A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week.
Editor’s Pick
Most land-based ecosystems worldwide risk ‘major transformation’ due to climate change
Researchers compiled and evaluated pollen and plant-fossil records from nearly 600 sites worldwide for their study of vegetation change. Map reprinted with permission from Nolan et al., Science, 2018 (10.1126/science.aan5360).
Without dramatic reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions, most of the planet’s land-based ecosystems—from its forests and grasslands to the deserts and tundra—are at high risk of “major transformation” due to climate change, according to a new study from an international research team.
The researchers used fossil records of global vegetation change that occurred during a period of post-glacial warming to project the magnitude of ecosystem transformations likely in the future under various greenhouse gas emissions scenarios.
They found that under a “business as usual” emissions scenario, in which little is done to rein in heat-trapping greenhouse-gas emissions, vegetation changes across the planet’s wild landscapes will likely be more far-reaching and disruptive than earlier studies suggested.
The changes would threaten global biodiversity and derail vital services that nature provides to humanity, such as water security, carbon storage and recreation, according to study co-author Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan.
“If we allow climate change to go unchecked, the vegetation of this planet is going to look completely different than it does today, and that means a huge risk to the diversity of the planet,” said Overpeck, who conceived the idea for the study with corresponding author Stephen T. Jackson of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Most land-based ecosystems worldwide risk ‘major transformation’ due to climate change, Michigan News (University of Michigan), Aug 30, 2018
Links posted on Facebook
Sun Aug 26, 2018
- New research, August 13-19, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Aug 24, 2018
- Scientists are finally linking extreme weather to climate change by Matt Reynolds Wired UK, Aug 24. 2018
- Storm drifts away from Hawaii after ‘almost biblical’ rains by Audrey Mcavoy and Caleb Jones, AP/SF Gate, Aug 25, 2018
- Australia Just Killed Off Another Prime Minister in Its Endless Showdown Over Climate Policy by James West, Climate Desk/Mother Jones, Aug 24, 2018
- John McCain’s Climate Change Legacy by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Aug 26, 2018
- Hurricane Lane Brings Hawaii a Warning About Future Storm Risk by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, Aug 25, 2018
- Harsh new anti-protest laws restrict freedom of speech, advocates say by Nicholas Kusnetz, InsideClimate News/Washington Post, Aug 22, 2018
- A Leader in the War on Poverty Opens a New Front: Pollution by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Climate, New York Times, Aug 24, 2018
Mon Aug 27, 2018
- Australia faces increased blackout risks this summer as coal plants age by Sonali Paul, Reuters, Aug 24, 2018
- Typhoon Cimaron slices through western Japan, heads north by Kaori Kaneko, Reuters, Aug 24, 2018
- California’s huge energy decision: link its grid to its neighbors, or stay autonomous? by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Aug 23, 2018
- Heat advisory issued for Chicago area Monday as heat index may reach 105 degrees by Hannah Leone, Chicago Tribune, Aug 28, 2018
- Trump’s coal plan – neither clean nor affordable by Daniel Fiorino, The Conversation US, Aug 23, 2018
- Hurricane Harvey Is Houston’s Unending Nightmare by Elaina Plott, The Atlantic, Aug 26, 2018
- Meet the 15-year-old Swedish girl on strike from school for the climate by Catherine Evans, The Local SE, Aug 24, 2018
- 56 million people are under a heat advisory in the Northeast. Here’s the forecast. by Angela Fritz, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Aug 27. 2018
- Trump’s Dirty Power Plan is much worse for kids’ health than for climate change by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus – the 97%, Environment, Guardian, Aug 27, 2018
Tue Aug 28, 2018
- Can’t vote Liberal ‘in good conscience’: Alex Turnbull blasts climate stance by Peter Hannam, Environment, Sydney Morning Herald, Aug 27, 2018
- Shell Oil Quietly Urges Lawmakers to Support Carbon Tax by Benjamin Hulac & Kelsey Brugger, E&E News/Scientific American, Aug 24, 2018
- Electric scooters’ sudden invasion of American cities, explained by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, Aug 27, 2018
- Air pollution causes ‘huge’ reduction in intelligence, study reveals by Damian Carrington & Lily Kuo, Environment, Guardian, Aug 27, 2018
- Comment: Why I Remain Optimistic about Stopping Earth Becoming a ‘Hothouse’, Guest Post by Payal Parekh (350.org), DeSmog UK, Aug 23, 2018
- Climate change will make hundreds of millions more people nutrient deficient by Nicola KS Davis, Science, Guardian, Aug 27, 2018
- Climate change will be deadlier, more destructive and costlier for California than previously believed, state warns by Tony Barboza , Bettina Boxall & Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, Aug 28, 2018
- Far-sighted adaptation to rising seas is blocked by just fixing eroded beaches by Andrew G Keele, Dylan McNamara & Jennifer Irish, The Conversation US, Aug 27, 2018
Wed Aug 29, 2018
- German e-cars still hampered by lack of charging stations by Nik Martin, Deutsche Welle, Aug 28, 2018
- No path to climate stability without carbon dioxide removal, Opinion by Walter Reids, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Aug 24, 2018
- BNEF 2018 Report — Renewables Surge, China Dominates, Coal Loses, EVs Soar by Steve Hanley, Clean Technica, Aug 28, 2018
- Street Art and Augmented Reality Get Real About Climate in Miami by Patrick Rogers, on Earth, NRDC. Aug 28, 2018
- 70% of Americans think the environment is more important than economic growth by Ilana Strauss, TreeHugger, Aug 27, 2018
- Canada’s Strong Words on Climate Face a Test in Trump’s Nafta Makeover by Lisa Friedman, Climate, New York Times, Aug 28, 2018
- The Global Rightward Shift on Climate Change by Robinson Meyer, Science, The Atlantic, Aug 28, 2108
- Yellowstone Rebounded from an Epic 1988 Fire—That May Be Harder in Future by Monica G. Turner, The Conversation US, Aug 28, 2018
Thu Aug 30, 2018
- 50% Of Industrial Climate Change Emissions Tied To Fossil Fuel Companies by Jake Richardson, Clean Technica, Aug 28, 2018
- Climate change is real. We must not offer credibility to those who deny it by Jonathan Porritt, Caroline Lucas, Clive Lewis and 57 other writers, politicians and academics, Letters, Guardian, Aug 26, 2018
- Greta Thunberg: “Sweden is not a Role Model” by Greta Thunberg, Medium, Aug 28, 2018
- Climate change ‘switchboard’ visualization shows every country on the planet turning red-hot by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Aug 28, 2018
- Global warming is intensifying El Niño weather by John Abraham, Climate Consensus – the 97%, Environment, Guardian, Aug 30, 2018
- Global warming could spur more and hungrier crop-eating bugs by Seth Borenstein, AP News, Aug 30, 2018
- It is time for Iowans to implement faith-based solutions to climate change, Op-ed by Matt Russell (Iowa Interfaith Power & Light), Des Moines Register, Aug 28, 2018
- Rising CO2 levels could push ‘hundreds of millions’ into malnutrition by 2050 by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Aug 27, 2018
Fri Aug 31 2018
- Five deadliest hurricanes as toll from Hurricane Maria raised by Ava Meyer, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Aug 29, 2018
- California’s big climate change opportunity: tropical forests, Commentary by Daniel Nepstad, Chris Field & Jonah Busch, Mongabay, Aug 29, 2018
- NASA Discovers Bubbling Lakes In The Remote Arctic – A Sign Of Global Warming by Trevor Nace, Science, Forbes, Aug 30, 2018
- No Ecosystem on Earth Is Safe From Climate Change by Robinson Meyer, Science, The Atlantic, Aug 30, 2018
- Trump’s Power Plant Plan Can’t Save Coal from Market Forces by Dan Gearino, InsideClimate News, Aug 30, 2018
- Giant deep sea coral reef discovered off South Carolina coast by Bryan Nelson, Mother Nature Network (MNN), Aug 26, 2018
- For Bordeaux’s Winemakers, Rising Temperatures Bring a Reckoning by Aleszu Bajak, UnDark, Aug 30, 2018
Sat Sep1 2018
- Global Warming Means More Insects Threatening Food Crops — A Lot More, Study Warns by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, Aug 30, 2018
- Solar power’s greatest challenge was discovered 10 years ago. It looks like a duck. by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Aug 29, 2018
- Severe weather may be transforming perceptions of climate change, Opinion by Joe Curtin, The Irish Times, Aug 31, 2018
- Most land-based ecosystems worldwide risk ‘major transformation’ due to climate change, Michigan News (University of Michigan), Aug 30, 2018
