Climate Change This Week: A Deluge of Droughts, Sinking Islands, and More!

Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded.




Daily Climate Change: Global Map of Unusual Temperatures, Mar 6, 2014

How unusual has the weather been? No one event is "caused" by climate change, but global warming, which is predicted to increase unusual, extreme weather, is having a daily effect on weather, worldwide. Looking above at recent temperature anomalies and the jetstream, the polar aneurism over the US has changed but persists, while the North Pole and surroundings (that big orange spot) is experiencing much warmer than normal temperatures - not good news for our Arctic thermal shield of ice. Hotter than usual temperatures continue to dominate human habitats. (Add 0.3-0.4 C to have these anomaly values calibrate with those of NASA.) Daily updates of can be seen here for both the temperature anomalies map, and the jetstream map. For real time animated US surface wind patterns, click here, and here, for the planet. (Clicking on "earth" there reveals data and map options.)

Holy Hotties! Number Of Extremely Hot Days Is Soaring says a new study, reports Joe Romm at Climate Progress. The peer-reviewed reputable study (described here) says there's been no warming "pause" -- instead of average air temperature, focus on the number of extremely hot days, which have the most impact on humans, killing crops and people. These extremely hot days have soared globally in the past 15 years, as climate change continues to accelerate. Check out this graphic @@ video from NASA showing how the big heat has spread globally since 1980. What better time to invest in solar?




Check it out here, right now!

Solar Industry Employs A Surprisingly High Percentage Of America's Veterans says a new report, notes Jeff Spross at Climate Progress. Vets form 9+% of solar job holders, but only 7+% of the US workforce. The solar industry is a growing opportunity for them: total employment in the solar industry by over 50% in the past 3 years, far outpacing growth in other industries. And vets need jobs: in the 18-24 category unemployment among vets is 16% vs. the national rate of 11 percent. Go solar, go vets!




"You're doing WHAT to my world?" Credit Rhett Butler at mongabay.com

Leading UK, USA Science Academies Issue Climate Change Primer, Blunt Warning notes Joe Romm at Climate Progress, perfect for open-minded people wanting to understand more. The US National Academy of Sciences and the UK Royal Society start out with a 20-issue Q&A, with short, easy to understand answers. The slowdown in rising surface temperatures is likely to be brief. The ultimate punch is: [man-made] "global warming poses a clear and present danger to civilization" and the natural world. They recommend urgent action. Ready to take action?

Good News: Legislation To Address Climate Change Surges Globally says a new study, reports the Press Association at the UK Guardian. Almost 500 relevant new laws over the past few years have been passed in 64 of 66 countries which account for 90% of global emissions, a study has found. Mexico and China were major contributors, followed by developing nations. May the force grow!




US Not Even in the Picture: This is one economic global race that the US is losing badly to other nations, who are already benefiting from climate change legislation.

Bad News: USA Falling Behind As Other Countries Benefit From Climate Legislation, reports Rebecca Lefton at Climate Progress. 60 of 66 nations have passed "flagship" legislation and in doing so have increased energy security, savings from efficiency and economic competitiveness. The US has passed no "flagship" legislation since ... 1963. Boy, does Congress has some catching up to do! Something to think about, next time you vote.




Nearly 400 Arrested at Whitehouse Keystone Pipeline Protest Last Sunday reports Annie-Rose Strasser at Climate Progress, after strapping themselves to the Whitehouse fence. A thousand or more turned up, say witnesses, amidst reports that Obama is months away from making a decision.




Fossil Fuel Follies: US Coal Mine Fires Keep Burning Months, Decades reports Andrew Breiner at Climate Progress, adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. One Pennsylvania fire has been burning since 1962. Another PA mine fire has been burning months and will require some of our taxpayer money to put it out. Yet another, started weeks ago, is creating so much pollution that authorities have told the elderly, children and pregnant women living nearby to evacuate to escape the ash and air pollution.



The Tesla roadster. Wikipedia.

Tesla to Build Giga Battery Factory, Create 6,000+ Jobs, and More reports Reid Wilson at the Washington Post. The factory will produce the scale of lithium batteries needed to produce more electric cars more cheaply. Several southwestern states are competing to get the factory. But that's just the beginning: the maker wants to produce batteries that will power homes and businesses, paving the way for far more renewable clean energy and smart energy use. Go, Big T!!



Many thousands of these creatures die on very hot Australian days now. Source: CSIRO
Sustainable Ecosystems, Australia.

Australia Killer climate: Giant Wildlife Die-off in One Day, as nearly 50,000 or more flying foxes died from extreme heat, many falling from the skies as they died, report Justin Welbergen, Carol Booth and John Martin at The Conversation. Such spectacular die-offs have been observed over the past decade for these important pollinators of trees and seed distributors. The die-offs provide provide a disturbing window into the future of Australia's wildlife in a warming climate.



Flying foxes will cool themselves by skimming over the surface of the water. Credit Nick Edards at Batwatch, Australia.

Upcoming IPCC: Climate Impacts 'Are Very Evident, They're Widespread' And 'We Are Not Prepared' reports Joe Romm at Climate Progress. The next installment of this report is due out in late March - stay tuned!




OO The Bacteriophage Power Generator could lead to cell phones that never need to be plugged in. Via inhabitat.com.

From Many Small Sources Is An Energy Windfall say scientists, reports Cheryl Katz at Yale 360. In a host of small waste sources, lies the potential of powering cell phones to solar panels. Examples? Computers feasting on their own exhaust heat. Super-efficient solar panels snaring lost thermal energy and recycling it into electricity. Cellphones charged with a user's footsteps. Possible because of new advances in materials and engineering that allow harvesting these tiny sources of waste energy.



@@ NASA: The Ocean - Driving Force for Weather and Climate - this is SO COOL!!! A wonderfully graphic globe shows how oceans help form weather and climate, using NASA data to power the graphics -DON'T MISS THIS!!

Global Warming Will Cause 180,000 More Rapes by 2100 says a new study, reports Jeremy Schulman at the Climate Desk. Global warming isn't just going to melt the Arctic and flood our cities--it's also going to make Americans more likely to kill each other, concludes a controversial new study . It uses historic crime and temperature data to show that hotter weather leads to more murders, more rapes, more robberies, more assaults, and more property crimes. And growing populations mean there will be many more people to shoot. Lucky for me, I won't be around for this brave new world.



Via tribalenergies.com.au

The Successful Vancouver Carbon Tax Is a Model for US reports Jeff Spross at Climate Progress. Its success lies in plowing the resulting revenues right back into the economy, via lower taxes and rebates. What's not to like? Someone tweet this over to Congress, pronto!

All Hail, Citizen Scientists!! An Opportunity Awaits You to help scientists link the UK winter deluge to climate change. More details here.





☼☼☼ On the Bright Side ☼☼☼
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(>(>(> PEOPLE SPEAK OUT <)<)<)

OO Climate Change "Very Evident," So Let's Deal With It, World Panel Says


OO IEA Chief: Only A Decade Left In US Shale Boom


OO Top UN Environment Official: Shale Gas Rush 'A Liability' In Efforts Slow Climate Change





OO Apple CEO: Climate Change Deniers Should Take Their Money Out Of Apple Stock


OO Citing 'Climate Crisis,' MA Gov. Candidate Berwick Calls For Carbon Tax


OO March For Climate Action To DC Begins Saturday In LA.




Source 350.org

OO Senators Call For Study On Keystone Health Effects after doctor cites cancer near tar sands.


OO Kerry: Protecting World's Oceans Is 'An Economic Imperative'


OO Republican Congressman to Oil and Gas Industry: 'No More Subsidies'




Via Times Higher Education UK

OO Los Angeles City Council Bans Fracking


OO Montana Senate Candidate Bucks The Trend, Declares 'Coal Is Dead'


OO North Carolinians Pressure Duke Energy To Clean Up Coal Ash Spill


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OO Chinese Man Becomes First To Sue Government Over Severe Smog


OO Climate Change One Of The Most Serious Threats We Face, Says David Cameron


OO Locals Demand Action As Extreme Weather Ravages Argentina's Cities




Australia continues to heat, whether the government acts or not. Credit Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

OO Australia : Govt Agency Says Govt Emissions Reduction Goal Too Small, Must Be Tripled


OO Western Australia's 'Mad' Summer Is Proof Of Climate Change, Expert Says



☼☼☼ BRIGHT IDEAS ☼☼☼

OO Millennials Use Finance To Challenge Universities' Fossil Fuel Addiction


OO Workers And Bosses Together Could Help Reduce Emissions: Report



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Just one of the spectacular reasons to support ecotourism.

OO Ecotourism Pays: Study Finds Lower Poverty Where It Is Prevalent


OO EU To Force Large Companies To Report On Environmental And Social Impacts


OO Got Green Energy? Small Retailers Provide Shop Space For Green Energy


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OO New Solar Financing Options Sprout for U.S. Homeowners


OO For Climate Resiliency, Switch Agriculture to Organic, says study.

OO Sulfur Polymers Could Enable Long-Lasting, High-Capacity Batteries




Source: winddaily.com

OO Offshore Wind Turbines Can Slow Down Hurricanes, New Study Finds


OO Hotels Save Energy With Push To Save Water


OO Hydrogen Fuel Cells Might Clean Up US Ports


UTILITIES: GO GREEN OR DIE



Source: Climate Progress

OO Big Utilities Shunned Green Energy At Their Peril: Greenpeace


OO Massive Losses Hit EnergyAustralia As Demand Falls, Solar Soars


OO Batteries Combined With Rooftop Solar May Speed Grid's 'Death Spiral'




For more news on green technology, click here.
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OO Report: Solar Paired With Storage Is a 'Real, Near and Present' Competition to Utilities


OO Elon Musk Says Renewable Energy Shift To Give Utilities Strife


☼☼☼ BRIGHT DEVELOPMENTS ☼☼☼



Credit Tom Baerwald, SOLAR PRAXIS

OO IEA Report: Wind and Solar Can Carry Bulk of Energy Transformation


OO Another New Solar Efficiency Record


OO Study: Wind Turbines Are Much More Durable Than Previously Thought





OO New Satellite to Improve Climate and Weather Forecasts


OO Pricey Hydrogen Cars To Challenge Electric



☼☼☼ BRIGHT SIDE, STATE SIDE ☼☼☼

OO New Poll: Red State Voters Support EPA Climate Change Plan


OO Bipartisan Energy Efficiency Bill Gains More Support -- Could Congress Pass It?


OO First US Offshore Wind Farm Could Be Running By 2016




Most of the new energy capacity in January 2014 was solar. Via Solar.calfinder.com

OO Renewable Energy: 100% Of New US Generating Capacity In January


OO DOE Steams Ahead With Third Appliance Standard In Obama's 'Year Of Action'


OO DOE's Clean Tech Success Stories Gained $625M in Private Sector Buy-In





A wind farm in Texas. Source: National Science Foundation.


OO New Power Lines To Make Texas World's 5th-Largest Wind Power Producer


OO Colorado Approves Limits On Air Pollution From Oil, Gas Drilling


OO NY Expects All Utilities To Prep For Climate Change




For more news on clean energy, click here.
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OO California Carbon Tax Proposal Will Shock Fuel Markets


OO Another $330 Million Spent On California Carbon Permits


OO Gov. Jerry Brown Wants Polluters' Fees To Help Fund High-Speed Rail



The most comprehensive newsfeed on climate change online.
For more news on our changing climate from all over the news media, click here.
http://www.dailyclimate.org/
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The most comprehensive newsfeed on climate change online.
For more news on our changing climate around the world, click here.
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OO Oregon Senate Passes Bill To Protect State Renewable Energy Mandates



☼☼☼ BRIGHT SIDE, WORLDWIDE ☼☼☼


OO Mexico Building Latin America's Largest Solar Farm To Replace Fossil Fuel Plant
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/02/25/3328651/mexico-large-solar-plant-paz/

OO Mexico Energy Overhaul Could Renew Interest In Green Power
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Mexico-energy-overhaul-could-renew-interest-in-5279558.php

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OO Australia's Renewables Driving Down Costs, While Reliable In Extreme Heat





OO China Climbs Past US and Europe in Cleantech Investment


OO Beijing Polluters To Face Unlimited Fines Under New Regulations


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OO Denmark To Push For 30% EU Renewables Target


OO EU Parliament Backs Tougher Car Emissions Limits




Source: Climate Parliament at climateparl.net

OO Coal Crunch Gives Impetus To India's Solar Switch


OO Pakistan: Govt To Implement Legislation On Climate Change


OO Russia Outlines Plans To Meet 2020 Climate Goals



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The flag flies, May 21, 2013.

At Moore, OK, the day after a huge tornado demolished it.
Credit Major Jon Quinlan/defenseimagery mil
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***** US Climate Change News *****
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OO 'Social Cost' Of Carbon Emissions Rising But Still Underestimated


OO Texas: Wildfire Threat Is A New Way of Life in Austin


OO Nowhere To Hide Be it blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes or mudslides, every place gets a taste of Mother Nature's wrath.




Pick yer poison: we've got it all in the US. Composite by Mary Ellen Harte

OO Monster Storm Sits Coiled on California Coast


OO New Mexico Now Faces 'Extreme' Wildfire Season


OO Wintry Weather Returns To U.S. Midwest, Northeast With A Vengeance





Island Scallops in Vancouver lost millions when acidified waters killed much of their stock recently, forcing them to layoff a third of their workers. Source: islandscallops.com

OO Canada: Acidic Waters Kill 10 Million Scallops Off Vancouver


OO Drought Fuels Rising Tide of Texas Water Conservation


. . . . CALIFORNIA DRYIN' . . . .

OO Drought's Latest Price Tag: CA Legislature Passes Nearly $700 Million Plan

OO Long Beach Declares Imminent Water Shortage, Restricts Use




California is a major source of almonds, now threatened by drought. Credit Sanjay Acharya at Wikimedia Commons.

OO CA Drought Causing Farmers to Uproot Almond Orchards


OO For CA Citrus Growers, 2 Disasters: Freeze, Then Drought


OO Drought Conditions Invigorate Efforts To Ban Fracking



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California's drought is threatening water sources used for brewing beer. Source: allthesamesong.com

OO California's Water Crisis Is Becoming A Beer Crisis


OO NASA To Use Space Images To Help Monitor California Drought



<><><><> FOSSIL FUEL FOLLIES <><><><>


OO Corporation Exploiting Loophole To Quickly Build 600-Mile Tar Sands Pipeline


OO Oil Boom Kills More Workers, But Government Takes No Action


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OO Obama To Act On Keystone In Next Couple Of Months


OO Keystone XL Might Make You Sick





OO Gas Drilling Boom Accelerates With Little Study of Public Health Effects


OO Natural Gas Is Dirtier Than We Thought


OO 'Air Drilling' for Harmful, Unnecessary Undersea Oil Would Harm Whales, Dolphins




A derailed oil train explodes at Casselton, ND. Credit AP photo/Bruce Crummy

OO Dangerous Crude Oil Is Fueling North Dakota's Energy Boom


OO US Agency Issues Emergency Order Addressing Danger Of Shipping Crude Oil By Rail


OO Oilspill Partly Shuts Down Mississippi, highlights risk of US oil boom


<><><><> GOPPING IT UP <><><><>



Even elephants can't survive on oil. Credit: Mary Ellen Harte

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@@ Watch Six GOP Colorado Senate Candidates Deny Climate Change Exists In 18 Seconds


OO GOP Misleads Public On New EPA Wood Stove Regulations


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OO Republicans No-Shows At Senate Meeting With Foreign Legislators On Climate Change


OO GOPpish ALEC Org Coordinates New Attacks on Renewables Mandates, Net Metering



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Via the University of East Anglia Climate Change webpage
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<<<< Climate Change Round the World >>>>
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OO World Begins 2014 With Unusual Number Of Extreme Weather Events see an interactive map here.

OO Scientists: Global Warming Likely To Surpass 2°C Target


OO UN Report Sees $1.45 Trillion Global Warming Cost


OO Flood Damage Cost To Rise Fivefold Across Europe, Study Says


OO Wettest Winter In England, Wales, For Almost 250 Yrs


OO Growth In Solar Reshaping World's Renewables Market


FORESTS DISAPPEARING

OO New Forest Map For Sarawak Reveals Large-Scale Deforestation


OO Sharp Jump In Deforestation When Amazon Parks Lose Protected Status


OO Procter & Gamble's Palm Oil Suppliers Linked To Deforestation




8 spectacular reasons to save our carbon-storing tropical forests, if carbon storage isn't enough for you. There are many more. Source: the Birds of Paradise Projecthttp://www.birdsofparadiseproject.org/ at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Check out this fantastic youtuber on these incredible birds!

OO Indonesia: Rather Than Let Orangutans Die, Sell Them To Protectors Accelerating deforestation and human conflicts resulted in the mid-estimate deaths of 50,000+ orangutans in just 20 years - if Indonesia lacks the will to protect them, why not sell the remaining endangered ones to protected reserves elsewhere?

OO Indonesian Province Declares Emergency Due To Deforestation Haze


OO Illegal Logging Surges in Mozambique


OO Palm Oil's Climate Impact Worse Than Thought Due To Methane Emissions


POLLUTION CHOKES CHINA

OO China's Twitter Is Censoring Posts That Criticize The Smog Problem


OO Beijing Expected To Endure Heavy, Choking Smog For Another Week


OO China's Toxic Air Pollution Resembles Nuclear Winter




Smog over the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. Credit Brian Jeffrey Beggerly via wikimedia commons.


OO China's Air Pollution Compared To A Smoker At 'Risk Of Lung Cancer'


OO Costs Of Natural Disasters In China Surge To $69 Billion


OO China Forestry Problem: China Plants Tree Farms As It Loses Forests


PACIFIC ISLANDS GOING, GOING ...

OO Indonesia Losing 1500 Islands To Rising Sea. About 1,500 islands in Indonesia are threatened by the rising sea levels and are considered at high or extreme risk. The islands will be under water by 2050, according to British risk analysis and mapping firm Maplecroft's latest Climate Change Vulnerability Index.

OO Marshall Islands' Capital Majuro Submerged By 'King Tides'




New Zealand protects the survival of kiwis on island sanctuaries, now threatened by rising seas. Credit

OO NZ Island Sanctuaries Could Be Swallowed By Sea-Level Rise - study. Pest-free islands that serve as strongholds for some of the world's rarest species could be submerged if sea levels rise as high as climate scientists predict.



OO Nauru President: 'Some Islands Won't Make It'





OO Climate Change Triple Threat to Corals: Warming, Acidification, and Rising Sea Level and the unusually fast rate of change will make it difficult for coral reefs to survive, even though one coral reef shows that it can adapt to acidity over the millennia.


OO Plastic Waste Ingested By Worms Threatens Marine Food Chains



DROUGHTS ON ALL INHABITED CONTINENTS

OO Fears Over Pace Of Climate Change As Singapore, Malaysia Battle Drought


OO Malaysia: Drought Forces Water Rationing On Millions Of Malaysians


OO SE Asia: Drought Threatens Food Price Rises, Slow Economic Growth, Disrupt Water Supplies

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OO Sri Lanka: Drought Leading to Big Crisis


OO Australia Drought: Nothing Can Fix A Land Turned Permanently To Dust


OO Australia Offers Aid To Farmers As Drought Bites Into Beef Trade



Cattle are often victims when drought strikes. Wikimedia Commons.

OO Australia Drought Latest Pricetage:$320m Drought-Relief Package



OO Weather Costs The Western Cape $600+ Million In Past Decade due to damage from extreme weather driven by global climate change.


OO Ethiopia Plans To Tap Groundwater As Climate Defence

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OO Is Brazil's Epic Drought A Taste Of The Future?


OO Ocean Acidifying 10 X Faster Than Past 55 Million Yrs, Threatening Polar Ecosystems


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Ten Global Warming Indicators. Credit NOAA

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(((((((( Seeking the Science ))))))))
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OO Global Air Warming Slowdown 'Does Not Invalidate Climate Change'


OO Geoengineering Side Effects Could Be Potentially Disastrous, Research Shows


OO 10 Climate Questions: What You Need To Know


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OO Bronze Age 'Megacities' May Have Disappeared From Climate Changing 200 Yr Long Drought - showing how climate change can wreck a civilization.



OO Climate Change 'Raises Extinction Risk'





OO Is Weird Winter Weather Related to Climate Change? probably, through the jetstream, and it will get worse as the world warms further.

OO Livestock Diet 'Can Cut GHG Emissions'


OO As Glaciers Retreat In North India, Rivers Shrink And Floods Grow




The Quelccaya glacier is melting at an accelerating rate that is tied to warming temperatures. Wikipedia.

OO Study Links Temperature To A Peruvian Glacier's Growth And Retreat


OO Climate Change To Add To Winter Extremes, Limiting Warming Benefit


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@@@ Climate Change in the Media @@@
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@@ LIVING ON EARTH @@ PRI's Environmental News Magazine, covers climate change and other fascinating topics as well. Check it out!


@@ Powering The Planet - Earth: The Operators' Manual This uplifting, informative and compelling program presents 8 fast-paced case studies and stories about nations and communities transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable or low-carbon sources of energy. It covers all the important bases: what we stand to lose with business as usual, but what we stand to gain by switching! The "Can We Do It?" section reminds us that we can, pointing out how we overcame an equally great challenge - sanitation - with indoor plumbing and sewer systems. One of 3 parts. Plan a party or just download it and watch it yourself, then spread the word!

@@ Weather Nation Meteorologist Paul Douglas Explains How Climate Matters - A meteorologist who's watched weather for decades, he is able to show the connection between the weather and climate change. Check out his video series now!

@@ This Is NOT Cool Climate Change youtube series by Peter Sinclair can be found at his Climate Denial Crock of the Week playlist here. Hard-hitting shorts with great graphic imagery send the points home.

!!!! Want to Save Energy & Help the Planet? Check out these helpful EPA Climate Change youtubers here! !!!!

@@ At Last, a Green Radio Show to counter the Lush Bimbaugh wasteland. Check out On the Green Front with Betsy Rosenberg at Progressive Radio Network to keep updated on climate change, and other green topics.

@@ Video: America's Dangerous Pipelines - the title says it all; compelling ....
To help you understand just what science does and does NOT do, check this out!

Every day is Earth Day, folks, as I was reminded by these puya blossoms I photographed last fall. Making the U.S. a global clean energy leader will ensure a heck of a lot more jobs, and a clean, safe future. If you'd like to join the increasing numbers of people who want to TELL Congress that they will vote for clean energy candidates you can do so here. It's our way of letting Congress know there's a strong clean energy voting bloc out there. For more detailed summaries of the above and other climate change items, audio podcasts and texts are freely available.