Can We Trust Climate Models? Increasingly, The Answer is ‘Yes’

Can We Trust Climate Models? Increasingly, The Answer is ‘Yes’

Forecasting what the Earth’s climate might look like a century from now has long presented a huge challenge to climate scientists. But better understanding of the climate system, improved observations of the current climate, and rapidly improving computing power are slowly leading to more reliable methods.

Freeing Energy Policy From The Climate Change Debate

Freeing Energy Policy From The Climate Change Debate

Environmentalists have long sought to use the threat of catastrophic global warming to persuade the public to embrace a low-carbon economy. But recent events, including the tainting of some climate research, have shown the risks of trying to link energy policy to climate science.

Emissions Reductions: The Gap Between Policy and Science

Emissions Reductions: The Gap Between Policy and Science

While the scientific evidence for climate change grows, the policy responses have so far had little or no impact on the build-up of emissions. Following the recent developments in Copenhagen, there are few signs that this will change in the near future. With this in mind, this article examines why there is still such a gap between what science says is needed, and what is actually achieved through policy.

The 2009 Copenhagen Diagnosis: Climate Science Report

The 2009 Copenhagen Diagnosis: Climate Science Report provides a critical update to the global public on the latest climate science. The purpose of this report is to synthesize the most policy-relevant climate science published since the close-off of material for the last IPCC report that supplements the IPCC AR4 in time for Copenhagen in December, 2009.

Large Companies are The Key to Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change

According to a report released last month by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the world’s largest companies need to double the pace of CO2 reduction to avoid dangerous climate change. Based on current reduction targets, the world’s largest companies are on track to reach the scientifically-recommended level of greenhouse gas cuts by 2089. This is 39 years too late to avoid dangerous climate change.

Climate Change Denial and Energy Ignorance: A Pair of Albatrosses that Prevent Needed Policy Changes

This, the fifth article in the series The Two-Headed Dragon ~ Energy/Water/Food Scarcity and Climate Change. Top Ten Policies that Feed it, and Two New Technologies that Could Enable us to Slay It and Save the Planet discusses why the short term mindset that prevails in our culture is preventing us from addressing the existential problems of climate change and rapidly disappearing fossil energy reserves. It touches on our nation’s irrational tax code, which provides a powerful incentive for wasteful practices and continued reliance on fossil fuels. It also suggests that the profound ignorance in energy matters is one of the key reasons why we have such poor energy policy, suggesting that our politicians should attend an energy boot camp and learn the fundamentals of energy.

Applications Being Accepted to Join the SustainUS Youth Delegation to The Fifth Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol

Agents of Change is now accepting applications to join the SustainUS youth delegation to the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention and fifth meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP15 and COP/MOP5), which will be in Copenhagen, Denmark from December 7-18, 2009. COP15 will determine the future international policy on climate change, and youth must make their voice heard. Between now and December, youth from across the globe will organize to bring a sense of urgency and rationality to the meeting.