Talking Turkey at COP15

Good news!  The White House announced today that President Obama will attend the COP15 meeting on Wednesday, December 9, on his way to Oslo to accept the Nobel Prize the following day. In the nick of time, for scientists have recently given policymakers even more incentive to come to Copenhagen prepared to talk turkey (in […]

A Bend in the Road: The Copenhagen Two-Step?

Newsflash:  Why are we all going to Copenhagen if President Obama agrees with other western countries that they are not ready to make a real deal?  As the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum wrapped up four days ago, participating world leaders backed a two-step process offered by Danish PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen that would […]

Two Perspectives on Food Security and Climate Change

Today’s NYT (10/23/09) reports that the Nutrition Department of the Swedish National Food Administration  has begun issuing new food guidelines that give equal weight to climate and health.  Noting this new acknowledgment of environmental health law, Ulf Bowman, head of this department, said “We’re used to thinking about safety and nutrition as one thing and […]

Climate Change and Rain

Floods are the big news, within Senegal,  greater West Africa, and internationally.  It’s the rainy season, but the amount of rain is higher than usual, a recent BBC report indicates.  Here in Mermoz, one of the comfortable suburban neighborhoods just north of the university, there’s little evidence of hardship beyond muddy streets and occasional open […]