Climate Queries

Each Climate Query is meant to be a snapshot, nothing more. But taken together, we hope the series presents a diverse and dynamic collage of the many characters involved in all sides of climate science, solutions, impacts and politics.

Interviews are conducted and condensed by Rae Tyson, a veteran reporter who pioneered the environmental beat at USA Today and who today races and restores vintage motorcycles in central Pennsylvania.

Have a question or want to nominate someone for a Climate Query? Contact editor Douglas Fischer at DFischer [ at ] DailyClimate.org

The Chef: A celebrated cook preaches sustainability

April 30, 2012

Snakehead with a side of Kudzu? Washington, D.C.'s Barton Seaver is pushing boundaries in the kitchen, urging restaurants to use menu choice to help sustain diversity – and connect the dots – in a changing climate. Coming Monday

The Racer: A British lord pushes electric cars beyond the fast lane

March 27, 2012

Lord Paul Drayson believes an all-electric race series can compete for fan interest and show the world what an electric vehicle can do. He's got a 850-horsepower prototype to prove it. More

The denier: A Montana mechanic throws a wrench into the climate consensus

March 15, 2012

Poetry is perhaps the last thing you'd expect from a denier website, even more so when you learn the author is a mechanic turning wrenches in Helena, Mont. But poetry is what you find on Bruce A. Kershaw's attack on established climate science, CO2u.info. It's the denier canon, in verse. More.

The microbiologist: Tweaking genes to help corals survive climate change

Feb. 29, 2012

Kim Ritchie, a molecular biologist at Florida's Mote Marine Laboratory, is pushing the frontiers of gene therapy, harnessing beneficial bacteria to help coral reefs weather pollution, overfishing and climate change. More.

The analyst: Preparing insurers for a stormy future.

Feb. 15, 2012

Climate change will likely intensify storm surges, wildfires, drought and more, putting the insurance industry in an economic bind. Sharlene Leurig is working to find a more sustainable – and profitable – future. More.

The scientist: Jim Hansen risks handcuffs to make his research clear

Jan. 24, 2012

NASA's chief climate scientist built his career studying Earth's atmosphere and modeling humans' potential impacts on climate. Then he realized that laboratory work was only one part of the equation. More.

The skier: An industry exec takes stock of winter and prepares for change

Jan. 10, 2012

Aspen Skiing Co. has a long reputation within the ski industry for efforts to reduce its environmental impact. Auden Schendler, the man overseeing Aspen's efforts, looks at the changes coming and says those efforts are not enough. More.

The angler: A Montanan takes stock of growth, invasives and 2011's huge runoff

Dec. 5, 2011

Dave Kumlien has fished and guided some of the most famous fly fishing holes in the United States for 40 years. In that time some Montana rivers have seen three "100-year" floods, the population has tripled and demand for water has skyrocketed. 

But Kumlien still finds solitude – and trout. More.

The historian: A hunt for the motives behind doubt-mongering

Nov. 21, 2011

Naomi Oreskes found herself under attack in 2004, when she called attention to the scientific consensus on climate change. Her search for those behind the broadside led her to document the evolution of doubt-mongering. More.

The filmmaker: A push to broaden the reach of 'ski porn'

Nov. 7, 2011

David Mossop and Sherpas Cinemas are transforming ski flicks, turning the usual plot-less, context-less jumble of skiing images into a message about environmental destruction, mass consumption and climate change. More.

The oceanographer: Making a splash studying snow and wolverines

Oct. 12, 2011

A desire to connect the dots led oceanographer Synte Peacock to the isolated, alpine wolverine. In a pioneering study, she found changes to the spring snowpack endangered their survival in the western U.S. She talks about inter-connectedness, the current state of climate models and getting outside in Boulder, Colo. More.

The rower: Saving the oceans one lonely oar-stroke at a time.

Sept. 28, 2011

Roz Savage became the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans when she finished her five-month trip across the later in early October. In her hands, oars are a tool to change her life, push some boundaries and save the environment. More.

The insider: A reputation for straight talk in a jungle of spin

Sept. 20, 2011

Frank Maisano, a senior figure at one of the nation's top lobbying firms, keeps thousands of reporters, lawyers, industry players and others in the loop on energy, ice hockey and heavy metal. More.

The renegade: A Republican argues for the environment

Sept. 6, 2011

Christine Todd Whitman, New Jersey's first female governor, dismisses Texas Gov. Rick Perry's climate statements, rates Obama's environmental record and divulges her golf handicap. More.

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