Voting matters: Sand dunes block ocean views and are pricey to build, but they can also save homes from massive storm surges. And that’s what they did for many New York coastal communities during Hurricane Sandy – except for the ones that voted against dune construction six years ago. Oops. New York Times
Climate on cable: Showtime's latest project can’t possibly be as riveting as Homeland, but the newly announced documentary series on climate change is far more important. This is a first-of-a-kind big network deep dive into climate change, executed by some of Hollywood’s biggest names. James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger are executive producers, and a bunch of 60 Minutes vets will be guiding production. What's next? Dexter dumping bodies off Miami's sinking coastline? Hey, we'd watch it. Climate Progress
A serious sit-in: Two protesters have gone to new heights -- or depths -- blocking construction of the Keystone XL pipeline that would transport Canada's tar sands oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast. They have anchored themselves inside the pipeline itself. This could get ugly. Salon
Hydrofracking and hormones: Finally, someone is conducting long-term tests on the air quality around fracking sites. And the results are none-too-encouraging. Dozens of pollutants -- including many chemicals that disrupt endocrine systems in humans -- were discovered in the air surrounding these natural gas wells. InsideClimate News
Free speech, sort of: Most of the news out of the UN climate talks in Doha is ... blah. But here’s something uplifting: the first ever public protest in Qatar just happened this weekend, and it was about climate change. Sure, there were all kinds of rules about what the protesters could and couldn't wear/say/chant/protest. But hey, it's progress! Treehugger
Sandy's bigger, meaner sister: There’s a massively destructive typhoon bearing down on the Philippines right at this very moment, putting hundreds of thousands of lives at risk. Send some positive thoughts to those in Bopha's path. Al Jazeera, WunderBlog
Satisfaction "runs deep": Apparently, Chevy Volt drivers are wicked "satisfied." The plug-in hybrid isn’t just "Car of the Year," it’s also the most positively reviewed car by the owners themselves. Treehugger
App for splat: This are some gross smartphone apps out there, but here's one that will help advance science, the kind of science that could prevent road pizza. When you spot roadkill, you snap a photo, upload all the metadata (location, time, speed limit), and feed a big database that could help wildlife biologists better understand wildlife movement and the dangers posed by America’s roadways. Weekend Edition
Clippings for a cause: Wait, this is even grosser. A South African artist is protesting rhino slaughter by ... sending toenail clippings to a Chinese embassy. You see, the Chinese create some big demand for rhino horns for their healing properties, and toenails are essentially the same material. We like the message, but pity the poor assistant opening up those envelopes. Yale Environment 360
Tips: @OnEarthMag (tag it #greenreads)
Image: Xavier Moisant
