A new study – led by Oregon State University, with significant contributions from the University of Washington – shows that the increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide that contributed to the end of the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago did not occur gradually but rather was characterized by three abrupt pulses. Scientists are […]
Last week, I wrote about a thought experiment proposed by Fairbanks scientist Jim Beget. He suggests raining down crystals of a compound that captures carbon dioxide onto a frigid plateau in Antarctica. There, the greenhouse gas might remain locked for a few hundred thousand years. Beget will present his idea at the fall meeting of […]
Jim Beget spends much of his time digging for clues from long ago, like when a volcanic island might have collapsed into the sea, sending giant waves to distant shores. He will soon engage in debate on a contemporary question: before carbon dioxide makes the world unlivable, what can we do about it? In December, […]
The Supreme Court voted twice on Monday in the case UTILITY AIR REGULATORY GROUP v.ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, handing the EPA a victory in one vote but struck down the EPA in another. In a 7-2 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA could force major polluters, such as coal-fired plants and factories, to utilize […]