Image by Daniel Molybdenum licensed under CC BY 2.0
A recent report by a United Nations panel indicates that if we do not take action immediately to lessen the impact of global climate change, the negative consequences will be severe. A professor who worked on the report explains that global warming is already influencing our lives and the ecosystems that surround us. Listen to hear more about the rapid pace of climate change and what we can do to decrease the potential for disaster associated with it.
Story Length: 3:35
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June 14, 2017
3:42
President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord. The accord is an international agreement signed by more than 190 countries who have agreed to address climate change by trying to keep global temperature rise this century below 2 degrees. Trump says that the Paris Agreement would have been bad for U.S. workers and their businesses. The U.S. produces the second highest greenhouse gas emissions and is only topped by China, who remains committed to the agreement. Listen to learn more why Trump decided to leave the agreement and what it might mean for the future.
Read MoreOctober 31, 2016
5:40
Climate change and energy policy are issues that are important to millions of Americans, but the issue has not been front and center in the presidential election. Both candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have said they want to make the country energy-independent but their views on how to do that are very different. Listen to hear how Trump and Clinton differ sharply on topics such as coal, renewable energy and the Paris climate agreement.
Read MoreNovember 30, 2015
5:33
In Paris, France, 200 countries will gather to create an agreement to limit climate emissions and slow climate change. The goal is to produce a document that all countries, developed and non-developed, agree on. The meeting is a step in the right direction, with 160 countries that have already set targets for emissions. In the United States, politics are involved. Congress wants to roll back the clean emissions bill, and not everyone agrees on how to address climate change. There are some who think immediate events deserve more attention than longer-term issues such as climate change. Listen to hear more about this global Climate Conference.
Read MoreAugust 9, 2015
3:29
NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, called 2014 the hottest year on record and cited the changing climate as the cause of extreme storms, droughts and floods around the world. Slowing climate change is a top priority of President Obama, who unveiled his Clean Power Plan on August 3rd. The Plan would limit the carbon that power plants can release, cutting emissions by a third over 15 years, as well as boost the use of renewable energy. China and the U.S. are the top contributors of carbon emissions, and Obama wants the U.S. to lead the way and encourage other countries to set limits as well. He faces significant political opposition to the Clean Power Plan, even though two of three Americans support the idea.
Read MoreMay 22, 2015
4:30
Greenhouse gas emissions in March were some of the highest ever recorded on the planet in millions of years. Carbon dioxide emissions have built up over time and increased the saturation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere up to 400 parts per million. Listen to learn about how scientists are able to determine past levels of carbon dioxide and measure this current trend.
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