2016-12-24

In Memorium



Piers J. Sellers on a mission to the International Space Station in May 2010. Credit NASA, via Reuters

Piers Sellers, a British-born climate scientist for NASA who remained optimistic about the fate of the Earth despite the grim climate change models he oversaw and who gained American citizenship to fulfill a childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, died Dec. 23 in Houston. He was 61.

The death was confirmed in a statement by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Dr. Sellers, who had been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in October 2015, went public with his diagnosis in a New York Times column in January 2016. He wrote that while he had hoped he would see solutions to the problem of climate change in his lifetime, he was devoted to continuing his climate research until he died.

“There is no convincing, demonstrated reason to believe that our evolving future will be worse than our present, assuming careful management of the challenges and risks,” he wrote, sounding a note of optimism in spite of increasingly drastic changes in the global temperature and precipitation patterns that he studied. “History is replete with examples of us humans getting out of tight spots.”

Piers Sellers, climate scientist turned astronaut, dies at 61 by Harrison Smith, Health & Sciences, Washington Post, Dec 23, 2016

A chronological listing of the news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week.

Sun Dec 18, 2016

As Trump Signals Climate Action Pullback, Local Leaders Push Forward by Tatiana Schlossberg, Science, New York Times, Dec 16, 2016

Actor DiCaprio says climate action is U.S.'s 'biggest economic opportunity' by Megan Rowling, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Dec 17, 2016

What’s Next for Climate Action? by Annie Sneed, Scientific American, Dec 16, 2016

Trump Receives Right-Wing Wish List to Gut Rules on Climate, Nutrition, Wages ...and more! by Deirdre Fulton, Common Dreams, Dec 15, 2016

Nearly half of Republicans favor this kind of carbon tax, contrary to GOP platform by Robert Ferris, CNBC, Dec 12, 2016

Even Republicans Oppose Trump’s Energy Plan by Jeremy Deaton, Nexus Media, Dec 18, 2016

Researchers must convince Trump that science matters, interior secretary says by Rachel Becker, The Verge, Dec 14, 2016

United states of denial: forces behind Trump have run Australia's climate policy for years by Graham Readfearn, Planet Oz, Guardian, Dec 15, 2016

Mon Dec 19, 2016

Atmospheric rivers fueled by climate change could decimate wild oysters in San Francisco Bay by Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, Dec 18, 2016

I’m a scientist who has gotten death threats. I fear what may happen under Trump., Opinion by Michael Mann, Washington Post, Dec 16, 2016

Tomgram: Michael Klare, Donald Trump's Energy Nostalgia and the Path to Hell by Tom Englehardt, TomDispatch, Dec 15, 2016

The hardest part of dealing with sea-level rise will be the uncertainty by Brad Plumer, Energy & Environment, Vox, Dec 16, 2016

Climate Change News That Stuck With Us in 2016, New York Times, Dec 14, 2016

2016 Is Days Away from Sealing Record-Hot Spot by Andrea Thompson, Climate Central, Dec 19, 2016

These are the Trump nominees giving climate scientists nightmares by Andrew Freedman & Maria Gallucci, Mashable, Dec 19, 2016

Arctic ice melt 'already affecting weather patterns where you live right now' by Damien Carrington, Guardian, Dec 19, 2016

Tue Dec 20, 2016

The United States of Climate Change Denial, Sarah Emerson & Jason Koebler, Motherboard, Dec 19, 2016

The Energy Department helped start a revolution – and doesn’t know who to hand it off to by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Dec 19, 2016

Apparently, being a climate-change-denying blog commenter makes you an expert on climate change, Opinion by Tom Toles, Washington Post, Dec 19, 2016

EU Brandishes Climate Credentials Amid Doubts Over Trump’s Aims by Jonathan Stearns & Ewa Krukowska, Bloomberg News, Dec 18, 2016

Republicans and Democrats alike want more clean energy by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Dec 20, 2016

These two sentences could hint at the next threat to climate science under Trump by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Dec 20, 2016

Trump team asks State Dept. what it spends on international environmental efforts by Juliet Eilperin & Carol Morello, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Dec 20, 2016

Public Climate Information Threatened Under Trump by Bobby Magill, Climate Central, Dec 20, 2016

Wed Dec 21, 2016

President Obama bans oil drilling in large areas of Atlantic and Arctic oceans by Darryl Fears and Juliet Eilperin, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Dec 20, 2016

UK Climate Change Act: Understanding the costs and benefits by Simon Evans, Carbon Brief, Dec 16, 2016

Canadian Scientists Warn U.S. Colleagues: Act Now to Protect Science under Trump by Dina Fine Maron, Scientific American, Dec 20, 2016

El Nino-linked cyclones to increase in Pacific with global warming -research by Umberto Bacchi, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Dec 20, 2016

California Forests Failing to Regrow After Intense Wildfires by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, Dec 21, 2016

Climate Change Skepticism Fueled by Gut Reaction to Local Weather by Scott Waldman, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Dec 20, 2016

Mexico, a global climate change leader by Bernadette Hobson, The Hill, Dec 21, 2016

Galápagos waters illustrate ecological drama of climate change by David Orenstein, Brown University News, Dec 21, 2016

Will Trump Negate Obama’s Science Legacy? by Fred Guterl, Scientific American, Dec 21, 2016

Thu Dec 22, 2016

Temer government set to overthrow Brazil’s environmental agenda by Sue Branford and Maurício Torres, Mongabay, Dec 21, 2016

Climate scientists are launching an anonymous hotline for government workers to report Trump meddling by Ephrat Levini. Quartz, Dec 20, 2016

Yes, the Arctic’s freakishly warm winter is due to humans’ climate influence by Andrew King, The Conversation AU, Dec 22, 2016

Rapid Ice Melt In East Antarctica Could Lead to 11-Foot Rise In Global Sea Level, Scientists Say by Pam Wright, Wunderblog, Weather Underground, Dec 20, 2016

Russian email hackers keep playing us for fools by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Dec 22, 2016

Warming is Sending Mountain Glaciers ‘Off a Cliff’ by Andrea Thompson, Climate Central, Dec 21, 2016

India plans nearly 60% of electricity capacity from non-fossil fuels by 2027 by Michael Safi, Guardian, Dec 22, 2016

Is Anyone Actually a Scientist? by Brian Palmer, Science, Slate, Dec 22, 2016

Australia's greenhouse gas emissions rising, Government figures show, ABC News, Dec 22, 2016

How to Convince Someone When Facts Fail by Michael Shermer, Scientific American, Jan 2017 Print Issue

Outgoing EPA chief: Science is ‘fundamental to absolutely everything we do.’ by Brady Dennis, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Dec 21, 2016

Appeals Court Rules Climate Scientist Can Pursue Defamation Claims Against Critics by Zoe Tillman, BuzzFeed News, Dec 22, 2016

Fri Dec 23, 2016

Activist investor ramps up pressure on Shell to act on climate change by Karolin Schaps, Reuters, Dec 21, 2016

Climate Change Literature that Made Waves in 2016 by Rob Moore, National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), Dec 22, 2016

2016: A year of transition from talk to action on climate change by Megan Rowling, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Dec 22, 2016

The coming battle between the Trump team and economists over the true cost of climate change by Chelsea Harvey, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Dec 22, 2016

5 Tips on How to Talk Climate Change This Holiday Season by Sam Parry, EcoWatch, Dec 21, 2016

Dear President-elect Trump—Don't listen to the 'ignorant voices' on climate change, Opinion by Ben Santer, CNBC, Dec 22, 2016

Weather buoy near North Pole hits melting point by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Dec 22, 2016

Carbon Brief’s 16 numbers for 2016 by Carbon Brief Staff, Carbon Brief, Dec 21, 2016

On Climate Change, Obama Lays Down a Scientific Gauntlet for Trump Administration by John H Cushman Jr, Inside Climate News, Dec 23, 2016

Trump’s potentially toxic effect on the solar industry by Arthur Neslen, Guardian, Dec 21, 2016

Sat Dec 24, 2016

US trying harder on climate change than ‘unambitious’ China, says study by Sophie Yeo, Carbon Brief, Dec 20. 2016

Despite fact-checking, zombie myths about climate change persist by Aaron Huertas, Poynter, Dec 22, 2016

Special counsel warns against ‘any effort to chill scientific research’ amid climate concerns by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Dec 19, 2016

Piers Sellers, climate scientist turned astronaut, dies at 61 by Harrison Smith, Health & Sciences, Washington Post, Dec 23, 2016

[More to come.]

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