{"id":14277,"date":"2010-12-28T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2010-12-28T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=14204"},"modified":"2010-12-28T13:30:00","modified_gmt":"2010-12-28T12:30:00","slug":"top-10-global-weirding-environment-stories-of-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/top-10-global-weirding-environment-stories-of-2010\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Global Weirding & Environment Stories of 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This is a difficult list to come up with when you cover these topics every day. There are so many big stories, many of which never even hit the mainstream media. Well, I know these are popular (I’m drawn in to them, too) and it’s always useful to reflect a little… So, here’s my Top 10 List (although, in now special order… coming up with 10 is hard enough, ordering them is a torturous task):<\/p>\n

The 2010 U.S. Elections<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While we haven’t seen the environmental impact of these elections yet, you can be sure we will. In regards to the Senate’s outright obstructionism, which is holding the welfare of U.S. citizens, the economy, and the environment hostage,\u00a0Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)<\/strong><\/a> recently said, “if they think it\u2019s bad now,\u00a0wait till next year.” Read more here:\u00a0NY Times on GOP\u2019s Intention to Attack EPA & Country<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo Credit: CR Artist<\/a><\/p>\n

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Image Credits: iStockphoto\/Thinkstock;(graph) NASA\/GSFC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2010 = Hottest Meteorological Year on Record<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As Science<\/a><\/em> writes, “The 2010 meteorological year, which ended on 30 November, was the warmest in NASA\u2019s 130-year record.”<\/p>\n

Of course, we covered this story throughout the year, which saw the hottest March, April<\/a>, May<\/a>, June, August (in some records), September (in some records), and November<\/a> on record, as well as the hottest temperature in a single location<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We are yet to find out if 2010 was the hottest calendar year on record (or ‘only’ in the top 3).<\/p>\n

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\"flooding<\/a><\/h3>\n

<\/strong>Catastrophic, Unprecedented Floods in Pakistan and Other Parts of Asia<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite very little attention in the U.S., Pakistan’s worst disaster in modern history<\/strong><\/a> was a huge issue, as well as major floods in other areas of the country.<\/p>\n

TIME\u2019s Bryan Walsh<\/a> called these floods the \u201cbiggest humanitarian disaster in recent memory\u2014bigger even than the earthquake that hit Haiti in January and the 2004 Asian tsunami<\/strong>\u201d and correctly notes that \u201cthe unrelenting rains that have produced the Asian flood is the sort of extreme weather that is likely to become more common with climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo Credit:\u00a0DFID \u2013 UK Department for International Development<\/a><\/p>\n

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Russia Fires<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Russia experienced its worst fires<\/strong><\/a> in over a decade. The fires were due to Russia experiencing its hottest summer on record and massive drought (global weirding anyone?). The crop failures and human hardship and death that resulted are, unfortunately, a sign of things to come if we don’t clean up our act fast.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Natalia Kolesnikova\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

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Death of a Climate & Clean Energy Bill<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Republican obstructionism, media’s horrible coverage of climate change, a lack of societal demand, and Obama’s weak approach to this topic are a few of the key reasons a climate and clean energy bill<\/strong><\/a> couldn’t make it through Congress in 2010, one of the most disappointing events of the year or of history, in general.<\/p>\n

Of course, Republican opposition to a market-based method of action that party came up with years ago shows you how far we’ve come (or gone backwards) on addressing perhaps the most critical issue in human history.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: tbower<\/a><\/p>\n

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BP Oil Spill<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Yes, this was a given, not because it was any bigger (environmentally) than other stories on the list (although, partly because it was such a huge environmental disaster), but because, for once, the media gave this adequate coverage (for obvious reasons — it was visible, location- and time-specific).<\/p>\n

And as Grist<\/a> notes, “Then everything changed. And by everything we mean nothing.”<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: IBRRC<\/a><\/p>\n

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NASA images by Robert Simmon, based on data from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Climate Science Finds a Ton More Evidence that We’re Screwing Ourselves (or, more accurately, our children and grandchildren), Even Worse than Previously Thought<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the finding that global warming can be blamed for a 40% decline in the ocean\u2019s phytoplankton\u00a0to the\u00a0finding that future temperatures could exceed human livability<\/strong><\/a> to the finding that sea levels could rise 3 times faster than the IPCC has estimated to the possible creation of astounding, decades-long droughts<\/strong><\/a> to the fact that soils are emitting more CO2 as the world warms to the possibility that we are causing the largest mass extinction in the fossil record and currently have put about 1\/5 of all animal species at risk of extinction<\/strong><\/a> to the fact that we could increase temperatures\u00a013-18\u00b0F over most of the U.S. and 27\u00b0F in the Arctic in the next 50 years, the top climate science stories of the year<\/strong><\/a> are not uplifting.<\/p>\n

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China’s Huge Investments in Clean Tech<\/strong><\/h3>\n

From the continuous implementation of the world’s largest high-speed rail network with the fastest trains<\/strong><\/a> to plans to help construct high-speed rail lines that go all the way to Europe<\/strong><\/a> to solar and wind energy projects<\/strong><\/a> that dwarf the biggest out there today, China’s investment in clean tech<\/strong><\/a> is absolutely astounding. At least one major country is focusing on this critical topic.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit:\u00a0Magalie L\u2019Abb\u00e9<\/a><\/p>\n

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“Monsanto Goes Limp”<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Why is that in quotation marks? Because I’m stealing this one from Grist<\/a>. A great selection,.. & here’s what they write:<\/p>\n

For about a decade, Monsanto swaggered around the ag scene — wowing Wall Street, conquering the Corn Belt, and appointing itself the sole option for feeding a climate-changed, overpopulated world. What a difference a year makes! In 2010, the GMO-seed giant finally had to acknowledge its seeds led to the rise “superweeds<\/a>,” and\u00a0farmers are pissed<\/a>. Its\u00a0trumped-up yield claims<\/a> have sparked aninvestigation by the state of West Virginia<\/a>, and theJustice Department is looking askance<\/a> at its anti-competitive practices. Meanwhile,\u00a0Wall Street has abandoned the company<\/a>, which has been called “the worst stock of 2010<\/a>,” and some critics (like our own Tom Philpott) are speculating that Monsanto’s real trouble is fundamental:\u00a0its technology is flaccid<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Photo Credit: David Blackwell<\/a><\/p>\n

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Consumption, Daily Transportation, Diet<\/strong><\/h3>\n

And here’s one stimulated by Joe Mohr’s answer to my question “what are the top environmental stories of the year so far<\/strong><\/a>” in the middle of the year. Joe said:<\/p>\n

Same as it is every year; the creation of cheap useless crap. Our economy (based on chrematistics) creates phony needs for useless junk. We then deal with the environmental outfall of producing, transporting, consuming, and wasting said junk. The whole process is a toxic mess that poisons our air, water, and soil. Until we can really discern between needs and wants with our own critical minds, this environmental, economic, and social disaster will perpetuate.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I would add onto this our irresponsible addiction to and daily dependence on automobiles, coal<\/strong><\/a>, and a meat-based diet<\/strong><\/a>. These are the drivers of the environmental problems that damage our health, quality of life, and future livability on our planet.<\/p>\n

Want to do something to help the environment in 2011?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Go Solar<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Green Your Transport<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Go Vegetarian (or Vegan)<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This is a difficult list to come up with when you cover these topics every day. There are so many big stories, many of which never even hit the mainstream media. Well, I know these are popular (I’m drawn in to them, too) and it’s always useful to reflect a little… So, here’s my Top […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,12,13,17,21,22,30,31,35,38],"tags":[576,581,3063,5189,6903,7270,7352,7463,7678,8575,10147,12140,12149,13407,13635,15298,17611,17619,22203,23174,23760,26683,30462,30463,30464,31280,35401,35402,35680,36035,37081],"spectra_custom_meta":{"dsq_thread_id":["306376610"],"_oembed_f14913bdfe741d3a3b7c287fcf68d7a8":["