Science

Congressional Republicans are attacking the Obama administration's environmental policies by attacking the science on which they are based.

"The University of Western Australia has handed back $4m in federal government funding to host a “consensus centre” with climate contrarian Bjørn Lomborg, saying that lack of support among its academics made the centre untenable."

"An influential science journal has issued a correction to a paper on fracking and water safety, after revelations that the authors did not disclose their financial ties to energy giant Chesapeake Energy. The correction was prompted by an article in InsideClimate News in April."

"On Tuesday, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee chaired by Lamar Smith (R-Texas) introduced a new spending bill that would slash NASA’s earth science programs by over $300 million dollars. Advocates for earth science monitoring and research have voiced strong objections to this proposal."

"Following a closely watched Vatican climate change meeting Tuesday at the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences, the attendees — including not only scientific leaders but also religious and political luminaries — have released a statement suggesting that a 2015 climate accord may be the last chance to keep global warming within a range deemed “safe” for the world, its people and its ecosystems."

"Since his first homily in 2013, Pope Francis has preached about the need to protect the earth and all of creation as part of a broad message on the environment. It has caused little controversy so far."

"Scientists, planes and instruments descend on San Juan Basin to find roots of the massive greenhouse gas hotspot."

"Underneath the bubbling geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming sits a volcanic hot spot that has driven some of the largest eruptions on Earth. Geoscientists have now completely imaged the subterranean plumbing system and have found not just one, but two magma chambers underneath the giant volcano."