Transparency International has a yearly corruption perceptions index. The graph here is for 2019 (high score – lighter colors – clean, low score – darker colors – corrupt). The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business …
Read More »Can we make a better refrigerator?
The Scientific American article A Simple Twist of Thermodynamics Could Lead to Greener Refrigeration by Sophie Bushwick (1/21/2020) reports about the Science paper Torsional refrigeration by twisted, coiled, and supercoiled fibers by Run Wang et. el. (10/11/2019), which is behind a paywall (the graph here is from that paper). From …
Read More »Looking for Climate Curriculum Materials?
If you are looking for teaching tools or lessons plans related to climate change then check out TROP ICSU. The TROP ICSU project collects and curates educational resources for teachers and self-learners to learn about Climate Change. The quality of life of future generations is largely dependent on the quality of education …
Read More »How has child mortality changed?
The article in Nature, Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant, and child deaths between 2000 and 2017, by Burstein et. el (10/16/2019), provides a detailed analysis of under 5 child mortality (U5mr). The goal of mortality-reduction efforts is ultimately to prevent premature deaths, and not just to reduce mortality rates. Across …
Read More »What are American’s view on economic inequality?
The PEW article Most Americans Say There Is Too Much Economic Inequality in the U.S., but Fewer Than Half Call it a Top Priority by Juliana Menasce Horowitz, Ruth Igielnik, and Rakesh Kochhar (1/9/2020) is a thorough review of income and wealth inequality, as well as American’s views of inequality. …
Read More »What are EPI’s top charts of 2019?
To find the top charts of 2019 according to EPI see their Top charts of 2019 post. The graph here is #5 on their list. The figure shows that the real value of the federal minimum wage has dropped 17% since 2009 and 31% since 1968. A full-time worker earning …
Read More »How much does Greenland melting contribute to sea level rise?
From NASA’s Greenland’s Rapid Melt Will Mean More Flooging (12/10/2019): Increasing rates of global warming have accelerated Greenland’s ice mass loss from 25 billion tons per year in the 1990s to a current average of 234 billion tons per year. This means that Greenland’s ice is melting on average seven times …
Read More »How much has sea level risen?
The Climate.gov post Climate Change: Global Sea Level by Rebecca Lindsey (11/19/2019) notes: Global mean sea level has risen about 8–9 inches (21–24 centimeters) since 1880, with about a third of that coming in just the last two and a half decades. The rising water level is mostly due to a …
Read More »How hot was Australia in 2019?
The graph here is from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Climate changes – trends and extremes page. In 2019, the temperature was 1.52 deg C (2.7 deg F) above the 30 year average from 1961-1990, which is a new record. The second highest year is 2013 at 1.33 deg C …
Read More »How hot was November 2019?
From the NOAA Global Climate Report – November 2019: The November 2019 global land and ocean surface temperature was 0.92°C (1.66°F) above average and the second highest November temperature in the 140-year record. Only November 2015 was warmer at +1.01°C (+1.82°F). The five warmest November global land and ocean surface …
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