Polar Bears Are Now “Threatened”
The Federal Government yesterday listed the polar bear as “threatened”. Interior Secretary Dick Kempthorne acknowledged that Arctic sea ice - vital for the polar bears’ surivival - was clearly receding, but refused to acknowedledge that it had anything to do with carbon emissions or the energy industry. The Bush Administration agrees that the polar bear is on its way to extinction because of global warming, but unfortunately rules out any action to address the underlying problem. It’s pretty simple: more emissions mean more warming, more warming mean less sea ice, less sea ice mean less polar bears. Read More: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1779634,00.html
Why Is It So Cold If the Globe Is Warmer?
Dont let this winter weather fool you. It’s amazing and we’re loving the snow, but it doesn’t mean that climate change is a non-issue. Far from it.”Don’t confuse weather with climate,” said WCCO’s Chief Meteorologist Paul Douglas. “Weather is a snapshot, climate is a long term trend.”In other words, weather is what happens at any given moment in the atmosphere while climate is how the atmosphere behaves over decades and centuries. Douglas said we need to look at long-term trends, such as the fact that 19 of the 20 warmest years worldwide have occurred since 1985. We need to also keep a global perspective in mind because while the United States is experience record cold, some of Europe and Asia are seeing record warmth.
‘Comeback Kid’ Ski Areas Greening Up Their Act
What do Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley, Telluride and Park City have in common? These ski resorts used to be at the bottom of the class on the annual Ski Area Environmental Scorecard. Not any longer. Four resorts who previously received low grades on the scorecard are now receiving As and Bs as a result of improving their environmental stewardship.
For example, Squaw Valley scored a D for several years after illegally filling streams and altering stream channels, impacting wetlands and violating water quality standards. Now Squaw Valley is scoring an A for the first time, because they haven’t been cited for any further water quality violations, and they’ve reduced their energy footprint through programs such as retrofitting old buildings, using biodiesel in their fleet, and investing in more energy-efficient snow guns. For the complete report check out: www.skiareacitizens.com
