State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Climate News Roundup: Week of 2/13

Leak Offers Glimpse of Campaign Against Climate Science, New York Times, Feb. 15

Internal documents from the Heartland Institute, a libertarian non-profit institute based in Chicago, have been leaked, including those which detail plans to promote K-12 curriculum that question the body of scientific evidence for human-induced climate change. Among their assertions are that CO2 is not a pollutant and that climate models are unreliable.

New Global Deal on Climate Change, Politico, Feb. 16

The U.S. has formed a partnership with Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico and Sweden aimed at reducing emissions from methane, black carbon, and chlorofluorocarbons. These greenhouse gases, while less significant than CO2, represent important opportunities for climate change mitigation because of their short atmospheric life span, so the benefits of reduction will be felt immediately. In addition, reducing these gases, especially black carbon, has other co-benefits including improved public health.

What’s Next for Renewable Energy in the Mediterranean?, Forbes, Feb. 16

The global recession has hit the emerging renewable energy sectors of Southern European and North African countries hard. Combined with political instability, the investment landscape in these once promising countries is looking grim.

Climate Change Increases Risk of Storm Surge, According to MIT Study, Boston.com, Feb. 14

A new study released by MIT has found that the effects of climate change could markedly increase storm surge and damages from hurricanes to New York City. What are currently 100-year events (events which have only a 1% chance of occurring in any year) could have a 5 to 33% chance of occurring as oceans warm and rise.

Science for the Planet: In these short video explainers, discover how scientists and scholars across the Columbia Climate School are working to understand the effects of climate change and help solve the crisis.
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