Monthly Archives: April 2013

“Inside Story” on BP’s use of Corexit to “clean up” Gulf oil blowout disaster

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

Al Jazeera English’s Inside Story Americas aired a very good discussion of the findings and implications of the Government Accountability Project’s report on the devastating effects of BP’s use of Corexit to “clean up” its oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction, Whistleblowers | 6 Comments

EPA on State Dept’s Keystone XL draft impact statement: “Environmental Objections – Insufficient Information”

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

The Environmental Protection Agency has given a rating of EO-2 (“Environmental Objections – Insufficient Information”) to the State Department’s Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) on the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. EPA’s critical review raises multiple issues, including … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | 2 Comments

Comments to the State Dept on the Keystone XL pipeline Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

Climate Science Watch submitted the following comments to the State Department on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the proposed Keystone XL Canadian tar sands pipeline. A 45-day pubic comment period ended today.

Posted in Climate Science Watch, Energy, Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | 2 Comments

On the InsideClimate News Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

Media Matters for America has a good discussion of how InsideClimate’s award-winning report on the million-gallon tar sands pipeline oil spill in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River highlights shortcomings in the major mainstream media and challenges facing environmental reporting. Andy Revkin at … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Comments Off on On the InsideClimate News Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting

Corexit: Deadly Dispersant in Oil Spill Cleanup

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

On April 19, the Government Accountability Project released Deadly Dispersants in the Gulf: Are Public Health and Environmental Tragedies the New Norm for Oil Spill Cleanups? The report details the devastating long-term effects on human health and the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction, Whistleblowers | 4 Comments

Obama, ‘national security’ metastasis, and the war on whistleblowers

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Rick Piltz

Within the Obama administration, the U.S. national security apparatus is winning a calculated, sustained, expanding war on whistleblowers, says Tom Devine in a must-read op-ed in today’s Guardian. And “the stakes have just been raised exponentially, [with] the administration seeking … Continue reading →

Posted in Obama Administration, Whistleblowers | Comments Off on Obama, ‘national security’ metastasis, and the war on whistleblowers

Drought study misses underlying climate connections

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

A new report by Martin Hoerling and his team of NOAA researchers investigated the underlying causes of the devastating (and still ongoing) drought of 2012 using computer modeling. The report provides a valuable contribution to understanding the immediate factors driving … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Communication | 3 Comments

James Hansen on NASA retirement and climate action

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

Sustainability Media Lab shot this video interview on April 10 with James Hansen on why he left NASA, his next steps, how the energy industry is impeding urgent climate action, and his wish for his grandchildren:

Posted in Activism, Climate Change Education and Communication | 3 Comments

Setting the Temperature Record Straight: The Last 11,300 Years Explained

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

On the recently published Marcott et al. study of global temperatures over the Holocene period, or past 11,300 years: It is safe and justifiable to say that our current rate of warming is probably unprecedented and certainly extreme when compared to Holocene … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Communication | 2 Comments

Court ruling on morning-after pill: Scientific integrity in policymaking v. Obama administration politics

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Rick Piltz

A federal judge, overruling Obama administration policy in a decision calling for the government to make the morning-after pill available over the counter for all ages, said the administration’s policy was “politically motivated, scientifically unjustified, and contrary to agency precedent.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction, Scientific Integrity | 2 Comments