Unless you've been shivering under a pile of Wall Street Journals, you might have noticed that it's been insanely warm around here recently. According to the AP, temperatures in the continental U.S. were 8.6 degrees above normal in March, and six degrees higher than the average for the first three months of 2012. "Everybody has this uneasy feeling. This is weird. This is not good," Jerry Meehl, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research says. "It's a guilty pleasure. You're out enjoying this nice March weather, but you know it's not a good thing." Pssh, that's nothing a tall boy or a pitcher of palomas can't fix. more ›

Did you hear? Global warming's a hoax! The first cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden have bloomed! Thanks to their handy CherryWatch map, we can see that the first bloom has arrived. You're welcome, people who were looking for wholesome first date ideas. more ›

Earlier this month, actual climate scientists took to the Wall Street Journal to rebut the hilariously titled op/ed, "No Need To Panic About Global Warming," which was written by a group of people who pretended to be climate scientists on T.V. Today, those brave "concerned scientists," who are former ExxonMobil engineers, M.D.'s and businessmen—everything but people who study climate for a living—feel the need to respond to being publicly shamed for peddling bullsh*t with more bullsh*t! more ›

Sure, Los Angeles is an okay place to live if you like abundant sunshine and driving up Highway 1 on a weekday afternoon with the top down, a surfboard in the backseat, and Steely Dan's "Babylon Sisters" blaring on the stereo. But we could never live there! We'd miss the seasons; these magical winter days playing in the snow and nights making love in front of a roaring fire. And then there are precious afternoons like this, where all the windows in the office are open and we're fighting a despicable urge to turn on the air conditioning. more ›

A letter to the editor in this morning's Wall Street Journal has a breathtakingly straightforward lede: "Do you consult your dentist about your heart condition?" "Surely, not!" their readers likely chortled, spilling civet coffee all over their sprite-skin slacks. Yet that is precisely what the WSJ did four days ago when it published the hilariously titled op/ed "No Need To Panic About Global Warming" that was signed by people who have never studied global warming. more ›

According to a new environmental report, the world only has five years to initiate effective change before the effects of global warming become essentially irreversible. The dire World Energy Outlook report, by the International Energy Agency, looked at the planet's energy trends over the next 25 years and found that action is needed immediately to stem the tide: "The door is closing," Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, told the Guardian UK. "I am very worried—if we don't change direction now on how we use energy, we will end up beyond what scientists tell us is the minimum [for safety]. The door will be closed forever." more ›

The weather outside is frightful, and cold foods are so delightful, but science says to let it go...long hot summers are the future. But not quite yet! A new study out of Stanford argues that starting in about twenty years in some areas today's absurdly high summer temperatures will be "the new normal." more ›

How much longer can Chris Christie sheepishly deny the siren song of destiny? Roger Ailes had diamond-encrusted kneepads made to beg the New Jersey governor to run, and accordingly The Post reported that Barry is taking him serious enough to call a few IHOPs in Jersey to ask how many sides of bacon he eats with his Cinnastack Pancakes. Now, as Christie pulls his state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI, or "Reggie") it seems he's attempting to solidify his right-wing bonafides, but at what cost? more ›

According to a new Gallup poll, fewer Americans see global warming as a threat than they did just a few years ago. In 2010 53 percent of Americans said it was a "very" or "somewhat" serious threat, while in 2008 63 percent of Americans said so. Well, it has been a brutal winter. Maybe global warming finally went away! more ›

Many of those new condos popping up along the East River in Williamsburg were struggling to find buyers after the economic collapse, but buildings like The Edge are reporting a recent surge in sales, and real estate brokers tell the Brooklyn Paper that happy days are here again. But if you're buying along the waterfront, you may want to make sure your building offers perks like complimentary gondola service and free speedboat rentals, because some experts say parts of Williamsburg and other low-lying areas will soon be submerged with alarming frequency. more ›

Before we were all complaining about this winter's thundersnow and blizzards, we were bitching about the tornadoes and thunderstorms and extreme heat. The weather during the past six months has been extremely volatile—even tragically impacting at least two of the most-anticipated outdoor concerts of the summer. Now WPIX weatherman Mr. G. tells the Daily News it's not just in our heads; the weather really has been loco. "I cannot recall a period like this," says G. "And this winter has the potential to deliver major snow still. I think we're looking at some scenarios here where conceivably this could be the snowiest winter on record." Is this just a taste of things to come as climate change worsens? We turned to Gothamist weatherman Joe Schumacher for some reassurance (which we're not gonna get): more ›

Whenever we spot Elizabeth Kolbert's byline in The New Yorker's table of contents, we know what page we're turning to first. For over a decade, Kolbert has doggedly reported on the environment (among other things) for the magazine, and also written two books; the most recent is titled Field Notes from a Catastrophe. In recent years, she's chronicled in unsparing detail the causes and effects of global warming, America's role in its acceleration, and Washington's scandalous failure to do anything about it. In this week's issue, Kolbert ponders what a Republican-controlled House of Representatives means for the future of climate change legislation. Would you believe it's not a pretty picture? more ›

Meet Osama bin Laden, climate change crusader. In his latest hit tape (which has not yet been independently verified), the Al-Qaeda leader laments the catastrophic flooding that has killed thousands in Pakistan and displaced hundreds of thousands more. "What we are facing... calls for generous souls and brave men to take serious and prompt action to provide relief for their Muslim brothers in Pakistan. Providing tents, food and medicine is a duty... Action should not be confined to providing emergency aid... but to set up a capable relief task force that has the knowledge and experience need to [meet the challenges]." Task force? Food and medicine? Has bin Laden lost his edge? more ›

Remember how it snowed a lot in February and Glenn Beck issued an "Amber Alert" for Al Gore, because obviously seasonal weather patterns debunk Gore's global warming hoax? (Beck crowed, "Well, the snow is hammering Washington D.C. again. I believe God is just saying, 'I got your global warming here, eh?'") Well, those loony left-wing scientists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies are now saying [pdf] that the global surface temperature in 2010 is already hotter than any year on record. The report, which concludes that "that there has been no reduction in the global warming trend of 0.15-0.20°C/decade that began in the late 1970s," also addresses civilization's inability to deal with the crisis, thanks to demagogues like Beck: more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] As of 1 p.m., the mercury hit 100 in Central Park, making today the hottest day in NYC since August of 2001. (According to NY1, it's currently 98 at LGA and JFK, and CBS2 reports that the UV Index is at 10, meaning you can get sunburned in just 10 minutes.) The overall record for Central Park is 101, set in 1999. Will the blackouts move beyond the Bronx? And will NYC shatter its past electrical power demand record? more ›

We just can't have nice things: Those exposed-filament bulbs that are all the rage at restaurants around town are extremely energy inefficient, using three times the energy of a standard incandescent. Now a backlash has begun among restaurateurs who call the look "played out" and one environmentalist tells the Times, "You can’t on the one hand brag how green you are by serving organic beer and locally grown produce while you are lighting your business with the least efficient light bulbs available in the world." But Bob Rosenzweig, who sells the bulk of these bulbs, seems proud to be out of step, declaring, "Everybody’s going green, but we’re still hot and red. My bulbs use a lot of energy and make the air conditioning work overtime." And they look so pretty, too! more ›

Yesterday, Al Gore fired back at those who point to the Snowmageddons, Snowpocalypes and Snowicanes as proof there's no climate change. In his NY Times op-ed, he wrote, "The heavy snowfalls this month have been used as fodder for ridicule by those who argue that global warming is a myth, yet scientists have long pointed out that warmer global temperatures have been increasing the rate of evaporation from the oceans, putting significantly more moisture into the atmosphere — thus causing heavier downfalls of both rain and snow in particular regions, including the Northeastern United States. Just as it’s important not to miss the forest for the trees, neither should we miss the climate for the snowstorm." more ›

President Obama arrived in Copenhagen this morning to address the UN conference on climate change. In a stern speech delivered hours after his arrival, Obama told world leaders and their delegates that "the time for talk is over... All of you would not be here unless you — like me — were convinced that this danger is real. This is not fiction, it is science." The President's arrival came as any agreement on climate change remained out of reach, and China, the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gas pollutants, was accused of holding back progress in the climate talks by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. During his address (text here, video below), Obama expressed frustration and urgency: more ›

According to CBS News, data from a British team of explorers suggests "the Arctic will be ice-free in summer within 20 years, and that much of the decrease will happen within 10 years." The Catlin Arctic Survey was working with the World Wildlife Fund, and the WWF warns, "Such a loss of Arctic sea ice cover has recently been assessed to set in motion powerful climate feedbacks which will have an impact far beyond the Arctic itself...This could lead to flooding affecting one-quarter of the world's population, substantial increases in greenhouse gas emissions from massive carbon pools and extreme global weather changes." more ›

Yes Men co-founder Andy Bichlbaum was arrested this morning while demonstrating one of the group's post-apocalyptic SurvivaBalls, described as "a self-contained living system—truly, a gated community for one. If you have a SurvivaBall, even if everyone else is dying, at least you can weather all storms." A spokesperson tells us that Bichlbaum was at Stuy Cove Park, just north of East 20th Street on the East River, wearing a SurvivaBall along with twenty others similarly ensconced. There were about 40 spectators, and so the NYPD, acting on NYC's unconstitutional parade permit law, arrived to break up the citizens' peaceful assembly. more ›

Get your florescent bulbs and reusable shopping bags ready, because Climate Week NYC is here! Though the summit on climate change taking place at the UN is looking to disappoint, plenty of New Yorkers are doing their part to bring awareness to this global crisis. Events like the Oxfam's Human Wake Up Call and beach cleaning initiatives began over the weekend, and every day this week is filled with lectures, rallies and projects inspiring people to do their part. Treehugger has a list of some of the noteworthy events. more ›

With President Obama in L'Aquila, Italy for the G8 Summit, three Greenpeace activists unfurled a banner on Mount Rushmore, next to Abraham Lincoln's likeness. The Washington Post reports, "The banner showed President Obama's face -- Greenpeace said it was an unfinished portrait, implying that Obama's legacy was in question -- and the words 'America honors leaders not politicians: Stop Global Warming.'" And soon after, the three climbers and other Greenepace activists were arrested. more ›

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a bill "intended to address global warming and transform the way the nation produces and uses energy," the NY Times reports. However, it was not an easy victory for President Obama: Forty-four Democrats voted against it, while eight Republicans voted for it, with the final vote at 219-212. In his weekly address, Obama noted that the bill will "finally create a set of incentives that will spark a clean energy transformation in our economy...spur the development of low carbon sources of energy - everything from wind, solar, and geothermal power to safer nuclear energy and cleaner coal....new energy savings. And most importantly, it will make possible the creation of millions of new jobs." However, the bill now heads to the Senate, where, the Washington Post warns, "passing climate legislation could prove more difficult." more ›

The Bloomberg-appointed Panel on Climate Change released its final report yesterday, predicting that annual temperatures will rise between 4 and 7.5 degrees over the next century, while heat waves, damaging rain, and coastal flooding will become increasingly regular occurrences. Here's a look at what the city may very well look like as heavy flooding becomes more frequent. more ›