It’s the data (not just the models), scientists emphasize

It wasn’t so many years ago that political elections consultant James Carville made famous the phrase “It’s the economy, Stupid.”

Ice has no ideology - it just melts!

When it comes to climate change science, “it’s the data!” The data, that is, being far more than the models that those contesting the science often seek to characterize as the be-all and end-all of climate science understanding.

Which is not to diminish or side-step the value and importance of climate models in understanding Earth’s planetary system and its reactions to climate-forcing additives. It’s just to keep models in their right place relative to empirical data and evidence.

That’s the basic message of this month’s new “This is Not Cool” video for Yale Climate Connections.

Read the Yale Climate Connections story and watch the video - “It’s the data (not just the models), scientists emphasize.”

If a city were designed for walking, you could leave your home and stroll down the block to the enticing aroma of fresh pastries. Then, after a quick stop at the corner bakery, you might walk past a community park and into the office where you work.

A neighbourhood like this would make it easier to live without cars, help break our dependence on fossil fuels, and reduce global warming pollution. But many modern U.S. cities are not designed for walking.
Read the Yale Climate Connections story - “Cities Weigh Re-designs to Encourage Walking.”

It's cold in Minneapolis, but cycling is taking hold

Cycling is about more
than just getting to
work for
Emily Stumpf.

Minneapolis, Minnesota has the coldest average winter temperature of any major metropolitan area in the U.S., but despite these legendary winters, it is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the nation, with 226 miles of bikeways.

Only about one half of one percent of Americans bike to work. But in Minneapolis, four percent of commuters cycled to work in 2014. And for Emily Stumpf it doesn’t stop with the morning commute.

Read the Yale Climate Connections story - “Biking in Minneapolis.”

Largest industry vulnerable to climate change

Chris Christiaens.

Agriculture is Montana’s largest industry, and that makes the state’s economy especially vulnerable to climate change.

Chris Christiaens is a lobbyist for the Montana Farmers Union and a former state senator. He says climate change poses many problems for farmers and ranchers, such as droughts and forest fires.

Read, and listen to the Yale Climate Connections story – “Global Warming and Agriculture in Montana.”

Even a Single Tree Makes a Difference

Sometimes it feels like the problem of climate change is so large that there’s nothing a single person can do.

But Paul Trianosky, chief conservation officer with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, disagrees.

Read the Yale Climate Connections story - “Even a Single Tree Makes a Difference.”

Global warming erodes our best climate change ally

During photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide, and store it above and below ground – locking it away until they die and decay.

This long-term carbon sequestration makes forests one of our best defenses against climate change. But what will happen as temperatures rise?

Conventional wisdom says as soils warm and forests become more productive, the increase in leaves, sticks, and other organic materials that fall to the ground will add even more carbon to the soil.

Read the Yale Climate Connections story - “Soils Affected by Global Warming.”