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Extreme Weather

surviving winter storms

Who Survives Extreme Winter Storms?

Winter kills.  Extreme cold weather affects the elderly and very young children who can’t keep themselves warm, the homeless living on the street, and the poor who have to choose between food or heat.  Also, people who get trapped in their cars, or end up in an auto accident due to slippery roads, are also paying the price of extreme winter weather. The homeless are especially at risk.  When I was in medical school during my vascular surgery rotation at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, one night we amputated both feet of a homeless veteran due to massive frostbite and gangrene.  This happened in a big… Read More »Who Survives Extreme Winter Storms?

What’s Hot in Climate Change – Oct. 2016

Time for another What’s Hot in Climate Change, a summary of the most interesting and/or important climate change stories from the previous month or so.  For those paying attention, horrific news with respect to the climate seems to be coming at an ever increasing pace. There’s also plenty of encouraging news.  The adoption of alternative energy seems to steadily exceed all expectations.  The race is on between the worst effects of climate change, and those measures we take to stop it from happening.  Our fate quite literally hangs in the balance.   Corrected sea level rise estimates or… it’s worse than you know… Read More »What’s Hot in Climate Change – Oct. 2016

What’s Hot in Climate Change – August 2016

Welcome back to What’s Hot in Climate Change, a sample of a few of the stories that stood out from the past few weeks in climate change news. We hope your summer has been a good one so far. It’s been pretty damn hot here in Houston, hot as ever, but even so 2016 is already on track to blow away global records for the hottest year ever recorded. Which brings us to out top stories — a story of fire and ice. Extreme Heat in the Middle East Two places in the Middle East hit 129 degrees fahrenheit (53 centigrade) on July 15th.… Read More »What’s Hot in Climate Change – August 2016

The climate agreement, 2 degrees, and your children’s future

Not too long ago, just after the Paris COP21 climate meeting, I read two interesting articles that contradicted each other.  The first said “COP21: Paris deal far too weak to prevent devastating climate change, academics warn.”  The second was more optimistic, “Rapid switch to renewable energy can put Paris climate goals within reach.” “So which is it?”, I wondered. The first one discussed a letter sent by eleven supposedly prominent climate scientists to The Independent that warned that the climate deal reached at the COP21 gives “false hope” and will result in insufficient action being taken. A few choice quotes… Read More »The climate agreement, 2 degrees, and your children’s future

Sylvia Earle, my new favorite scientist; and other tidbits

Sylvia Earle I was recently listening to the ClimateOne podcast, one of the best podcasts about climate change out there.  They were interviewing Dr. Sylvia Earle, a famous oceanographer and outspoken advocate for the world’s oceans, about the decline of the worlds oceans.  She has been an oceanographer for some time, and is a pioneer in the field for women, and in general.  She was formerly NOAA’s Chief Scientist, among many other accomplishments, and is a National Geographic Explorer in Residence. She’s very well spoken and really brings home the huge declines that have occurred in the world’s oceans due to human… Read More »Sylvia Earle, my new favorite scientist; and other tidbits