An outbreak of mountain pine beetles in British Columbia is doing so much damage that by 2020, the forest is expected to release more carbon dioxide than it absorbs. Beetle outbreaks have affected 33 million acres of lodgepole pines in British Columbia and have killed huge swaths of pines in the western U.S.

The spread of these beetles was once controlled by colder and longer winters. Now, warmer winters can mean these beetles thrive, with damaging results.

As trees killed by the beetles start to decompose, they release carbon into the atmosphere, potentially exacerbating the global warming that contributed to the outbreak in the first place.

Read the USA Today Article.

As part of my Good Neighbor pledge, my family bought a Toyota Prius car. This car’s hybrid technology allows us to reduce our gas consumption and fuel bill. We also reduce our atmospheric carbon emissions by 700 lbs/year. Our Prius gets 60 mpg in the city and 50 mpg on the highway. It will pay for itself in less than two years.

Our secret to our better than average fuel economy is that my wife has better driving habits than I do. I am working on my driving habits by thinking there is an egg between my foot and the gas pedal.  We also keep the car maintained.

By choosing the most fuel efficient vehicle that meets your needs, you can save $200 - $1,500 in fuel costs each year. You can also improve your fuel economy by driving more efficiently and keeping your car properly maintained.

Check out your own savings and carbon reductions if you own a hybrid or are thinking of getting one.

Dr. Rosina M. Bierbaum, professor and dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, has been selected by the World Bank to co-author and co-direct its prestigious World Development Report 2010. This report will focus on climate change and development.

The Center for Inquiry has found that the popular textbook American Government Institutions and Policies has such significant flaws in its coverage of the science of global warming that either a new edition should be published or a separate list of errors should be distributed.

Here is the story about a pretty cool Kansas high school student who first challenged the publisher:

http://www.kansascity.com/440/story/567002.html

Here is a link to the Center for Inquiry's assessment of the book:

http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/CFI_Textbook_Critique.pdf

To give you a flavor of their assessment of the textbook:

The discussion of global warming contained in Chapter 21 "Environmental Policy" suffers from egregious flaws and clear factual errors. The textbook wrongly portrays the settled, firmly-established science of global warming as a product of "activist scientists" and the source of "profound disagreement" within the scientific community.2 The textbook levels the outrageous charge that global warming "has resulted in a conflict among elites who often base their arguments as much on ideology as on facts." 3 Astonishingly, the textbook questions whether the greenhouse effect itself exists at all.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore has a new slideshow on the climate crisis. In this slideshow he presents evidence that climate change may be happening faster than scientists even recently predicted. Vice President Gore is no longer a voice in the wilderness. Many Americans are now stepping forward to answer the call to confront the climate crisis. We can solve the climate crisis if we work together. Check out this slideshow and see what you think.

In the old days, being a good neighbor meant keeping your lawns mowed and tidy, lending sugar when called upon and helping out when needed. 

Today, good neighbors know that we all need to control carbon emissions to protect the future of our neighborhoods against droughts, storms and flooding.  To do that, we need to do our part to stop global warming to protect our children's future.

If you're looking to do something to confront global warming in your home, please consider taking National Wildlife Federation's Good Neighbor pledge.

Through simple actions that reduce your carbon footprint-- like switching to energy efficient light bulbs or washing your clothes in cold water -- you become a Good Neighbor. These every day actions really can make a big difference for the environment when we all do them together.

If you have a child or grandchild of reading age in your home, I would encourage you to complete the pledge together. It's a simple, yet effective way to empower them to take meaningful steps to protect the planet they will inherit.

Thanks for caring and for taking the Good Neighbor pledge!   And please let your friends and family know that you are a 21st century Good Neighbor doing your part to stop global warming.

Last night I went to a special screening of Nim’s Island, the new Walden Media movie starring Jody Foster, Abigail Breslin, and Gerard Butler.

This movie is about people who find the courage to protect what they are most passionate about. Nim is a young girl who must protect her island home and her island friends.  Alex Rover (Jodie Foster’s character) is trying to help Nim rescue her father who is lost at sea.  Both must overcome their fears to take the steps necessary to protect what they love.

I believe we can all make a difference, whatever our age, if we do what’s needed to protect the wildlife and wild places we care so much about.

Walden Media is sponsoring Nim’s Island, Our World Environmental Challenge.  Students across the country are being asked to identify an environmental problem and describe how the problem could be solved in order to protect the environment.

I hope Nim’s story will inspire young viewers to become real-life conservation heroes, just like Nim. Entries for Nim’s Island, Our World Environmental Challenge are accepted through April 11th.  Winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22.  For more information and to enter the contest, go to http://reelthinking.nimsisland.com.