“Both the US National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science use the word “consensus” when describing the state of climate science.
And yet a social consensus on climate change does not exist. Surveys show that the American public’s belief in the science of climate change has mostly declined over the past five years, with large percentages of the population remaining skeptical of the science. Belief declined from 71 percent to 57 percent between April 2008 and October 2009, according to an October 2009 Pew Research Center poll; more recently, belief rose to 62 percent, according to a February 2012 report by the National Survey of American Public Opinion on Climate Change. Such a significant number of dissenters tells us that we do not have a set of socially accepted beliefs on climate change—beliefs that emerge, not from individual preferences, but from societal norms; beliefs that represent those on the political left, right, and center as well as those whose cultural identifications are urban, rural, religious, agnostic, young, old, ethnic, or racial.
Why is this so”
“Climate Science as a Culture War” - a fantastic survey of the American-centric cultural distinctions surrounding climate change. Via Standford Social Innovation Review
Check out this graphic we designed of Renewable Energy Targets from around the world. With the government currently reviewing this policy, we need to aim higher!
U.S. carbon emissions reach lowest level since 1992 - report
As of the first quarter of 2012, the carbon emissions of the United States dropped to its lowest since 1992, according to a recent report released by its Energy Information Administration.Overall emissions from the country’s energy consumption were at 1.34 million metric tons this period, marking decline by nearly 8 percent from the same period last year.
NPR scores interview with Richard Muller, a major climate skeptic who changed his mind after he conducted his own research →
NPR scored an interview with Richard Muller. Muller, a professor and researcher at UCal-Berkeley, was one of the best known climate deniers in the West. He wrote an op-ed that got some play last week in the NY Times, describing how he came to switch from skeptic to convert. That piece is here, and makes for a decent read, though what he says is not surprising since the headline gives up the nut. But, this NPR interview adds context and NPR’s science writer Ira Flatow does a bang-up job. Read of listen to the interview, here.
“Call me a converted skeptic,” physicist Richard Muller wrote in an Op-Ed in the New York Times this week, describing his analysis of data from the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project. Though Muller was once a notable skeptic regarding studies connecting human activity to climate change, he has now concluded that “humans are almost entirely the cause” of global warming.
Via NPR
Update: Muller was also on Rachel Maddow (takes 2.5 seconds to load).
We Can Reforest the Earth (via Permaculture Research Institute of Australia) →
by Lester R. Brown , Earth Policy Institute
Protecting the 10 billion acres ofremaining forests on earth and replanting many of those already lost are both essential for restoring the earth’s health. Since 2000, the earth’s forest cover has shrunk by 13 million acres each year, with annual losses of 32 million acres far exceeding the regrowth of 19 million acres. Restoring the earth’s tree and grass cover protects soil from erosion, reduces flooding, and sequesters carbon.
Global deforestation is concentrated in the developing world. Tropical deforestation in Asia is driven primarily by the fast-growing demand for timber and increasingly by the expansion of oil palm plantations for fuel. In Latin America, the fast-growing markets for soybeans and beef are together squeezing the Amazon. In Africa, the culprit is mostly fuelwood gathering and land clearing for agriculture…
How India’s epic blackout could launch a solar revolution
As India emerges from the darkness of the largest blackout the world’s ever seen, it should look for a more stable energy future not in a larger grid but in decentralized solar power.
Does cassava hold the secret to climate change adaptation? via Toronto Star →
Published on Saturday August 04, 2012
Lorianna De Giorgio
Toronto Star
Cassava, a starchy root, has fed some of the poorest nations for centuries.
Hundreds of millions of people in Africa depend on it, as do hundreds of millions more in Asia and Latin America. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, cassava accounts for a third of Africans’ total caloric intake.
It may soon become even more important: New research suggests it is ideally suited to withstand drought and climate change…
Plastic Bag Use Cut by 50%+ Two Years Ahead of Schedule in Québec →
NFL linebacker speaks to Congress about livestock and antibiotics
Will Witherspoon, who raises grass-fed cattle on a farm in Missouri, was recently named one of the 10 sexiest environmentalists by Rodale.
Many businesses are not yet ready for a “green” future - research
Puma, Nike, Nestlé, Unilever, Natura and Ricoh – these 6 companies have taken major steps towards sustainable growth, according to a research by consulting firm Deloitte.
Together with green consultancy Volans, Deloitte looked at how major companies deliver efforts to address climate change.
John Elkington, Volas founder, coined the term “zeronaut” to describe people or groups of people who manage to promote wealth creation while having no or zero impacts towards the environment. With this concept, Deloitte came up with the Zero Impact Growth Monitor 2012 that studied the sustainable efforts of 65 leading companies across 10 industries.
