TOP STORY

Arctic Melt: Thinning Up Top

Yesterday we brought news of a massive ice shelf collapse in Antarctica.  Today our attention is drawn north, where NASA reports that the total volume of sea ice in the Arctic reached a record low last summer, and that the existing ice cover is also thinning.  Thin ice that melts and re-freezes every year now makes up about 70% of the Arctic, up from 40%-50% two decades ago. Thick ice that has lasted two or more years has fallen to about 10%, down from 30%-40%, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. (See animation below.) [Guardian]

Related:

• Satellites Show Arctic on Literally Thin Ice [NASA]

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Now Back Down South

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared at the " first-ever joint session of the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting." Of the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, Clinton said, "The genius of the Antarctic Treaty lies in its relevance today. It was written to meet the challenges of an earlier time, but it and its related instruments remain a key tool in our efforts to address an urgent threat of this time, climate change, which has already destabilized communities on every continent, endangered plant and animal species, and jeopardized critical food and water sources."  [Environmental News Service]

The Early Death of China's Eco-Cities

Back in 2005, the world took notice as China announced plans for the ultimate "eco-city," Dongtan.  "The visionary project called for a grassy island near the crowded metropolis of Shanghai to be transformed from a marshy backwater into a gleaming community of energy-efficient buildings housing 50,000 people. Waste was to have been recycled as fuel and the waterfronts were to be lined with sleek micro-windmills."  They hoped to have it settled by 2010, and housing half a million by 2040.  Today, it seems as if the project has been abandoned.  [Yale Environment 360]

 

Cap-and-Something

You're likely familiar with cap-and-trade.  How about: cap-and-auction, cap-and-dividend, cap-and-tax, cap-and-giveaway?  The rush to rebrand an embattled concept is on as the fight for climate legislation gears up.  [Green, Inc.-NY Times]

Dr. King Would Want Climate Justice

On the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, Reverand Lennox Yearwood says that we need to "connect the dots between what's good for our planet and what's good for low-income urban communities" and that Dr. King would stand and fight for an "inclusive green economy."  [Huffington Post]