Category Archives: Environment

Earth Day 2011

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Toasty

“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government in order to save the environment.” The above quote by famed photographer Ansel Adams has been attributed to a statement that he made in conjunction with the first Earth … Continue reading →

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Be Part of the Science

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Toasty

Just as climate change will touch many aspects of our daily lives, the science of climate change requires a broad assemblage of the physical, biological and social sciences.  Climate change is also a global phenomena with research often requiring observations … Continue reading →

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Did Climate Change Cause This Storm?

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Toasty

The question “did climate change cause this unusual weather event” is frequently asked.  In almost all cases the answer is “no”!  But, if the the question is “did climate change contribute to this unusual, or extreme, weather event” the answer … Continue reading →

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United States Election, 2010

Posted on November 6, 2010 by Toasty

The November 2nd “mid-term” elections for the U.S. Congress resulted in a stunning change of power and ideology that dashes any hope for U.S. action on climate change for the foreseeable future. In fact, denial of basic science now appears to be a litmus test for U.S. political candidates. Continue reading →

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A Preview of Future Weather

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Toasty

Disastrous flooding in China and Pakistan, drought in Brazil, drought and record heat in Russia, heavy floods in the American Mid-West while the East Coast bakes in record heat and is battered by violent storms, and the Arctic ice continues … Continue reading →

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The Gulf Oil Disaster and Climate Change Have a Common Cause

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Toasty

Human greed, arrogance and fallibility are the basic causes behind the Gulf Coast oil disaster and climate change. Continue reading →

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The solution to pollution…

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Toasty

There is an old saying that the “solution to pollution is dilution”, which is unfortunately an approach to many sources of pollution in widespread use today.  There is also the related saying, “out of sight, out of mind”.  As the … Continue reading →

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Earth Day 1970 and 2010

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Toasty

  1970   On January 28, 1969 a major undersea "blowout"  occurred on the Union Oil company’s Platform A off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.  The incident resulted in a  200,000 gallon oil spill that coated both wildlife and … Continue reading →

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Earth Day 1970

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Toasty

As we approach the 40th Earth Day it is perhaps instructive to look back to the first Earth Day in 1970.   In 1970 words such as “ecology” and “environment” had not entered the popular vocabulary and “green” signified nothing beyond … Continue reading →

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Forests: a CO2 Reservoir, not a "Sponge"!

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Toasty

Much has been made over the purported ability of forests to act as a "sponge" removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  Politicians have jumped on this bandwagon, as have those selling and promoting so called "carbon-offsets".   However, basic biology dictates … Continue reading →

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