Scientists have talked for years about the impact global climate will have on our planet.  Some are even speculating that, at this point, there are some things that have happened as a result of the changing climate that are already irreversible. For example, mountain glaciers are in alarming retreat and the downstream effects of reduced water supply in the driest months may already be a foregone conclusion. Did you know that global climate change is having an impact on your health now? Some scientists say that impact may also be irreversible. Catastrophic weather such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes,... Read More

Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to something... Read More

You may have already noticed some sniffles and sneezes from pollen and other spring allergens. That’s because allergy season is starting earlier than it has in years past.  In a recent paper written by a plant physiologist at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, the authors considered temperature and pollen trends in the Northern Hemisphere going back decades. The paper, published in Lancet, found a clear correlation between the change in temperature, the change and the increase in the length of the allergy season, and also the amount of pollen that’s being recorded. What does this... Read More

Monday morning was just the start of a week-long climate change protest that is being led by Extinction Rebellion Denver. 5 people were arrested in Monday’s protest, which saw activists blocking the intersection at Broadway and 9th. Extinction Rebellion Denver aims to bring awareness to climate change through non-violent civil disobedience. Protesters began their peaceful march at Speer Boulevard and Bannock, where they stayed for at least one light cycle. Arrests occurred once the protestors had reached Broadway and 9th. “We’re raising awareness to people and to the government about... Read More

If you didn’t know the Amazon rainforest is on fire, you may be on a media diet or hiding under a rock. The Amazon rainforest, located in northwestern Brazil and extending into Colombia, Peru, and other South American countries, is the world’s largest tropical rainforest. It has been called the planet’s lungs because its vast forests release oxygen and store carbon dioxide. Some scientists say a better way to understand the Amazon’s role is as a sink, draining heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Currently, the world is emitting around 40 billion tons of CO2 into the... Read More

Viewing art can be confusing and displeasing for many students. Modern art especially has garnered a reputation for confusing the viewer only for the sake of intellectual elitism. However, what I have come to understand about artforms of just about every sort is that the meaning itself is something abstract, even with art pieces which one might look at and not think to extract any sense whatsoever. Art must inevitably be what a person makes of it. When it comes to looking at art, one can view the evidence in front of them and make a decision based on that. Indeed, if one wishes to see art in a... Read More

No, the B Corp is not some new Transformers sequel or some government program designed to eliminate the lingering ills of the 2008 recession. The B Corp is a certification: nothing more than a label, plain and simple. It’s not even an official legal registration designation, it’s simply a signal to consumers that a company intends to behave in an ethically, socially responsible way and, in turn, the company intends to be held accountable for that promise. According to B Lab, the organization that issues the B Corp certification, “B Corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit... Read More

This past year, states all across the nation have been significantly increasing the percentage of renewable energy that they are aiming to achieve. On this past Wednesday, the 7th of October, new renewable energy goals for California were signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown. The San Francisco Gate reported on the event. This bill requires that “by the end of 2030, half of California’s electricity will come from the wind, the sun and other renewable sources under a new law that sets one of the country’s most ambitious clean-energy targets”. Some other states that have done so already this... Read More

After the publication of the International Report on Climate Change by the United Nations, a few things were made very clear according to an article on TheGuardian.com. One of the truths that rang loudest is that carbon emission reductions will be a necessity in order to decrease the severity of the impacts of climate change. Reducing the amount of atmospheric carbon an individual pollutes can be very difficult. While someone might be very carbon conscious, they may have no control over certain aspects of life that create pollution. The U.S.’s Energy Information Administration’s website and... Read More