Today's Drilling Rush Looks as Crude as Whale Oil Folly

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• It's Hard to Go Green With the Economy in the Red

  Oct 7, 08 11:24 AM CDT
  Bad days on Wall Street are bad news for environmentalists, too. The financial crisis doubles as a boon for critics of proposed greenhouse gas regulations, writes Margaret Kriz for Yale Environment 360. In its aftermath, politicians will be loath to pass laws that hike carbon-based fuel prices and wary of a "cap-and-trade" system that hands control of greenhouse gas emissions to commodities traders.
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• Ancient Ice Find Cools Warming Fears

  Sep 19, 08 6:41 AM CDT
  Canadian scientists have found the oldest chunk of ice in North America, the Globe and Mail reports, a discovery that suggests the earth’s carbon-laden permafrost may be more resistant to global warming than once thought. The 700,000-year-old chunk of Yukon ice has stayed frozen through two ancient, hotter times, which might mean a slower melt than feared for the permafrost that covers a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere’s land mass.
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• Arctic Ice at 2nd-Smallest Level

  Sep 17, 08 2:26 PM CDT
  Arctic sea ice shrunk to its second-lowest size this summer, up 10% from last year's record, reports Reuters. The melting may not appear as noteworthy as that of 2007, said one research scientist, but the season's conditions prove otherwise. Last year's mix of warm air and favorable winds shifted the ice, prodding the melt; this year was cooler and lacked winds, "yet we still came pretty close to the record," said Walt Meier.
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• Plans to Stop Global Warming Straight From Sci-Fi Novels

  Sep 5, 08 3:39 PM CDT
  Scientists worry humans might not curb carbon emissions in time to save the planet from irreversible harm, and some have suggested a radical concept called geo-engineering, the Economist reports. Once the stuff of science fiction, geo-engineering would combat global warming by manipulating the environment. While promising, critics warn ecological consequences could be disastrous and might encourage nations to continue using fossil fuels. More »

• New Way to Fight Global Warming: Wipe Your Feet

  Sep 3, 08 7:30 PM CDT
  Global warming could make it easier for non-native plants to take root on the Arctic's Svalbard archipelago, but one researcher is fighting the problem on the ground level, Der Spiegel reports. Chris Ware has set up shop at Longyearbyen’s airport, where he cleans arriving passengers' shoes. "Dirt almost always contains seeds," he said. "Sometimes it is one, sometimes it is 30 or 40." More »