climate change

Republicans declare victory on Inslee's climate bill

Austin Jenkins — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:47:16 +0000

In the coming months, Washington state will embark on a study of the best ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The research is one provision of a measure Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Tuesday. It’s a key legislative win for the Democrat. So why are Republicans declaring victory?

Governors' letter reignites NW coal exports debate

Bellamy Pailthorp — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:07:55 +0000

The debate over proposed coal export terminals in the Northwest is heating up again after the governors of Washington and Oregon sent a letter to the White house on the issue.

Gov. Inslee's climate change bill passes, controversy continues

Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:05:05 +0000

A bill put forward by Gov. Jay Inslee directing the state to figure out how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has passed both houses of the Legislature.

The passage is a big step forward for the environmental lobby and the governor, who has championed clean energy. But there is still a lot of pushback in Olympia.

Climate change pushing water system upgrades

Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:18:31 +0000

Global climate change is a reality that few people now deny. 2012 was the warmest year on record. So what about Seattle’s water supply?

Managers say they need to speed up about $30-million of investment in a backup plan.

About two thirds of Seattle’s water comes from one of the most pristine sources in the nation. The Cedar River Watershed lies in more than 90,000 acres of protected land southeast of the city, near North Bend.

Bird, plane, bacteria? Microbes thrive in storm clouds

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:04:40 +0000

Microbes are known to be able to thrive in extreme environments, from inside fiery volcanoes to down on the bottom of the ocean. Now scientists have found a surprising number of them living in storm clouds tens of thousands of feet above the Earth. And those airborne microbes could play a role in global climate.

It's been known for a long time that there are microscopic life forms floating around high above our heads. Researchers have collected them from the air above rain forests and mountains. They've found them in snow and hail.

Seattle planners predict bigger flood zones due to climate change

Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:23:27 +0000

It’s data that’s been collected and analyzed for several years now.

But predictions on how high tides and extreme storm events might combine to cause flooding in Seattle are seeming less and less like science fiction.

The City has unveiled a new map, showing huge areas that are much more likely to end up waterlogged during storms. And it says the estimates are no longer considered extreme.

Climate change report shows major impacts for Northwest

Bellamy Pailthorp — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:34:00 +0000

Imagine a future in which major areas of Seattle’s waterfront are flooded because of rising tides.

Businesses that front on Elliot Bay, including the famous Edgewater Hotel, or parks such as Myrtle Edwards or Golden Gardens, would have to adjust to storm surges more than six feet higher than we’re used to.

According to a new federal report on climate change, that future is just a few decades away.

'Astonishing' Arctic ice melt sets new record

Richard Harris — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:46:33 +0000

Arctic sea ice has melted dramatically this summer, smashing the previous record. The Arctic has warmed dramatically compared with the rest of the planet, and scientists say that's what's driving this loss of ice.

To be sure, ice on the Arctic Ocean always melts in the summer. Historically, about half of it is gone by mid-September. But this year, three-fourths of the ice has melted away, setting a dramatic new benchmark.

"It didn't just touch the record, it really drove right through it," says Ted Scambos at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, at the University of Colorado.

NOAA: This summer was third hottest on record

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 05:13:22 +0000

Today in Washington, D.C. we got our first taste of fall. It was crisp and in the low 60s. And just as we slide into the last days of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published its summer 2012 recap.

It's exactly what you were expecting: It was really hot.

Dash of salt in clouds may fight global warming, UW scientist says

KPLU — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 22:00:38 +0000

By Todd Bishop of Geekwire

A group of scientists, including a University of Washington atmospheric physicist, wants to test the theory that pumping sea salt into the sky over the ocean would combat global warming by creating clouds that reflect more sunlight back into space.

Climate change is real for Northwest tribes in DC this week

Bellamy Pailthorp — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:25:45 +0000

Extreme weather patterns on the east coast have become evidence for many people lately that global warming is actually happening.

Here in the Northwest, coastal tribes have been dealing with the realities of melting glaciers, rising sea levels and ocean acidification for years.

Many are headed to Washington DC this week for what’s being billed as an inaugural First Stewards symposium on climate change. The idea comes from coastal tribal leaders in this Washington.

Could this weekend's weather be a sign of global warming? Check back, in decades

Keith Seinfeld — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:43:14 +0000

Yet another weekend that beats the work-week, when it comes to sunshine--that's the forecast from KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass, of the University of Washington.

But, it won't exactly be warm and sunny.

Climate change could cost Wash. $10 billion a year; state crafting response

Bellamy Pailthorp — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:20:58 +0000

Climate change is happening, and not preparing for it could cost the state $10 billion a year by 2020.

That’s according to the Department of Ecology, which has just released a response strategy to changing climate conditions.

Kids go to court to protest state’s inaction on climate change

KPLU News Staff — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:04:15 +0000

A King County Superior Court judge is set to hear arguments this afternoon, in a case brought by kids about climate change. The young plaintiffs, who filed complaints against the Governor and several state agencies last May, are seeking an effective climate recovery plan from government. The State has filed a motion to dismiss the case.

Today’s hearing is part of an international youth campaign launched by the iMatter Trust. Young people have filed legal actions across the nation as well as a federal lawsuit to compel governments to protect and restore the atmosphere. According to the organization’s website, a federal hearing has not been set.

Is Amazon.com sustainable?

Bellamy Pailthorp — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 01:44:02 +0000

Amazon.com has been thriving, despite the economic downturn. Shares in the company are now worth more than five times a much as they were five years ago, thanks in part to innovations such as its electronic book reader, the Kindle, or its move into data storage of all kinds of things "in the cloud."

But it's just these futuristic lines of business that have some shareholders worried.