Climate Change

Clement Chow studies how—and why—two people can get the same disease and have very different outcomes. Josh Tewksbury's research team has developed a model indicating how human-caused climate change stands to make insects much hungrier. Together, we'll try and build some bridges between those two very different areas of research.

Clouds are an important part of predicting day-to-day weather but, even with cloud cover being a critical piece in climate prediction models, it’s often missing. But a few specific physics equations could make predicting future cloud cover easier.  

Satellite imagery gathered by NASA from outer space is being used to help predict where and how many mule deer and mountain lions could be migrating near urban areas, increasing the potential for wildlife-human interactions.

Earl Swift began writing for a living in his teens. In the years since, the Virginia-based journalist has penned seven books and hundreds of major features for newspapers and magazines, and has earned a reputation for fast-moving narrative and scrupulous reporting. His editors have nominated his work for the National Book Award, the National Magazine Award, and six times for a Pulitzer Prize.

According to new research out of Utah State University, perceiving local weather as warmer or colder than normal is strongly connected to our pre-existing beliefs in climate change. 

 An invasive plant makes the jump from Salt Lake City gardens to the surrounding foothills. Deer ticks carrying lyme disease rear their heads more frequently in Utah due to climate change. And after more than a century, The LDS Church and the Boy Scouts of America begin to part ways. 

At a February legislative town hall in Logan, Wes Carter and Kai Torrens were two of the youngest people in the room. They’re both Logan High School students and members of the Logan Environmental Action Force, or LEAF club.

The latest attempt to strengthen Utah's hate crime laws at the State Legislature dies without even getting a hearing. Although science points to the burning of fossil fuels as a driver of climate change, Utah lawmakers refuse to acknowledge the concept. And Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, who advocated for a reduction to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, failed to disclose that he owned land within the monument. 

Forests in Idaho's Treasure Valley are fighting climate change, according to a new report. 

In the report, The Nature Conservancy in Idaho and Ecosystem Sciences Foundation's Treasure Valley Forest Carbon Assessment looked at how much carbon dioxide trees in the region have been able to store. 

Last Saturday 3 intrepid young families joined us for a morning with the Stokes Nature Center slipping and sliding along a canyon trail to discover animal and plant adaptations to survive the winter. 

On December 19th, I will have joined several others for an exciting day of counting bird species and numbers in our lovely, snowy valley. Our numbers will be entered on a database that will be shared with the world. 

  Hurricane Harvey and Irma broke storm records in the U.S. A USU Physics professor who studies climate change is joining with a northern Utah string quartet to encourage public discourse about the connections between recent natural disasters and sustainability.

Over 200 pages long, Utah’s 50-year water strategy -- presented to the Governor on Wednesday -- aims to direct Utah business and government leaders on water management for the foreseeable future.

Noted as one of the most daunting challenges facing the state, Governor Gary Herbert addressed two certainties during the water strategy presentation.

President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement was met with mixed reactions across the country and especially in Utah. While some climate scientists and government leaders including Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski called the decision a mistake, others argued the decision could have positive economic consequences for the United States. 

The virtual reality film "Melting Ice" featuring Al Gore aims to help the audience connect global events to their personal lives.

Here’s something you’ve probably heard before, “If global warming is real, why is it so cold outside?”  

Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, made a similar case against global warming last year when he threw a snowball across the senate floor.

The Earth has gone through huge climatic changes throughout its history, with multiple ice ages broken up by warmer periods. We’re currently in a warming trend, and that trend follows an increase in carbon dioxide, a common greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels. Is this cause-and-effect, or coincidence?

Changing your lifestyle to combat climate change can seem inconvenient. Futile even. Maybe that’s part of the failing of science outreach regarding climate change. But what if there was a way to do something about climate change in your own home, that would actually make a difference, save you money, and maybe make you happier.

Do young people care more about climate change than old people? That’s part of the premise of a new outreach effort by the Grand Canyon Trust. 

Back in 2014, the Flagstaff-based Grand Canyon Trust launched an experimental new program called “Uplift.” The idea is to create a regional conservation movement specifically aimed at young people.

Hot and dry weather is the norm for much of the Intermountain West and a fact of life for the plants and animals that live there. However, a warming climate may be pushing some iconic tree species to the breaking point.

Drought induced tree mortality is the subject of a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Recent extreme heat and drought events have led to massive tree die-offs in forests across the globe, and scientists want to know why.

Toward the end of last year, at COP21, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, 185 countries and the European Union signed the Paris Agreement. This agreement is the first international accord to establish binding commitments by all parties to work towards limiting global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius.