Category Archives: Environmental sciences

What we know — about anthropogenic climate change

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What we know is a website of AAAS, the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  The site explains the 3 “R’s” of climate change:  reality, risk and response.  There are a couple of videos with brief interviews with and presentations by prominent climate scientists.  A 14-page PDF version of “What We Know:  The Reality, Risks and Response to Climate Change” is available for downloading.

Source:  Choice Reviews, June, 2015, pp. 1691-2.  Reviewed by A.C. Prendergast, University of South Alabama

Greenhouse Gas Emissions have increased based on data from 32 global energy providers

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US “Thomson Reuters releases greenhouse gas emissions data on Global Energy Providers – 21 May 2015

Thomson Reuters has released a new research Global 500 Greenhouse Gas Report: The Fossil Fuel Energy Sector, revealing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data from 32 global energy companies, a key subset of the world’s largest publically traded businesses. The report, written in collaboration with global sustainability consultancy BSD Consulting, is the second in a series of GHG reports designed to create transparency and enable sound management of global GHG emissions.

Building on the previous report, the new report includes data around consumers’ use of a company’s products, called Scope 3 data, to present a fuller view of the business’s overall contribution to GHG emissions. Among the data included in the report, 31 percent of GHG emitted globally on an annual basis comes from 32 global energy companies and the population’s use of their products.

From 2010 to 2013, GHG emissions from the 32 energy companies and use of their products increased by 1.3 percent, a sharp contrast to the 2014 United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report, which recommended a 4.2 percent reduction of GHG emissions over the same time period to keep global temperatures within manageable limits.

In addition to contributions from the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Climate Accountability Institute, self-reported GHG emissions data was gathered from energy sector businesses and combined with estimates pulled from Thomson Reuters ASSET4, a provider of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) data. ASSET4 gathers standardised, objective, quantitative and qualitative ESG data on more than 4,800 publicly listed companies.”

Knowledgespeak Newsletter 21 May, 2015

National Science Foundation YouTube Channel

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“National Science Foundation YouTube Channel

  • https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRuCgmzhczsm89jzPtN2Wuw

    Nearly 13,000 viewers have subscribed to the National Science Foundation’s YouTube channel. It’s not a secret why. These well-produced and often poignant presentations have managed to pack so much into such a small space. Nearly all the videos clock in at less than four minutes. Many of the clips are just two or three minutes long so readers can easily learn about the birth of planets, the details of the tropospheric ozone, and the wonders of biomedical engineering – all within the timespan of a quick coffee break. The hundreds of available videos are broken into categories such as Computer Science, Brain Research, and Education, among others. Whether you are looking for an interesting tidbit to add to your lecture on Geoscience or you are simply curious about conservation efforts in Central Africa, there is much to enjoy here. [CNH]“

  • Source:  Scout Report, University of Wisconsin, Mar. 27, 2015, Vol. 21(12)

Addressing our Greatest Engineering Challenges

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From today’s WhatsNew@National-Academies.org:

Engineering Schools throughout the U.S. are committing to educate certain numbers of engineers with special interests and talents in helping to solve our greatest challenges.

“In a letter of commitment presented to President Obama today, more than 120 U.S. engineering schools announced plans to educate a new generation of engineers expressly equipped to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing society in the 21st century. Read More”

Princeton University’s Prof. Robert Socolow is a member of this Committee on Grand Challenges.

There is also a 6-min video at http://engineeringchallenges.org/

Climate change myths — addressed by John Cook, Climate Communication Fellow, Australia

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Skeptical Science: Getting skeptical about global warming skepticism

  • http://www.skepticalscience.com

    “This website gets serious about addressing climate change skepticism. Using only peer-reviewed research, John Cook, the Climate Communication Fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia, takes the time to seriously consider the doubts that people might have about the state of the earth’s climate. Readers might like to start with the sidebar that addresses the ten most common climate myths, including the idea that the climate has changed before, that warming is due to the sun, that climate change isn’t bad, that there is no scientific consensus, that the earth is actually cooling, and five others. The site also offers a variety of interesting tabs to explore, including an excellent Resources page. [CNH]“

  • Source:  The Scout Report, University of Wisconsin, Vol. 21(7), Feb. 20th

PEI Currents — Princeton Environmental Institute newsletter

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The Spring 2015 issue is now available here:

http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=80f0f238867161406feab010b&id=7b4802df07&e=b33

Prof. Francois Morel has returned as the Director of the Princeton Environmental Institute, and Prof. Kelly Caylor has become the Director of the Program in Environmental Studies.

 

 

Gendered Innovations in Science, Health & Medicine, Engineering and Environment

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From Genetic Engineering &  Biotechnology News, Best of the Web, Feb. 15, 2015

http://www.genengnews.com/best-of-the-web/gendered-innovations/2935/

URL:genderedinnovations.stanford.edu  The purpose is to get away from using the male as the default, to help us be more mindful of the significant differences in male and female in research.

Climate Intervention Technologies: CO2 and Albedo

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WorldinHands

Source:  WhatsNew@National-Academies.org, Feb.13, 2015

Climate Intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal and Albedo Modification“A new two-volume report from the National Research Council says proposed climate intervention technologies are not ready for wide-scale deployment and reducing emissions is still the most effective way to combat climate change.”

Virus Evolution — New OA journal from OUP

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The Virus Evolution      http://ve.oxfordjournals.org/

“Virus Evolution is a new Open Access journal focusing on the long-term evolution of viruses, viruses as a model system for studying evolutionary processes, viral molecular epidemiology and environmental virology.

The aim of the journal is to provide a forum for original research papers, reviews, commentaries and a venue for in-depth discussion on the topics relevant to virus evolution.”

“Editors-in Chief, Professor Oliver Pybus, University of Oxford, and Professor Santiago Elena, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (CSIC-UPV) welcome submissions at:https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/vevolu.”
Source of information:  Knowledgespeak Newsletter, Feb. 9, 2015

NBC LEARN: a free resource — for most all ages

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“Our Mission:  NBC Learn believes in the power of great stories — historic news reports, original video content, and current events coverage — to engage, inspire and educate K-12 and Higher Ed students.”  Among the free resources there are those that deal with the science of sports,  chemistry, and environmental issues.

Featured this month is: “Finishing the Dream”  — Martin Luther King Jr’s “Dream”