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Sea Level Rise: a left-wing term
My oldest daughter Ellen is a physician working at a hospital in Virginia Beach. She recently gave birth to a baby girl—her first child—which she and her husband named “Olivia”. Olivia and my six...
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Petermann Finally Cracked!
Petermann finally cracked…big time! No, this is not a revelation that I had a breakdown of some sort. It is however nearly as disturbing. The Petermann Glacier in Greenland—my glacier namesake...
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World’s Second-Largest Ice Cube Sets Melt Record
Here’s a question for all of you game-show watchers. What is the second largest land-based glacier? If you guessed Greenland, you are correct. (For the record, the largest ice field on Earth is...
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The Wealthy and the Vulnerable
Hurricane Isaac arrived just in time for the seven-year anniversary Katrina. He lingered—like an annoying guest overstaying his welcome—dumping up to 16 inches of rain over a period of days on the...
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Corn 2012: York County wins, the U.S. loses
It’s official – summer is over. Standing next to surrounding fields, I watch a combine harvester give stately, golden tasseled corn stalks a buzz-cut, right down to their earthly scalp. The harvester...
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Happy Birthday Clean Water Act
Today, October 18, marks the 40th anniversary of the most important environmental law ever passed by congress—the Clean Water Act. Thanks to this act and follow-up amendments, acts, and regulations,...
View ArticleUN Climate Conference in Qatar: An historical perspective
Our collective weather appears to be at a turning point, fueled by changing climatic conditions—what some scientists are now calling climate disruption. In recent years, many of us either have...
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UN Climate Conference: Feeling the frustration of youth
As a member of the press attending briefings, meetings, and events throughout the day, it’s hard not to feel the frustration of youth here in Doha at the UN climate conference. As adults selfishly...
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Earth Day 2013: The Face of Climate Change
Earth Day Network is promoting “The Face of Climate Change” as the global theme for Earth Day 2013. The goal is to put a real-world face on the remote concept of climate change. During my research...
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Kid Spending a Year in a Tent Fosters Environmental Identity
In a remote corner of Pennsylvania, an ambitious 10-year-old is nearing the midpoint of a unique personal journey. As the rest of us rang in the New Year, L.R.C. (his parents don’t like him using his...
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UN Climate Conference in Warsaw, ‘Coal’land
I am heading off tomorrow to attend week-two of the UN climate conference in Warsaw, Poland. Or, should I say am heading off to Warsaw, the Capitol of ‘Coal’land. Poland is the 10th largest coal...
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Youth Call Out Their Governments
Our fourth day on the ground here at COP19 in Warsaw and we were greeted with a youth protest as we made our way to the Media Center. A united group of young people from many European countries were...
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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: connecting the science with policy
This is the final day of COP 19 in Warsaw. Yesterday afternoon I attended a panel discussion presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group 1 (WG1). WG1 addresses The...
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Youth Continue to Call for More Action
On the final day of the COP, we were greeted with another youth protest as SustainUS members called for language referring to future generations to remain in the text of the COP agreement. Timothy...
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Climate Science and Policy; What Can We Learn from Copernicus and Curie?
I am sipping my final cup of coffee sitting here in the breakfast dining room at my hotel in Warsaw. It is a good time for assessment and reflection. The assessment can be summed up quite simply....
View ArticleHead of PA Dept of Environmental Protection Is Scientifically Illiterate: the...
I applaud the York Daily Record staff for declaring E. Christopher Abruzzo the “Wrong choice for DEP chief by governor” in its Dec. 12, 2013 Editorial. Gov. Tom Corbett chose Abruzzo to head the...
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A Lowly Sea Urchin Serves as a Metaphor for Sustainability
My wife Trish and I saved 20 dollars at the beach yesterday, sand dollars that is! I’m in sunny Costa Rica in the funky seaside village of Montezuma on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. (I...
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20th Anniversary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change...
Birthdays are a time of reflection…where we have been, who we are today, and what the future holds in store for us. Today marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Framework Convention on...
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Endangered Elements: need to extract, use, recycle, and recover
It’s time for me to put on my chemist’s hat and address a sustainability issue few have considered—“Endangered Elements.” These are elements that will become ever rarer as we deplete our planetary...
View ArticleEPA Carbon Limits: Our Economy, Health, and National Security
Yesterday, the EPA announced the first-ever rules to limit carbon dioxide emissions from our nation’s power plants. This is a necessary step in the President’s Climate Action Plan if we have any hope...
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