Climate Change

CAMBRIDGE - When the MIT Museum staff first saw the photos, taken from some of the most remote spots on Earth, they gasped. The modern-day images of mountains, ice, and snow, juxtaposed with black-and-white photos taken from the same vantage points in the Himalayas nearly a century earlier, seemed to show dramatic melting. One brilliantly white glacier wended its way between peaks near Mount Everest in a 1921 photo taken by the mountaineer George Mallory. But in 2007, through the lens of mountaineer David Breashears, who has climbed Everest five times, that same view seemed to be...

The advances made in U.N. climate talks last year appeared at risk Thursday as a rift between rich and poor countries reopened in negotiations aimed at crafting a global pact to stop the planet from overheating. The session in Bonn was meant to build on a deal struck in Durban, South Africa, in December, but the talks were faltering heading into the penultimate day amid disputes over what, exactly, was agreed on last year. Delegates were struggling to reach consensus on the agenda for future talks under the new Durban Platform, with China and others reluctant to close existing...

An additional 150,000 or more Americans could die by the end of this century due to excessive heat caused by climate change, according to a report released Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The New York-based advocacy group, which based its findings on other studies, projects that Midwestern cities will bear the brunt of hotter summers, with 19,000 additional deaths by the end of the century in Louisville, 17,900 in Detroit, and 16,600 in Cleveland. The Midwestern cities are more vulnerable because of their greater temperature...

An additional 150,000 or more Americans could die by the end of this century due to excessive heat caused by climate change, according to a report released Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The New York-based advocacy group, which based its findings on other studies, projects that Midwestern cities will bear the brunt of hotter summers, with 19,000 additional deaths by the end of the century in Louisville, 17,900 in Detroit, and 16,600 in Cleveland. The Midwestern cities are more vulnerable because of their greater temperature...

There's a tendency among voters disgusted by the discord in Washington to declare a pox on both parties, blaming them equally for the partisan rancor and gridlock. Because both sides offer up periodic examples of stubbornness and stupidity, it can be difficult for a casual observer to sort out who is most blameworthy. And that's why a new book by Thomas Mann, a senior fellow in governance studies at the center-left Brookings Institution, and Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, is an important contribution to understanding today's politics.

Four years after Governor Deval Patrick announced ambitious plans to blunt the impact of global warming, the state is falling behind in its efforts to reduce emissions of gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, according to the first comprehensive review of the administration's climate change goals. The report by MassINC, a nonprofit, independent think tank in Boston, found that the state is not on track to meet its interim goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

LOS ANGELES — On a remote island in the Canadian Arctic where no trees grow, a newly unearthed mummified forest is giving researchers a peek into how plants reacted to ancient climate change. That knowledge will be key as scientists begin to tease out the impacts of global warming in the Arctic. The ancient forest found on Ellesmere Island, which lies north of the Arctic Circle in Canada, contained dried-out birch, larch, spruce, and pine trees. Research scientist Joel Barker of Ohio State University discovered it by chance while camping in 2009.

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration sought to gain momentum yesterday for global talks on climate change by announcing details of its plan to require better gas mileage for cars and trucks and to impose tougher rules on vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson released the proposed regulations at the White House, following up on President Obama’s announcement in May that his new government would link emissions and fuel economy standards.

EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. - Every fall, Marilyn Krom tries to make a trip to Vermont to see the state's famously beautiful foliage. This year, the 62-year-old registered nurse noticed something different about the autumn colors. "They're duller, not as sparkly, if you know what I mean," said Krom, of Eastford, Conn., during a visit to Bragg Farm sugarhouse. Others are noticing, too. Hillsides usually riotous with reds, oranges, and yellows have shown their colors only grudgingly in recent years, with many trees going...

New England Aquarium president Bud Ris will give a lecture at 7 p.m. today on the likely effects of climate change on the oceans and the implications for humans. Ris will be speaking at Cary Hall in a free lecture sponsored by the Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition and the League of Women Voters of Lexington. Ris will discuss what climate change will lead to in Massachusetts and other coastal New England states, including what could happen to Boston, and what the likelihood is of an increasing number of extreme weather events.

There's a tendency among voters disgusted by the discord in Washington to declare a pox on both parties, blaming them equally for the partisan rancor and gridlock. Because both sides offer up periodic examples of stubbornness and stupidity, it can be difficult for a casual observer to sort out who is most blameworthy. And that's why a new book by Thomas Mann, a senior fellow in governance studies at the center-left Brookings Institution, and Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, is an important contribution to understanding today's politics.

Among the approximately 350 residents in their 70s, 80s, and beyond living at the continuing care retirement community of Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford, suggestions from their adult children are a frequent topic of conversation. But resident Peggy McKibben may command a little bit more attention than some of her peers when she passes along wisdom from her son, especially if the topic is sustainability or conservation. She is the mother of renowned environmental activist and writer Bill McKibben, author of numerous books including "The End of Nature," "Enough," and most...

The largest-ever United Nations conference, a summit billed as a historic opportunity to build a greener future, appears to be going up in smoke. U.S. President Barack Obama likely won't be there, and the leaders of Britain and Germany have bowed out. The entire European Parliament delegation has canceled. And with fewer than six weeks to go until the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development, negotiations to produce a final statement have stalled amid squabbling. Logistical snags, too, threaten to derail the event.

> Growing up, conversation was one person talking and others listening. Of late, however, most people seem to take an opposing side no matter what the topic, and are more interested in getting their own opinion out than in listening to what their peers have to say. I am not a long-winded person, but I would like to finish a single thought before being cut off and told I'm wrong. What do you think I need to do when conversing with the people in my life? M.D. / Southborough  You frame this change in conversational style as a historical and...

Hundreds of people across New England are drawing attention to what they see as a link between extreme weather events and climate change. Dozens of rallies and demonstrations were held Saturday in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts as part of Climate Impacts Day, a global initiative organized by 350.org, an environmental group founded by Vermont activist Bill McKibben. The theme of the rallies was to "connect the dots" between extreme weather and climate change.

The Globe does a disservice to its readers in attempting to simplify our imperfect understanding of climate change in the article "Climate shift could help struggling N.E. species" (Page A1, April 19). Only one thing is clear — our climate is changing at a fast and disturbing rate, and it is counterproductive to focus on the winners in the game that we are playing with the planet's ecosystems. In fact, research on the effects of climate change on ecosystems indicates that there will likely be far more losers than winners in projected scenarios.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson says the Obama administration plans to take further action to combat climate change. She said the administration plans to further exploit natural gas while also investing in renewable energy, has provided the necessary permits to facilitate offshore wind projects, and lauded Massachusetts for taking a leading role in trying to reduce the dangerous greenhouse gases that trap heat in...

Got questions about the snowless winter? Green Needham has got answers: On Monday, the collaborative is sponsoring a talk on climate change by Brandeis University professor Eric Olson. from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Needham Historical Society, 1147 Central Ave. He will discuss the latest science on climate change and offer help sorting through conflicting messages. He'll cover what scientists are saying about extreme weather, and whether we're already seeing the effects of climate change in New England, as well as what can be done to lessen the impact.