Flying through a thick cloud overhanging Copenhagen, I arrived with awe and trepidation to the Bella Center where the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) had convened two days ago. Now underway, the COP15 (as it is affectionately called) is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which was ratified by 190 […]
Or, why is climate change a global (not local) issue? For scientists, the challenge of trying to understand the impacts of climate upon the future of life on earth is daunting. Issues such as land use, cloudiness, precipitation, shifts in nutrient distribution, air and water pollution, and our legacy of past disturbance all need to […]
From the UNFCCC: The UN Climate Change Secretariat and the Host Government would like to inform all journalists covering COP 15 of the following: The maximum capacity of the Bella Center, the venue of the UN Climate Change Conference, is 15,000. More than double that number – 34,000 thousand – have asked to physically attend […]
“Destroying a tropical rain forest and other species-rich ecosystems for profit is like burning all the paintings of the Louvre to cook dinner.” EO Wilson REDD is pronounced just like the color in the American flag, and similarly, it may represent the next big patriotic symbol. Most Americans hope to leave the legacy of a […]
One of the few whole-tree herbivory estimates was conducted in Walcha, New South Wales, Australia with Earthwatch volunteers in 1985. Over 100,000 leaves were measured for length, width, leaf area, and insect damage. Over 20 Earthwatch volunteers gave their time and energy to this survey, which was critical in solving the eucaylpt dieback syndrome that […]
1. January 20-28, students and families can join her for canopy research at the world’s longest canopy walkway site ACTS (Amazon Center for Tropical Studies). Only 15 participants for this land-based study trip. 2. For a more luxury time in the Amazon, CanopyMeg will be co-leading a travel trip for the Explorers Club — departure […]
From the Miami Herald: The following editorial appeared in the Miami Herald on Friday, July 10: As a Senate hearing so aptly pointed out Wednesday, the United States needs to take control of the exotic species that have invaded every region of the country. The pest du jour at the hearing was the Burmese python, […]
From the Herald-Tribune: There could be more than 2,000 Burmese pythons ranging largely across south Sarasota County within three years unless steps are taken to control the growth of the huge snakes, says a New College of Florida professor. Suggestions, though, that this latest scourge of Mother Nature could harm tourism may be a stretch. […]
Published in Sustainability on April 1, 2009: A Blueprint for Florida’s Clean Energy Future – Case Study of a Regional Government’s Environmental Strategy Margaret Lowman Abstract: On 13 July 2007, Governor Charlie Crist of Florida signed executive orders to establish greenhouse gas emission targets that required an 80 percent reduction below 1990 levels by the […]
From Sarasota Herald-Tribune: SARASOTA – Widely known for her research on the world’s treetops, New College professor Meg Lowman now stands at the forefront of a revolution in the world of science and science education. A multimillion-dollar project to track and predict ecological changes across the continent is expected to break ground this year on […]
