ProPublica
Andy Revkin is a senior reporter for climate change at ProPublica. He formerly reported on the environment for the New York Times and wrote its Dot Earth blog. A former instructor at Pace University in New York, he is the author of The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils from the Top of the World.
Troubling signs for science under Trump Science got off to a rocky start even before President Trump was sworn in. On the stump, he vowed to reduce the Environmental Protection Agency to "little tidbits." On inauguration day, web pages on climate change from the Obama White House disappeared, the National Parks Twitter account was reined in, and soon after, staff at the Interior, Agriculture, health and human services and the EPA were told to stop communicating directly with the public. And then there's Scott Pruitt , Trump's choice to head the EPA, who's been a friend to oil and gas and an opponent to the agency he wants to lead. All of this has scientists of all stripes fighting back with projects to preserve climate data at risk of vanishing, and are planning a march on Washington.
Can Planet Earth Handle Seven Billion People? The United Nations says the world's population will reach seven billion sometime today, although the US Census Bureau says it'll happen sometime in March. Regardless of the date, there are some reasons for optimism as well as predictions of doom and gloom. We hear some of both -- from the US, China, India and sub-Saharan Africa.
Can Planet Earth Handle Seven Billion People? Although the US Census Bureau says it'll happen sometime in March, the United Nations says the world's population will reach seven billion sometime today, creating new challenges for generations to come. The rate of human growth is finally slowing down, and Earth's resources are sufficient for three billion more, depending on technology and distribution. But will all those people be able to urbanize and increase their consumption and waste without creating famine, poverty and an unhealthy environment? We look at what might be in store for the United States, developing countries including China and India and the fastest-growing part of the world, sub-Saharan Africa.
Climate Change Skeptic's Talking Points Melt Away A scientist known for his skepticism over climate change released a new study this month with surprising results. UC Berkeley astrophysicist Richard Muller and a team of other scientists recently set out to test whether measurements of Earth's temperature are too flawed to show that the Earth is warming. The analysis of more than 1.6 billion temperature measurements led him to write in a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, "You should not be a skeptic, at least not any longer. Global warming is real." Muller is a complicated character, writes Andrew Revkin in the Dot Earth blog for the New York Times.
Climate Change Skeptic's Talking Points Melt Away A scientist known for his skepticism over climate change released a new study this month with surprising results. UC Berkeley astrophysicist Richard Muller and a team of other scientists recently set out to test whether measurements of Earth's temperature are too flawed to show that the Earth is warming. The analysis of more than 1.6 billion temperature measurements led him to write in a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, "You should not be a skeptic, at least not any longer. Global warming is real." Muller is a complicated character, writes Andrew Revkin in the Dot Earth blog for the New York Times.
An Inconvenient Time to Speak an Inconvenient Truth? The rising cost of gasoline has led Republicans—and some Democrats—to call for new oil exploration offshore, but Al Gore says they ought to renew the focus on global warming. In a speech on the environment today in Washington, Gore said that the solutions to climate change and renewing our economy are the same, and challenged Americans to "commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within ten years." Andy Revkin is environmental reporter for the New York Times .
Bush Says Navy Can Test Sonar off California Coast This month, a federal judge in Los Angeles ordered the Navy to create a nautical no-sonar zone off the California coast. Anti-submarine training would have to shut down if whales or other mammals got within 2200 yards. Critics contend that sonar signals will damage the marine mammals' hearing, with worldwide impact. During his trip to the Middle East, President Bush signed a waiver of court-imposed sonar limits, calling it an issue of national security. One environmental group says today he is "flouting the will of Congress," the state's Coastal Commission and a federal court. The controversy pits national security against whales and other marine mammals.
Compromise Possible out of Bali Climate Talks "The climate in the climate conversation has changed a bit." That’s from Germany's environmental minister at the Bali conference on global warming . Yesterday, there was diplomatic bad blood between the US and Europe. Today, the head of the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change says they're "on the brink of agreement." Andrew Revkin, author of The North Pole Was Here : Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World, covers the environment for the New York Times .
Bequeathing a Ravaged Planet to Future Generations In 450 million years, there have been five mass extinctions of species around the world. The latest of was 65 million years ago. Now a sixth is underway, caused by human behavior. That's according to the fourth Global Environment Outlook , out today from the United Nations. But despite reporting success in combating ozone loss and chemical air pollution, and saying it did not want to present a "dark and gloomy scenario," the GEO-4 concluded that the human population is now so large there are not enough resources available to sustain it. Andrew Revkin is environment reporter for the New York Times .
Should World Help Developing Nations Control Carbon Emissions? As leaders at the G8 Summit today reached a surprising agreement about reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, what about the role of rapidly growing and rapidly polluting, developing countries, such as China and India? China's explosive economy is growing so fast that within twenty-five years, its total carbon dioxide emissions could be double the output of the world's richest nations. Should the economic engines of developing countries be allowed to operate full-steam ahead, putting environmental concerns aside until later? How will economic goals of alleviating poverty be balanced against cutting emissions? As Beijing gets ready for the 2008 Olympics, is it taking steps to curb pollution?
Should World Help Developing Nations Control Carbon Emissions? As leaders at the G8 Summit today reached a surprising agreement about reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, what about the role of rapidly growing and rapidly polluting, developing countries, such as China and India ? China's explosive economy is growing so fast that within twenty-five years, its total carbon dioxide emissions could be double the output of the world's richest nations. Should the economic engines of developing countries be allowed to operate full-steam ahead, putting environmental concerns aside until later? How will economic goals of alleviating poverty be balanced against cutting emissions? As Beijing gets ready for the 2008 Olympics , is it taking steps to curb pollution?
With Global Warming Already Here, What Do We Do about It? Climate change is no longer a question of "if" or "when." The impact of warming is evident right now—and so is the human contribution. Even if greenhouse-gas emissions are significantly reduced, the change is inevitable. So it's time to prepare for floods, droughts and other catastrophes. That's the latest after four days of debate between scientists and government bureaucrats from more than 100 countries. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released the second in a series of reports on climate change. The first concluded with 90% certainty that human activity is the main cause of global warming since 1950. Who will be hit the hardest? What does it mean to "prepare?" What are the potential consequences in the United States?
New UN Report Calls Global Warming Unstoppable The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reviews the most recent studies of retreating ice, rising seas and warming temperatures, and reports on supercomputer simulations of what might happen next. Three days of wrangling by teams from more than 100 countries has produce a 20-page summary and the most urgent warning ever. It says that the alternative to action is worldwide calamity. The American Enterprise Institute , funded by ExxonMobil , has offered $10,000 apiece to skeptic scientists or economists who can find flaws in the report. Andrew Revkin covers the environment for the New York Times .
Pressure on Bush to Address Global Warming in State of the Union There's national and international pressure on the Bush Administration to take action on global warming. The White House says the President will address the issue in next week's State of the Union message, but he won't advocate limits on greenhouse-gas emissions. Andrew Revkin reports on the environment for the New York Times .
Global Warming Conference, UK Report and US Politics in a Democratic Congress A British study predicts disruption comparable to world wars and depressions unless there's immediate action to curb climate change. This week in Kenya, 180 nations are trying to agree on timetables. On Capitol Hill, James Inhofe calls global warming "the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people." California Democrat Barbara Boxer, who’ll replace the Oklahoma Republican next year as chair of a key senate committee, urges that "time is running out and we need to move forward.” She'll propose new laws to set limits on greenhouse gases. Is American policy in for a change? If China and India don't get on board, will it make any difference?
Schwarzenegger Promote Emissions Plan with NY's Pataki With much pre-election fanfare, Governor Schwarzenegger met with New York's Governor George Pataki today to talk about global warming . They met at the greenhouse-gas emissions trading-desk at Credit Suisse, one of the few financial institutions that has such a facility in New York.
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
