U of M scientists protest their inclusion on think tank’s list of climate change deniers

Last September the Chicago-based conservative think tank Heartland Institute rolled out a list of “

Gallup Poll: Most Americans not too worried about global warming

A new Gallup Poll suggests Americans are no more concerned about global warming than they were almost two decades ago.

In a telephone survey last month, 37 percent of 1,012 adults interviewed said they worry…

In defense of doing something

Here’s for all the cynics out there: Michael Pollan, author of “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto,” argues in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine why seemingly small, individual steps to save the planet are…

When life hands you carbon emissions, make shiny plastic coasters

Chemists in Japan have figured out a way to sequester carbon emissions into a polycarbonate plastic that could be used to make compact discs or DVDs.

The breakthrough was reported at the 235th…

As planet warms, quenching thirst might get tougher

As a rookie home brewer, I wasn’t happy to see this headline from MSNBC: “Beer lovers beware of global warming; Growing malting barley is gonna get tougher, expert warns.” Regional droughts and flooding have already…

Climate skeptics: Protecting polar bears will destroy our way of life

Stephen Colbert has an ongoing joke in which he describes bears as the single greatest threat to America today. The bit might have made a good keynote address earlier this month at the Heartland Institute’s “International Conference on Climate Change”…

Warming climate is thinning state’s moose herd

MPR’s Tom Robertson reports on Minnesota’s dwindling moose population, which wildlife biologists believe may be affected by climate change. This story line is likely to turn up again and again. Most species are adapted to live…

Spitzer scandal seen as setback for climate change reforms

Democratic New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer will be fighting for his political life following an allegation he met with a high-priced prostitute last month at a Washington, D.C., hotel. As the state’s attorney general, Spitzer earned a reputation…

Is climate change McCain’s red-haired, ugly stepchild?

Sen. John McCain has been the most outspoken and aggressive of Republican presidential hopefuls when it comes to solving climate change. While Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are ready with sound bites…

Cold enough for ya? Not cold enough to kill tree pests

We all survived the first subzero cold snap of the season by bundling up or staying inside. Unfortunately for Minnesota’s forests, most of the moths, beetles and other pests…