The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a new report on greenhouse gas emissions nationwide that ranks the top sources and measures how much they're offset by carbon sinks like forests. It found that overall emissions have increased 8 percent since 1990 despite a 14 percent increase in the amount of carbon that is getting absorbed by land and forests. Continue reading →

Filed under: Environment, Climate change, greenhouse gases

Amidst his discussion of jobs, the economy, gun control, education, poverty, budget woes and foreign policy, President Barack Obama spent a few minutes on environmental issues in his State of the Union address. Continue reading →

Filed under: Climate change, Energy

Notice anything interesting about this map of climate records for 2012? The rest of the lower 48 states all experienced heat and drought records while parts of Oregon and Washington saw the wettest year on record. Continue reading →

Filed under: Climate change, Weather extremes

Happy Halloween! Continue reading →

Filed under: Climate change, Fish & Wildlife, Frankenstorms

The Environmental Law Education Center is hosting a one-day conference in Portland today to delve into several state programs that are tackling air pollution and climate change. Continue reading →

Filed under: Air, Climate change, Toxics

In the lightning round, for example, each candidate was asked to pick a side on Portland's curbside composting program: Love it or hate it? Continue reading →

Filed under: Climate change, Transportation, Coal exports, Portland

I've reported on how a less than smart power grid and consumer costs could limit wind turbines and electric cars. Continue reading →

Filed under: Climate change, Renewable energy, Electric cars, Rare Earth Metals, Wind energy

Continue reading →

Filed under: Climate change, 350.org, Occupy Portland, Occupy Wall Street

Don't you love reading your work e-mail on Monday morning? After a cold, dark and wet bike ride to work this morning, I sat down at my desk and saw ... that it's time to talk about how climate change could impact autumn. Continue reading →

Filed under: Climate change, Forestry, U.S. Geological Survey

The now ubiquitous carbon footprint calculators (like this one from Seattle Climate Action NOW or this one from Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality), efforts like Washington Department of Ecology's Shrink Your Carbon Footprint Pledge and various community Climate Action Plans (including these from University of Idaho, Multnomah County, and the city of Seattle) have been helping residents become more aware ... Continue reading →

Filed under: Climate change, Land, Sustainability, Carbon dioxide, carbon footprint calculator, Initiative for Rural Innovation and Stewardship, Multnomah County Sustainability Office, Northwest climate change