Latest Talking Point articles
Talking Point articles RSS feedSnow: a reliable indicator for global warming in the future?
May 18, 2012 1 comment
There's much to discover about the relationship between snow and global climate, according to H-W Jacobi
40 yr phase-out for conventional coal? If only!
May 3, 2012
Robert Socolow looks at the transition from coal to low-carbon electricity.
Sea-level rise: towards understanding local vulnerability
Apr 26, 2012
Projections of global sea-level rise into the future have become more pessimistic over the past five years or so. A global rise by more than one metre by the year 2100 is now widely accepted as a serious possibility if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated.
Biodiversity and global health – hubris, humility and the unknown
Apr 19, 2012
Is the best argument for protecting biodiversity its cultural and spiritual value, its usefulness to mankind, or the health of the whole ecosystem, including its human inhabitants? Carolyn Stephens looks at the issues.
Coral reefs – are they tough enough?
Apr 12, 2012
The world's corals are under increasing threat, says Adina Paytan, but new research is set to revolutionize understanding of how they're likely to fare in the future
Planet – and scientists – under pressure?
Apr 4, 2012
Planet Under Pressure conference calls for UN sustainable development council in build-up to Rio+20
Bridging the social-natural sciences divide
Mar 29, 2012 1 comment
Gemma Carr explains some of the pitfalls for researchers from different disciplines looking to work together
Geoengineering: no need for dedicated research
Mar 8, 2012 1 comment
Ken Caldeira recommends study of geoengineering alongside existing programmes, and no research on implementation techniques
How do we ditch fossil fuels?
Feb 17, 2012
An interview with Dan Kammen about making the transition to cleaner energy technologies
The future of food
Feb 10, 2012
By 2050 there will be another 2.5 billion people on the planet. How to feed them? Science's answer: a diet of algae, insects and meat grown in a lab (from the Guardian)
Wall Street Journal rapped over climate change stance
Feb 3, 2012
Leading scientists, including climate change experts, complain about opinion piece akin to 'dentists practising cardiology' (from the Guardian)
Who is the new sheriff in town regulating boreal forest growth?
Jan 16, 2012
Climate change appears to be altering boreal forests. One recently observed symptom of these changes has been an apparent weakening of the positive relationship between high-latitude boreal tree growth and temperature at some sites.
Adaptation finance: How can Durban deliver on past promises?
Nov 24, 2011
There is an ever-widening chasm between the support developing countries need to adapt to climate change, and the funding promised and delivered by wealthy nations. David Ciplet, J. Timmons Roberts, Mizan Khan, Linlang He and Spencer Fields detail three steps countries should take at the Durban negotiations, in an article prepared for IIED.
Enjoy a new perspective of the Earth
Nov 10, 2011
Earth scientist and remote-sensing expert Shannon Franks describes how there is more to NASA than space exploration
How big is your footprint?
Oct 13, 2011
Phil Marshall says the onus is on physicists to reduce their own carbon footprint
Mind over matter: public opinion and the climate and energy debates
Sep 16, 2011
The Fukushima accident has led several countries to change their policy on nuclear power, proving public opinion matters. Researcher Nick Pidgeon talked to environmentalresearchweb about public attitudes to risk, belief in climate change, how researchers should communicate to dispel "climate fatigue" and his latest project investigating public attitudes to changes in the energy system.
Wine industry must plan for climate change adaptation
Sep 9, 2011
The global wine industry is worth billions of dollars. But climate change could have a critical impact. Marc Metzger and Mark Rounsevell from the University of Edinburgh, UK, reveal more.
Geo-engineering: green versus greed in the race to cool the planet
Aug 12, 2011
Critics fear that manipulating weather patterns could have a calamitous effect on poorer countries (from the Guardian)
What's going on with the Sun?
Jul 11, 2011
Recent research suggests that the Sun could be heading into a quiet spell
Warning: extreme weather ahead
Jun 17, 2011
Tornados, wildfires, droughts and floods were once seen as freak conditions. But the environmental disasters now striking the world are shocking signs of 'global weirding' (from the Guardian)