itsyournature

Feeling the crunch lately? Cost of gas, food, airfare, and nearly everything else getting you down? Well what if your energy costs reached $141 billion a year? What if you're water costs reached upwards of $950 billion a year?

According to a report from researchers at Tufts University commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the estimated cost of inaction on climate change could cost the U.S. as much as $3.8 trillion annually by 2100. The report takes both a comprehensive outlook as well as a bottom up approach looking at hurricane damage, real estate losses, increased energy costs, and water costs.

So yes, among the more devastating effects that will be caused by increased temperature, sea level rise, and erratic weather events, one more thing to look forward to if nothing is done is…

Submitted by ktfinklea on Thursday, May 15, 2008.

After an unnecessarily long legal battle, the NRDC, Greenpeace, and the Center for Biological Diversity finally won some protection for the polar bear. Now listed as a federally "threatened" species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the new classification forces the current administration to recognize the negative impacts of global warming.

We, or better yet, I can only speculate as to why the administration is choosing to fight against protecting the polar bear. Perhaps it's to prevent any hindrance to drilling in Alaska's protected habitats, or maybe the administration is afraid that counting the polar bear as endangered would mean *gasp* enacting some sort of stringent legislation that could reduce global warming pollution.

Take a minute to read the press release below and if you haven't already, urge your Senator to support…

I feel as if I have grown up with Global Warming like it was a sibling of mine. It was always an issue in my household. My mother used to write for an environmental newsletter and my dad is a scientist with an expertise in the issue, so climate change was perpetually discussed. In fact, they talked about it so much that when I was young I thought it was something good. I did not really understand its detrimental consequences until later in life. Because it was always coming up, the term lost its meaning. I did not care about the issue and when people asked me if I would become an environmentalist like my father I would look at them like they were crazy, “Me, an environmentalist?!”

The summer after 10th grade…

Earth Day is tomorrow April 22nd, and though the holiday doesn't grant a day off of work, school or the closing of government offices, it is a day to spend at least a little time thinking about the environment.

For those looking for an easy way to give back to the environment..and get a little something in return, you should check out a new CD just released by our friends at Green Owl Records.  You'll get unreleased tracks from such artists as Feist, Deerhoof, Muse, and Bloc Party and the Energy Action Coalition will get 100% of the profits.  Find the Green Owl Comp at your local Whole Foods, or check your local record store, itunes, amazon...or the buy button below.

To calculate your own carbon footprint check out Green Owl's Carbon Calculator then check out ItsYourNature.org for ways you can reduce your daily…

Here at ItsYourNature we're no strangers to blogging about coal and growing up in West Virginia, it was impossible for me to ignore the impact that coal mining had on the state. This past week citizens of Appalachia as well as from the rest of the country got the chance to let Congress know how they felt about a relatively new but destructive form of coal mining known as Mountaintop Removal.

While much of the media's attention was focused on the War in Iraq, over a hundred volunteers were in Washington to raise attention about another war being waged just a short distance from the nation's capitol. In Southwestern Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, mountaintop removal is having a devastating effect on the local environment and economy. By leveling mountains to quickly and cheaply…

It used to be that in order to get your opinion heard you had to muster up the nerve to shout from a soapbox on your nearest corner. We're lucky that today anyone with a blog or a webcam can shout their message to the masses, whether it's a sincere political conviction or just your personal support of Britney Spears.

We are an empowered generation; whether we feel that power or not. We have much more freedom of information and communication than we realize. Since we have this opportunity, why not use your voice to share an issue that is important to you? Film Your Issue (FYI) is a short film competition that aims to engage young people in a public dialogue about important issues. Open to 14 to 24 year olds, Film Your Issue wants…

While most political news lately has been a wash of scandal, political backstabbing, and campaign, campaign, campaign (repeat until the page is full), a still pressing and important issue is seeing decidedly less attention. Pending Climate Legislation holds the possibility of being a real first step for change, or yet another misstep in the current government's reaction (or inaction) in the fight to curb the effects of global warming.

A recent meeting of Senators and leaders of environmental organizations aimed to drive home the message that unity, action, and strong legislation are urgently needed to lead the country towards a significant change in its policy towards global warming pollution. The comments below are taken from an NRDC press release and represent a wide community of committed leadership striving to move individuals, communities, nations, and…

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Submitted by ktfinklea on Tuesday, February 5, 2008.

I grew up within a stone's throw from quite a few gorgeous ski resorts, but somehow never learned to ski, snowboard, or do much besides hurl myself down snow covered hillsides (with sleds and without) with the hope that I wouldn't break anything or anyone on my descent.  Even with my lack of involvement, one thing I have noticed is how the gradually warmer and milder winters have negatively affected the ski industry.

ItsYourNature got a chance to experience the epitome of Winter sports at this year's Winter X Games.  Check out our take on what's happening to the Ski Industry.

Last Monday, the Democratic presidential candidates debated on CNN. And once again, there were exactly zero questions asked about global warming. The perplexing absence of discussion about an issue that countless scientists, economists, and politicians hold up as the fundamental challenge of our times is fast becoming familiar. (Earlier debates in Nevada and Florida similarly didn't touch the subject.) It seems a bit dubious, then, that all three of these CNN-hosted events have been sponsored by the coal industry lobby group Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC).

Now the League of Conservation Voters has been calling attention to Big Media's blind eye towards global warming for awhile now through their "What Are They Waiting For?" campaign. And, indeed, on MSNBC last Thursday, Tim Russert finally brought clean energy and global warming into the primary conversation.…

Increased vulnerability to worsening summer storms? Prolonged and more frequent droughts? Heat waves? Melting ice shelves?

None of these getting you riled up about global warming? What if I were to tell you that our nation's preeminent annual winter sporting event was in trouble? I'm talking, of course, about the Idatarod. Seems the warming Alaskan winters are forcing officials to make some serious logistical changes. From the AP:

Citing a warming climate and sprawling development, officials with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race said Wednesday they were implementing permanent logistical changes that in recent years have become the norm for the March event.

The March 1 ceremonial start in Anchorage will go 11 miles, seven shorter than the traditional route. The actual competitive start of the 1,100-mile race the following day will move 30 miles north to Willow…