climate
Hacked E-Mails Fuel Global Warming Debate
An online debate over global warming science has broken out after an unknown hacker broke into the email server at a prominent, U.K. climate research center, stole more than a thousand e-mails about global warming research and posted them online. Global warming skeptics are seizing on portions of the messages as evidence that scientists are colluding and warping data to fit the theory of global warming, but researchers say the e-mails are being taken out of context and just show scientists engaged in frank discussion.
Continue reading »Scientific societies warn Senate: climate change is real
Next week, the Environment and Public Works committee is scheduled to begin debate on the Senate’s version of a bill intended to begin limiting US greenhouse gas emissions, with a vote scheduled for early November. In advance of that hearing, a collection of 18 US scientific organizations has sent an open letter to members of the Senate, reminding them that climate change is a real phenomenon, and the best available evidence indicates it’s being driven by human activities. The unusually blunt language is coupled with an offer: the US scientific community stands ready to provide assistance to anyone who is looking for further information in advance of taking legislative action.
Continue reading »Richard Marx Says Jammie Thomas “Got a Raw Deal”
Notes that during the pre-digital age, when the music industry controlled distribution, it chose to “ream the consumer and fill their pockets” rather than nurture the industry by providing the “highest quality of music to the fans.” Many are still stunned by the recent verdict in the retrial of suburban mother of two Jammie Thomas. For illegally “making available” 24 songs in her KaZaA shared folder she was ordered to pay $1.92 million USD in damages . At about $80,000 per song, instead of scaring or “educating” file-sharers into halting the illegal practice it has instead illustrated just how out of touch the RIAA really is.
Continue reading »Science academies: ocean acidification must be on CO2 agenda
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which helped usher in the Kyoto Agreement that was intended to limit emissions of greenhouse gasses, is now gearing up for the next major round of climate talks, which will take place in December , hosted by Copenhagen, Denmark. Many are hoping that the successor to Kyoto will provide comprehensive targets for emissions, and involve many more nations in the framework. But the national scientific academies of 70 nations have issued a statement warning that the exclusive focus on climate change may result in plans that ignore an equally significant risk: ocean acidification.
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