefits, costs, and risks of geoengineering schemes to slow global warming. (more…)

Although the burning of natural gas emits far less carbon dioxide than coal, a new study concludes that a greater reliance on natural gas would fail to significantly slow down climate change. The study by Tom Wigley, who is a senior research associate at the National Center (more…)

A British company has developed a new computer game that allows players to save the planet from the effects of global warming — at least in a simulated setting.

“Fate of the World,” produced by the gaming company Red Redemption, places players at the head of a global (more…)

As global warming intensifies, demands for human manipulation of the climate system are likely to grow. But carrying out geoengineering plans could prove daunting, as conflicts erupt over the unintended regional consequences of climate intervention and over who is entitled to deploy climate-altering technologies.

Last month, J. Craig Venter announced that his team had successfully developed the first self-replicating cell to be controlled entirely by synthetic DNA. Not artificial life exactly, but certainly something different: a synthetic cell in which humans had intervened deliberately with the express purpose of changing the genetic structure and characteristics of a natural organism. (more…)

Jonathan Hiskes recent Grist post is an excellent exploration of a schism in the environmental community over the long awaited American Power Act i.e. the Kerry/Lieberman and one time Graham bill. Earlier in May, I took a day off from my day job, put on my private citizen hat and joined the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in Washington, DC for a day of lobbying in support of the bill. (more…)

Faced with a faltering economy, fatigue over the health care fight, and the prospect of congressional elections this November, proponents of a carbon cap-and-trade bill in the U.S. Senate face high hurdles when Congress returns from its winter recess next week.

The Obama administration and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the lead author on the climate bill, insist that they are proceeding with plans to pass climate and energy legislation this year.

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