3.5 mil years ago, summer temps were ~8°C warmer than today, CO2 was ~400 ppm

Two recent studies on past temperatures… Pliocene Warmth, Polar Amplification, and Stepped Pleistocene Cooling Recorded in NE Arctic Russia Understanding the evolution of Arctic polar climate from the protracted warmth of the middle Pliocene into the earliest glacial cycles in the Northern Hemisphere has been hindered by the lack of continuous, highly resolved Arctic time…

Why Climate Change Is Not an Environmental Issue

This video is to promote general awareness of the science of climate change. It was edited and narrated by @ryanlcooper, using illustrations from around the web. Find more of my stuff athttp://www.ryanlouiscooper.com. It was inspired largely by something David Roberts wrote: http://grist.org/article/2010-08-09-e… Find David at http://grist.org/author/david-roberts/ and @drgrist.

Arctic Ocean ‘acidifying rapidly’

BBC: The Arctic seas are being made rapidly more acidic by carbon-dioxide emissions, according to a new report. Scientists from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) monitored widespread changes in ocean chemistry in the region. They say even if CO2 emissions stopped now, it would take tens of thousands of years for Arctic Ocean chemistry to…

German climate talks: ‘Waiting not an option’ Merkel

DW: At Germany’s annual Petersberg climate talks, German Chancellor Merkel has called for a binding pact by 2015 to reduce carbon emissions. She said inactivity only increased the cost of combating climate change later on. At Monday’s Petersberg Climate Dialogue, as the meeting is officially called, Chancellor Angela Merkel called for an internationally binding climate…