Articles in this Special Edition

Pausing to Talk About Climate Change Katie Dagon	Is Global Warming Over? Lauren Kuntz	Beyond the Ivory Tower: How Scientists Talk About Climate Change Emily Low
Ecosystem Shift: How Global Climate Change is Reshaping the Biosphere Matthew Schwartz	Earth’s Climate: Stable up to a (Tipping) Point Dan Katzenberger	The Climate Challenges of Developing Nations Ilana Kelsey
	Warmer Climates Not Cool for Migratory Birds Laura Smith

Words from the Editors

We’re facing a rapidly changing, warming world, and the implications of those changes aren’t just matters for future generations to worry about. From melting ice sheets in Greenland to sudden changes in local salamander populations, climate change is making itself felt in the world around us. But many recent climate science discoveries are communicated in ways that lead to misperceptions by the general public–or not communicated at all.

This Special Edition focuses on the present-day and near-future effects of climate change and how scientists are sharing those effects with the general public. We discuss some likely explanations for the global warming hiatus you might’ve heard about recently as well as how the conversation about temperature change has been shaped over the past decade. From the apparent pause in average global temperatures, we move to the question of drastic changes (“tipping points”) and whether human impacts on climate could lead us over the brink. From there, we expand our focus to the biosphere. You’ve probably heard about the risks climate change poses to polar bears, but what happens when migratory birds such as geese and hummingbirds can’t sync up their schedules with an earlier spring?  And what about our interactions with other human societies, especially those in developing countries who aren’t responsible for many greenhouse gas emissions but still feel the brunt of disruptions to temperature and rainfall patterns?

You’ll find the answers to these questions, and much more, in this summer’s Signal to Noise Special Edition.

July 1, 2014.

Happy Reading!
Signal to Noise Editorial Staff