The Paris Agreement

Climate is always changing—now it’s us

Clean Lakes Alliance

Renew the Blue: A Community Guide for Cleaner Lakes & Beaches in the Yahara Watershed

Renew the Blue: A Community Guide for Cleaner Lakes & Beaches in the Yahara Watershed is the culmination of 2.5 years of planning and community engagement. Led by a cross-sector “compact” of diverse groups, the initiative seeks to drive further progress toward cleaner, healthier lakes. By spotlighting a more participatory path forward, all of us are called upon to be a part of the solution by adopting a new water ethic. Renew the Blue points to specific actions that, if collectively implemented, will unleash the untapped potential of our lakes in ways that have so far proved elusive.  We invite you to join us and play an important role in this community renewal effort. While our individual actions may seem small on their own, we know they are cumulatively powerful in shaping the world as we’d like to see it.

Learn More

Art and climate science collide at San Francisco’s Exploratorium
~ San Francisco Examiner, 12/15/2023

I'm a Climate Scientist. I'm Not Screaming Into the Void Anymore.
~ The New York Times, 11/18/2023

Scientists: Atmospheric carbon might turn lakes more acidic
~ Madison.com, 12/20/2022

Key climate change numbers for 2022
~ Chemical & Engineering News, 9/20/2022

Let’s Not Pretend Planting Trees Is a Permanent Climate Solution
~ The New York Times, 6/4/2022

Report: Scales tipping against walleye; time to get hooked on new fish
~ UW News, 5/10/2022

Q&A: Limnologist Hilary Dugan warns of warming Madison lakes
~ The Cap Times, 3/6/2022

Using Science and Celtic Wisdom to Save Trees (and Souls)
~ The New York Times, 2/24/2022

How to Talk About Climate Change Across the Political Divide
~ The New Yorker, 9/16/2021

Can We Find a New Way to Tell the Story of Climate Change?
~ The New Yorker, 9/15/2021

The effects of climate change
~ The New York Times, 6/24/2021

Net Zero by 2050 — A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector
~ IEA.org

Climate Change Indicators in the United States
~ EPA.gov

Why Bitcoin is Bad for the Environment
~ The New Yorker, 4/22/2021

The Science of Climate Change Explained: Facts, Evidence and Proof
~ The New York Times, 4/19/2021

A Climate Change Guide for Kids
~ The New York Times, 4/19/2021

Winter is Alive! lights up Madison with art about climate change
~ Madison.com, 2/8/2021

Science mom: UW scientist joins campaign to teach fellow mothers about climate change
~ Madison.com, 2/8/2021

Belching Cows and Endless Feedlots: Fixing Cattle’s Climate Issues
~ The New York Times, 10/21/2020

Bringing the chill of the cosmos to a warming planet
~ The Washington Post, 10/7/2020

New England’s Forests Are Sick. They Need More Tree Doctors.
~ The New York Times, 10/7/2020

Climate Disruption Is Now Locked In. The Next Moves Will Be Crucial.
~ The New York Times, 9/22/2020

How Climate Migration Will Reshape America
~ The New York Times, 9/15/2020

It’s not just cars that make pollution. It’s the roads they drive on, too.
~ Science Magazine, 9/3/2020

The Rise of Environmental Justice
~ Chemical & Engineering News, 8/24/2020

Earth’s climate destiny finally seen more clearly
~ Science Magazine, 7/24/2020

Profiles: The Catastrophist
NASA's climate expert delivers the news no one wants to hear
~ The New Yorker, 7/27/2020

The Great Climate Migration Has Begun
~ The New York Times, 7/23/2020

Overlooked No More: Eunice Foote, Climate Scientist Lost to History
~ The New York Times, 4/21/2020

Ice watcher: climatologist carries on 165-year tradition on Madison lakes
~ Madison.com, 3/19/2020

New weather ‘normals’ show how Madison’s climate has changed over 40 years
~ UW News, 1/22/2020

I’m a Climate Scientist Who Believes in God. Hear Me Out.
~ The New York Times, 10/31/2019

Meat Is Murder. But You Know That Already.
~ The New York Times, 9/17/2019

Do We Really Have Only 12 Years to Avoid Climate Disaster?
~ The New York Times, 9/19/2019

How We Respond
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) launched the
How We Respond project in 2019. This project includes a report and multimedia stories
that highlight the ways U.S. communities are actively and effectively responding to
climate change, in particular at the local, state and regional levels, and the critical role
of science and scientists in their response.

3 Billion Birds Gone
~ 3billionbirds.org

CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita)
~ Data from The World Bank

Greta Thunberg to Attend New York Climate Talks. She’ll Take a Sailboat.
~ The New York Times, 7/29/2019

Industrial ammonia production emits more CO2 than any other chemical-making reaction.
Chemists want to change that.

~ Chemical & Engineering News, 6/15/2019

Climate Change Poses Major Risks to Financial Markets, Regulator Warns
~ The New York Times, 6/11/2019

Project: Murky Waters
~ A collaboration from The Capital Times and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.

Introduction to Our Changing Climate
~ National Climate Assessment

Resilience of Yellowstone’s forests tested by unprecedented fire
~ UW News, 5/20/2019

Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’; Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating’
~ Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

How Does Your Love of Wine Contribute to Climate Change?
~ The New York Times, 4/30/2019

Climate Change is Affecting Our Health. Is There a Cure?
TEDxOshkosh
Public health is being impacted by climate change via many pathways—from alterations in infectious disease transmission to water-source compromise, malnutrition, air pollution, and other factors. This talk includes recent analyses that show how mitigating global warming provides extensive health opportunities, as well as major savings in healthcare costs. Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH, is Professor & John P. Holton Chair in Health and the Environment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also directs the Global Health Institute.

Most Teachers Don't Teach Climate Change; 4 In 5 Parents Wish They Did
~ NPR, 4/22/2019

When Global Warming Was Revealed by a Zig-Zagged Curve
~ History.com, 4/16/2019

Two New Books Dramatically Capture the Climate Change Crisis
~ The New York Times, 4/12/2019

Britain (Yes, Rainy Britain) Could Run Short of Water by 2050, Official Says
~ The New York Times, 3/19/2019

When Warren Washington created the first climate model, he had no idea how necessary it was.
He just won the 'Nobel Prize for the environment.'

~ Business Insider, 2/12/2019

Ancient poop helps show climate change contributed to fall of Cahokia
~ UW News, 2/25/2019

Why the future of oil is in chemicals, not fuels
~ Chemical & Engineering News, 2/20/2019

IN MEMORIAM: WALLACE BROECKER
Pioneering Climate Scientist, Wallace Broecker, Dies
~ The Scientist, 2/19/2019
Wallace Broecker, 87, Dies; Sounded Early Warning on Climate Change
~ The New York Times, 2/19/2019

Extreme cold increasingly rare for Wisconsin, but polar vortex could be more common in warmer climate
~ Wisconsin State Journal, 1/30/2019

Reddit competes to visualize Madison’s prized Lake Mendota ice data
~ UW News, 2/12/2019

Wisconsin joins state-led effort to implement Paris climate accord policies
~ The Capital Times, 2/12/2019

The Tiny Swiss Company That Thinks It Can Help Stop Climate Change
~ The New York Times, 2/12/2019

Climate Change Could Leave Thousands of Lakes Ice-Free
~ The New York Times, 2/5/2019

If the Earth Is Warming, Why Is It So Cold Outside?
~ The New York Times, 1/28/2019

As the climate warms, tens of thousands of lakes may spend winters ice free
~ UW News, 1/28/2019

Industrial Agriculture, an Extraction Industry Like Fossil Fuels, a Growing Driver of Climate Change
~ Inside Climate News, 1/25/2019

Annual water use in Madison drops by a billion gallons in six years
~ City of Madison, 1/17/2019

Greenland’s Melting Ice Nears a ‘Tipping Point,’ Scientists Say
~ The New York Times, 1/21/2019

Climate Change's Giant Impact on the Economy: 4 Key Issues
~ The New York Times, 1/17/2019

With fire, warming and drought, Yellowstone forests could be grassland by mid-century
~ UW News, 1/17/2019

Antarctic ice sheet could suffer a one-two climate punch
~ UW News, 1/14/2019

Bucking trend, Wisconsin utilities burned more coal in 2017;
environmentalists warn against gas investments

~ The Wisconsin State Journal, 1/14/2019

Ocean Warming Is Accelerating Faster Than Thought, New Research Finds
~ The New York Times, 1/10/2019

2018 ends as second-wettest year recorded in Madison
~ The Wisconsin State Journal, 1/1/2019

Going Nowhere Fast on Climate, Year After Year
~ The New York Times, 12/29/2018

Humans may be reversing the climate clock, by 50 million years
~ UW News, 12/10/2018

The Planet Has Seen Sudden Warming Before. It Wiped Out Almost Everything.
~ The New York Times, 12/7/2018

Changing evangelical minds on climate change
~ IOPscience, 11/14/2018

The World Needs to Quit Coal. Why Is It So Hard?
~ The New York Times, 11/24/2018

Climate Change Is Already Hurting U.S. Communities, Federal Report Says
~ NPR, 11/23/2018
Read the full report

Confronting the Challenges of Climate Change
Ted Brown 90th Birthday and Research Symposium
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
~ University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

How Extreme Weather Is Shrinking the Planet
~ The New Yorker, 11/26/2018

Rural America’s Own Private Flint: Polluted Water Too Dangerous to Drink
~ The New York Times, 11/3/2018

More than 2 billion people lack safe drinking water. That number will only grow.
~ Science News, 8/16/2018

Startling new research finds large buildup of heat in the oceans, suggesting a faster rate of global warming
~ The Washington Post, 10/31/2018

Sports Videos Give Clues to Climate Change
Archived footage of cycling races and other events can help ecologists track the timing of plants’ leafing and flowering.
~ The Scientist, 10/1/2018

Project Drawdown
The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming.

The Weather Guys
Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin are professors in the Department of Atmospheric
and Oceanic Sciences at UW-Madison. They are also guests on the Larry Meiller's
WHA-AM radio show the last Monday of each month at 11:45 a.m.

The Bearded Seal My Son May Never Hunt
The Inupiat, northern indigenous people with communities from Alaska to Greenland,
have sustained themselves with these seals for thousands of years in the Bering Sea.
Climate change threatens this tradition.
~ The New York Times, 10/20/2018

Planet has only until 2030 to stem catastrophic climate change, experts warn
~ CNN.com, 10/8/2018
Read the IPCC Report

Florida Is Having a 10-Month Streak of Toxic Red Tide
~ The Scientist, 8/10/2018

Nitrous oxide from Tibetan permafrost packs global warming punch
~ Chemical & Engineering News, 7/31/2018

Can Plants and Trees Change the Weather?
~ UW News, 7/18/2018

Climate Change Is Killing the Cedars of Lebanon
~ The New York Times, 7/18/2018

Why We Need a More Activist Academy
~ Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/15/2018

Assessment of methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas supply chain
~ Science Magazine, 6/25/2018

Joe Parisi: Area Lake Flooding is Climate Change Issue That Should Catch Attention
of State, National Naysayers

~ Madison.com, 6/21/2018

We Aren't Teaching What Students Need to Know About Climate Science
~ Chronicle of Higher Education, 6/8/2018

Ask the Weather Guys:
If we stopped emitting carbon dioxide right now, would the Earth stop warming?

~ Madison.com, 6/4/2018

Climate Change is altering lakes and streams, study suggests
~ The New York Times, 1/11/2018

Ask the Weather Guys:
Does this cold wave prove the globe is not warming?
~ Wisconsin State Journal, 1/1/2018

Rising Threat
As the climate changes and seas swell, coastal colleges struggle to prepare
~ Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/6/2017

2017: The Year in Climate
~ The New York Times, 12/6/2017

Climate Change is Here:
Wisconsin is seeing earlier springs, later falls, less snow and more floods

~ Madison.com, 11/15/2017

Massive Government Report Says Climate is Warming and Humans Are the Cause
~ NPR, 11/2/2017
Read the 2017 Climate Science Special Report

Happy Summer Solstice! Here's a guide to the longest day of the year.
~ The Washington Post, 6/21/2017



ACS Climate Science Toolkit

Card Front Card Back

 

Conversations in Science: Global Warming

Open to Graduate Students in the Natural Sciences
Monday, September 16 4:00-6:00pm
Chemistry Building Study Room (Room 1371)

Join us for an interactive session on the science of climate change, greenhouse gases, and ocean acidification!

Climate change affects everyone, so everyone should understand why the climate is changing and what it means for them, their children and generations to follow.

Concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere are higher and increasing faster than at any time in the past 1 million years. The average temperature of Earth is increasing, ice is melting, oceans are acidifying, and extreme weather events are more frequent. Human activities, principally the combustion of fossil fuels, are a major source of greenhouse gases and a major driver of climate change. Individuals and groups must make adaptations to changes that have already occurred. Reducing emissions is required to avoid a warmer planet. Lifestyle decisions that reduce energy consumption are actually meaningful steps. We promote engagement in respectful conversations on climate change and on the policies and actions that individuals, communities and nations might take to mitigate and adapt to what is happening to our planet.

This session is free of charge,
but preregistration is required.

To reserve your spot, please send an email
before Friday, September 13
to
scifun@chem.wisc.edu including
your name, email, and area of study.

 

2019 WSST Conference

The climate is changing:
Investigating the effects on ponds, lakes, and oceans

A workshop at the Wisconsin Society for Science Teachers Conference

Friday, March 8, 2019
9:00-11:00 a.m.
Monona Terrace Convention Center
Madison, WI

Instructors:
Bassam Z. Shakhashiri
Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy, Department of Chemistry, UW-Madison
Jerry A. Bell
Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy, Department of Chemistry, UW-Madison

Engage in hands-on activities and discussion you can use to introduce climate science concepts into the topics you already teach.

Climate science is complicated, but it is based on fundamental concepts from our more familiar sciences. So the complexity offers opportunities to integrate climate science into teaching the concepts already included in your courses. This workshop is designed to help you see how to fit climate science into what you are already doing. The hands-on activities focus on the properties of water (including phase change, heat capacity, solubility, and acid/base chemistry) and how these properties of Earth’s bodies of water are affected by human-caused increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, and the resultant global warming. Many of the activities will be directly usable or easily adaptable for use in your classroom. All the written and projected materials will be available to you electronically for use in your classrooms.

Climate Workshop Information

Conference Schedule

WSST Conference Website

HOME