Environmental Article 3- Local

Houston Chronicle article that discusses the action environmental groups have taken to stop the use of inaccurate formals used when calculating smog. 

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Environmental-groups-sue-EPA-over-refinery-4484297.php

This article published on May 2, 2013 discusses the lawsuit Air Houston and three other environmental groups filed against the Environmental Protection Agency because of their use of outdated formulas to calculate air pollution. These groups have produced studies that claim the actual pollution is 132 times greater than EPA estimations. Therefore, this agency must change if it is to protect citizen's health. Jennifer Duggan, an attorney representing Air Houston, claims that the EPA has known about the inaccuracies for some time and is against changing. The purpose of this lawsuit is to force the EPA to have accurate data so they can enforce laws accordingly.

Environmental Article 2- Global

The Economist published an article onJune 20, 2013 that discussed the climate plateau and how it has created doubt about the supposed scientific consensus.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2013/06/climate-change?zid=313&ah=fe2aac0b11adef572d67aed9273b6e55

This article discusses how Earth's climate change over the past ten years has been surprisingly low, stumping many scientists. Many previously claimed that there would be a drastic rise in temperatures do to increasing carbon emissions, but measurements have been at the lowest possible predictions. Mr. Cohn claims that this is a hiatus in the long term event that is global warming. Though this hiatus is good news for those concerned with dropping temperatures, it is detrimental to those who are trying to pass anti-carbon emissions legislature. This hiatus which scientists previously claimed impossible has cast a doubt over the pressing needs of environmental protection.

Nature Picture 1

This is a picture of part of the trail from my house to Memorial Park. Taken on 6/19/13. Memorial Park provides a green space for many of Houston's citizens, located inside the 610 loop. I have participated in tree plantings in the park, helping to replenish the plants that were lost in a previous drought.

Environmental Article 1- Local

The Houston Press Published an article on May 31st, 2013, about the relationship between Texas carbon emissions and the recent devastating tornadoes. 

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2013/05/texas_leads_in_carbon_emission.php

The state of Texas emits 10% of the total carbon emissions produced by the United States. While the smog creates problems because it is a respiratory irritant and it hurts Texas plant life, it is not directly connected to the killer tornadoes. This comparison is similar to the one made in Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth which pairs global warming with Hurricane Katrina. While these scare tactics may give the issue at hand attention, science does not support the correlation. The article concludes with the summation that Texas's carbon emissions must be addressed, but not because they cause killer tornadoes.