Current research has shown that climate models are overestimating the effects of clouds on the cooling of the earth. If this research checks out, this will put a lot more pressure on politicians and regulators because warming will occur even faster. The article discusses how the clouds affect warming is based off of the mixture of water and ice in clouds. Data from a satellite shows that clouds have more water than ice and this causes a faster rate of warming. The reason this causes more warming is because as less and less ice is in clouds, there will be less capacity for the water to form. Water reflects sunlight back into the atmosphere causing warming to be slowed, so having less water in the clouds makes the earth warm faster. Recent studies that prompted this research have shown that climate models are incorrectly assessing the ratio of water to ice in clouds. The new research suggests that this incorrect cloud assessment could lead to an additional 1.3 degrees celsius of warming. Some climate change professionals say that the 1.3 degree change has to be taken with a grain of salt because no one knows the exact affect. It should be interesting to see what further research says and what noticeable changes happen in the next few decades.

Schwartz, John. “Climate Models May Overstate Clouds’ Cooling Power, Research Says.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/08/science/climate-models-may-overstate-clouds-cooling-power-research-says.html?_r=0>.

Scientists are predicting that Antarctica’s western ice sheet may be actually melting faster than previously expected. Scientists have developed physics-based simulations that can forecast melting of ice in different areas. The focus of the simulations in the article were targeting the area of Western Antarctica. The simulation states that in the worst scenario possible, the sea level in that area could raise 18-34 inches by 2100. This amount is higher than predicted a few years ago. The article states that if the world is able to control greenhouse gas emissions to levels they pledged in the past, then the sea level rise will still be 3-12 inches higher than previously predicted. These predictions bring a new alarming fact that needs more and more attention to control the future sea levels. The simulations are also predicted by the year 2500, the sea level could be a total of 42 feet higher. This is a huge problem because that big of a sea level rise will likely flood the entire world. Antarctica is a rather difficult area for scientists to predict because the ice is a lot thicker and melts at a slower rates than other ice areas. It will be interesting to see what the future holds with ice melting and the way it affects sea level rises.

Article:

“Study: Antarctic Ice May Melt Faster Than Expected.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/03/30/science/ap-us-sci-antarctica-melt.html>.

The article highlights the current problem with the death of many pollinating animals/insects. There are about 20,000 species of wild bees that help the growth of fruits and vegetables, and if they start to go extinct or die off the amount of food supply is going to decrease. The total of all plants that depend on pollination from these animals make up 35 percent of the total crops and carry a value of about 577 billion dollars per year. The other problem with this is that the agricultural system is going to fail and millions of people worldwide will be without a job. Scientists believe that climate change is playing a huge roll in the danger towards bees in North America and Europe. The warming that is happening changes the territories of plants and also changes the blooming season for plants that provide fruits and vegetables to the world. Dr Watson, from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, asked the question “Will the pollinators be there when the flowers need them?”

Scientists also predict that pesticides and and the emergence of genetically modified foods are adding to the problems. This problem can continue to increase in severity if the climate change and global pollution continue to increase throughout the next few decades. It will be necessary for scientists to figure out a way to help the bees and other pollinators survive the changing conditions. The pollinators will be crucial to sustaining a food supply for the growing population that we learned about in module nine.

Article:

Schwartz, John. “Decline of Pollinators Poses Threat to World Food Supply, Report Says.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/27/science/decline-of-species-that-pollinate-poses-a-threat-to-global-food-supply-report-warns.html?_r=0>.

As we learned in class, El Nino years are usually good for the areas of the Southwest United States that are used to heavy droughts. The current El Nino season has produced more rainfall than most typical years but is not living up to the expectations of the California people. The people were hoping for big rain storms that would allow for them to get far away from the drought-like conditions that they were used to. Californian’s are started to take their attention to saving up the storm water to use it when water becomes scarce. This method would allow them to fully take advantage of the El Nino rain that they experience and they could save it for years where water was extremely scarce. According to a NY Times article, scientists believe that a storm water collection system could collect 200 billion gallons of water which is enough to supply 1.4 million households for an entire year.

A water system like the one scientists are proposing would most likely cost around one billion dollars to implement. The State Water Resources Control Board has authorized spending 200 million dollars on the cause but this is likely not enough so the areas are not sure where they are going to get the extra money. The area of Los Angeles is a key area for projects to collect rainwater because they import 85% of their water. The importation of water can become costly and difficult when large areas of the Southwest are experiencing droughts of their own. It will be interesting to see how cities like Los Angeles start utilizing storm water because essentially they are missing out on clean water that could be used in the future.

Article:

Nagourney, Adam. “Storm Water, Long a Nuisance, May Be a Parched California’s Salvation.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/us/storm-water-long-a-nuisance-may-be-a-parched-californias-salvation.html>.

With increased global temperatures, the coral reefs around the world are started to die off and it is creating an interesting dilemma for ocean ecosystems. Ocean life is thriving in some unlikely places and this article shows how offshore oil rigs are starting to become homes for reefs and wildlife. The article highlights how ocean life is thriving at the Eureka oil rig off the coast of Long Beach, California. Scientists say this is one of the healthiest marine ecosystems in the world and people are hoping more rigs can be turned into reefs to promote healthy life. One of the reasons the Eureka oil rig is promoting healthy life is because of the cold water current that comes down from British Columbia and creates a perfect environment for wildlife to grow. Scientists also say that wildlife is growing better here than in estuaries.

More than 400 oil rigs have been converted to reefs since the year 1985. California has passed a law to encourage more rigs being turned into these reefs. More bills have been passed to encourage more reefs to be placed around the rigs. This is becoming a big issue because environmentalists don’t like to support oil companies after multiple huge spills that damaged the ocean life. It will be interesting to see how the reefs around oil rigs start popping up and to see if more are as successful as the Eureka rig.

References:

Olsen, Erik. “Marine Life Thrives in Unlikely Place: Offshore Oil Rigs.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/science/marine-life-thrives-in-unlikely-place-offshore-oil-rigs.html?_r=0>.

The sea level rising has begun to take a big toll on the economies of cities from New York, NY and Shanghai, China. Scientists are now saying that economic damages are going to increase at a faster rate as warming continues to increase. It could be a huge problem for big cities that are close enough to waterways that can be affected by sea level rising. A lot of these major cities play a large role in the global economy. Scientists are predicting that major floods whipped up by storms will cause trouble for cities and is forcing cities to add to their budget to cover for damages to trains and buildings. A member of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Juergen Kropp, said, “the damage from sea level rise rises faster than sea level rise itself.” The article highlighted the Danish capital of Copenhagen, and said that a sea level rise of four inches would increase economic damage by $1.1 billion if no action is taken. If the four inches were to double by the year 2050 then it would cost four times as much making the damages around $4.4 billion. The eight inch rise in sea level is the worst possible outlook determined by the UN. A study in 2014 determined that by the year 2100 sea level could rise by one meter (worst-case scenario) and cost anywhere from .3%-9% of total GDP in damages.

Scientists write articles like this to make sure people are aware of the possible changes and are aware of the damages caused by global warming and rising sea levels. Jochen Hinkel of the Global Climate Forum in Berlin said, “People have adapted to sea-level rise in the past and will do so in the future.” This quote concludes that people will be able to adapt and limit economic damages in the future but it is very important preventative action is taken.

Article:

“As Sea Levels Rise, Economic Damage Piles Up Even Faster: Study.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 28 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/02/28/world/europe/28reuters-climatechange-sealevel.html>.

Environmental groups are becoming concerned with continuing coal production in western states and decided to file a lawsuit against the government. The group’s fear is that the coal burning is going to heavily impact climate change over the upcoming years. The federal government has decided to try and settle the lawsuit rather than fighting it in court. According to the NY Times article, “APNewsBreak: Feds Seeking Settlement in Coal Mining Lawsuits,” the projects that the environmental group are targeting involve more than 600 million tons of coal in western states. The specific plant that the environmental group is targeting is the Arch Coal, Inc.’s Black Thunder Mine in Wyoming. The mine is one of the largest coal mines in the world. This issue relates to the climate change because coal mining and emission negatively affects climate change.

After doing further research, Wyoming is the leading state for production in the United States, so it makes sense that it is the focus of a large lawsuit. According to U.S. Energy Information Association, Wyoming has 39% of the total coal production in the United States. That is a leading factor that a group has a large lawsuit out against a company in the state that is leading the U.S. in coal production. This article is a big issue because coal is a big issue with climate change, so it will be interesting to see how different environmental groups treat the issue of coal emissions. It will also be interesting to see how the federal government reacts to this issue.

References:

“APNewsBreak: Feds Seeking Settlement in Coal Mining Lawsuits.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 07 Feb. 2016.

“U.S. Energy Information Administration – EIA – Independent Statistics and Analysis.” Which States Produce the Most Coal? Web. 07 Feb. 2016.

As the United States’ population continues to grow, the demand for cheap and efficient energy continues to rise accordingly. A very controversial issue that has come up is the mining of fossil fuels in the the rich wildlife areas in Wyoming. According to the article published by The New York Times, “Wyoming Adopts Wildlife Migration Conservation Guidelines,” Wyoming passed guidelines to stop fossil fuel mining in migration areas for elk, antelope, and mule deer. Biologists have been able to get the exact routes traveled by attaching tracking devices to the animals. This is a non-violent way to figure out where the guidelines should restrict energy companies from exploiting. The article states that the main goal was not to totally shut down fossil fuel mining in Wyoming, but more to allow for wildlife and energy consumption to go hand and hand. Some of the ideas that were presented were to use specially designed fences that would allow wildlife to crawl under instead of barb-wired fences that are commonly used.

Wyoming is the least populated state in the U.S. and I did more research to determine why this is an issue for the state. According to the University of Wyoming, Wyoming is a center for U.S. energy production and remains towards the top of states to produce the most fossil fuels. Being that the state is scarcely populated, Wyoming is also a leader in wildlife habitats so this is what caused the problem to come about. The guidelines that are proposed by the state have allowed for the wildlife commission and energy companies to remain happy with the position and provide a positive future for energy development. States like Alaska have also had issues with this topic and Wyoming has done a good job of working out this controversial issue. It will be interesting to see how different states deal with the ongoing problems of energy development and wildlife management.

References:

“Wyoming Adopts Wildlife Migration Conservation Guidelines.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

“Fossil Fuels Concentration | School of Energy Resources | University of Wyoming.” Fossil Fuels Concentration | School of Energy Resources | University of Wyoming. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

The SEC is facing a large issue with regards to energy companies disclosing environmental risks that may alter the success of their company. According to the article published by The New York Times, the SEC is going to evaluate the disclosure policies for energy companies that are traded. The article states that Peabody Energy, the largest private sector coal company, has seen over a 900 dollar decrease in stock price from 2011 where the price was $1000 to around $4. Critics say that Peabody saw the change from coal to natural gas because of the affects coal has on climate change and the concerns that coal burning can cause harmful side effects. Peabody argued back that there was no way to determine the severity of the climate change and how coal emissions would affect it. The SEC is taking a lot of heat because they have been slacking with enforcing the decision to make companies disclose information on the insight/predictions they may have. This is a controversial issue because companies do not want to disclose information that will risk investments for their company, but it is also important for investors to have access to information the company may have regarding the future in energy consumption.

Upon further research, natural gas has eclipsed coal as the leading energy provider for the first time in April, 2015. According to CNBC, coal provided 44% of total energy while natural gas only provided 22%. In April 2015, natural gas took the lead and provides 31% of the total energy in the Untied States while coal provides 30%. The change in resource consumption has come from the strong federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and because natural gas is a better financial interest for consumers. The regulations and the poor outlook for the future of coal relates to companies that allow for investors to take part in owning in the company. Knowing the future for coal will not be favorable, companies likely would not want to disclose information that may portray the future of their company in a bad way. It will be interesting to see the plan the SEC has moving forward to force companies to disclose information about the future outlook of their company and how it relates to climate change.

Research:

Gelles, David. “S.E.C. Is Criticized for Lax Enforcement of Climate Risk Disclosure.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

“Transition Away from This Energy Source Is ‘stunning'” CNBC. 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.