Climate Change: The Ocean’s “Mood Killer”

by Jessica Schifffigures by Rebecca Senft Under the waves and in the ocean, climate change is like a persistent third wheel. Akin to that friend who always insists on tagging along on your dates, his/her/their presence makes it difficult for you and your significant other to have alone time. In the ocean, climate change continually prevents the seduction and reproductive success of all kinds of … Continue reading Climate Change: The Ocean’s “Mood Killer”

How Kelp Naturally Combats Global Climate Change

by Sylvia Hurlimann figures by Hannah Zucker When we think of kelp, we conjure up images of magical underwater forests. Recent research, however, suggests that in addition to creating beautiful habitats, macroalgae such as kelp play a large role reducing the effects of global warming. Kelp has an incredibly fast growth rate (up to two feet per day) and exports a large portion of its … Continue reading How Kelp Naturally Combats Global Climate Change

Can converting methane into CO2 help reduce climate change?

Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane, contribute to global warming by slowing the rate at which heat energy escapes into space. Although methane is less abundant than CO2, it is several times more potent, absorbing up to 36 times more energy than CO2 over a century. Last year marked the first time that global methane concentrations reached levels 2.5 times greater than … Continue reading Can converting methane into CO2 help reduce climate change?

May 8 – Cities Resting on Slush: Impacts of Climate Change on Earth’s Frozen Regions

Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 8th Location: Pfizer Hall at Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge (link to directions) Speakers: Jordan Wilkerson Graphics: Nick Lue The Arctic Circle has been getting slushier over the past century. The culprit is climate change. From Russia to Canada to Alaska, roads and buildings are beginning to collapse under the melting soil on which they rest. But humans aren’t the only ones … Continue reading May 8 – Cities Resting on Slush: Impacts of Climate Change on Earth’s Frozen Regions

November 7 – Fighting Back Against Climate Change: Altering Earth’s Atmosphere

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, November 7th Location: Armenise Amphitheater at Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston (link to directions) Speakers: Zhen Dai and Colleen Golja Graphics: Abby Knecht Solar geoengineering, the large-scale deliberate manipulation of Earth’s incoming radiation, is a contentious idea proposed as a tool to help fight the impacts of climate change. In this lecture we seek to highlight how the world is currently fighting … Continue reading November 7 – Fighting Back Against Climate Change: Altering Earth’s Atmosphere

Biomass over Coal: Burning Different Carbon to Mitigate Climate Change

by Jordan Wilkerson figures by Daniel Utter Ever since the Industrial Revolution around 150 years ago, most of the electricity used in the United States has come from burning fossil fuels. These fuels, such as coal and oil, are all made of carbon. They’re such an important form of the element that the name “carbon” comes from the Latin word for coal. However, burning all … Continue reading Biomass over Coal: Burning Different Carbon to Mitigate Climate Change

Episode 11: Exploring our Oceans–the cross-talk between marine life and climate change

The oceans cover 70% of our planet, but did you know that less than 5% of the ocean floor has been explored? In the face of rapid climate change, ocean scientists are racing to understand what makes a healthy ocean and how rapid changes in ocean temperature, currents and chemistry will affect biodiversity, fishing, tourism, land erosion and myriad of other aspects that will affect … Continue reading Episode 11: Exploring our Oceans–the cross-talk between marine life and climate change

Engineering the Earth to Fight Climate Change

by Katie Dagon Imagine if we had an “undo” button for climate change – we could remove all the greenhouse gases from the air or cool the planet’s temperature in an instant. While this might sound like science fiction, the basic idea is not as far off as you might think. Reducing fossil fuel use is really important, but also really difficult. And even if … Continue reading Engineering the Earth to Fight Climate Change