credit: Mark Wexler

While the narration makes reference to the melting ice that’s threatening everything from the Arctic’s polar bears to the Antarctic’s penguins, it shies away from detailing the cause of the warming trend – man-made carbon pollution.

The series producer has made clear that Frozen Planet’s omission of climate science wasn’t accidental:

Including the scientific theories “would have undermined the strength of an objective documentary, and would then have become utilized by people with political agendas,” Vanessa Berlowitz, the series producer, said in an interview.

She added, “I feel that we’re trying to educate mass audiences and get children involved, and we didn’t want people saying ‘Don’t watch this show because it has a slant on climate change.’ ” [...]

“Many organizations, and it sounds like Discovery is one of them, appear to be more afraid of being criticized by climate change ‘dismissives’ than they are willing to provide information about climate change to the large majority of Americans who want to know more about it,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.

Berlowitz gets politicization backwards. Giving viewers the straight climate facts isn’t political – it’s educating your audience about the world around them. It’s the hiding scientific reality in fear of blowback from climate deniers that politicizes the program.

Protest at Discovery Channel headquarters, May 2012

We are deeply disappointed by your decision not to explain the science, and human causes, of global warming in the “On Thin Ice” episode of the Frozen Planet series. As the world’s leader in environmental programming, your decision sends a dangerous message to media companies around the world — that it is better to censor yourself than risk criticism by global warming deniers. We call on you to immediately acknowledge this error and to conduct a review of all Discovery programming decisions to ensure no such self-censorship happens again.

Discovery took an important step in airing “On Thin Ice,” reversing its original decision not to show the series’ final installment that dealt more directly with global warming-related issues. But this petition sends a clear message that it’s not good enough to skirt the issue of climate change – viewers expect Discovery to connect the dots.

 Take Action

An incredible 815,000 Americans have already shown their support for protecting polar bears and other wildlife through the Environmental Protection Agency’s limits on carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. Please take a moment to add your voice to the thousands of National Wildlife Federation members and supporters who are saying loud and clear that we know why climate change is happening – and we’re stepping up to help stop it.

Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee (NWF photo)

I’m joined at the hearing by Joe Mendelson, the National Wildlife Federation’s global warming policy director. This hearing is one of the only ones related to climate change that Congress has held this year, so in that sense, it’s an important chance to talk about global warming, a major threat to America but one that Congress refuses to address. “The climate-related threats to our nation’s energy systems compound the vulnerability associated with our aging & crumbling energy infrastructure, which is already causing environmental damage,” says NWF Climate Scientist Dr. Amanda Staudt.

Keep refreshing for updates throughout the morning & add your thoughts in the comments section!

11:28am - The hearing winds down with some wonky questions about grid mechanics. Disappointing how little attention climate change received at the hearing, and disappointing how few senators were here to learn about the threats to America’s electrical grid.

11:21am - Getz asks Congress not to leave small states on their own to deal with such huge challenges.

10:58am – Thomas Getz details the December 2008 ice storm that knocked out power to two-thirds of New Hampshire electrical customers and outages lasted up to two weeks. At the time, the storm knocked out four times more customers than any storm in New Hampshire’s history – but just since then, three more storms have approached that high-water mark. Learn more about how climate change is increasing oddball winter weather.

10:48am - Sen. Cantwell points out Washington state has had back-to-back incidents of what used to be considered “100-year” extreme weather events.

10:43am - As with last week’s hearing on sea level rise and energy infrastructure, attendance at this hearing is extremely poor both from senators and from members of the media. Only Senators Bingaman, Murkowski, Blumenthal, Jeanne Shaheen and Maria Cantwell have spoken at the hearing, and just six people are sitting at the press tables.

10:35am - Sen. Murkowski repeatedly questions the impact of the Environmental Protection Agency’s new limits on carbon, mercury and other pollution on electric reliability. Even though these rules have been years in the making, she hasn’t cited a single study to back up her concerns.

10:25am - Sen. Murkowski again attributes extreme weather to “random weather patterns.” Polls show Sen. Murkowski is out of step with Americans on this one, with a large majority of Americans connecting the dots between global warming and extreme weather.

10:21am - Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) shows Patricia Hoffman a chart from NWF’s report on how global warming-fueled extreme weather is impacting our energy infrastructure. Bingaman points out electric power disruptions are up sharply in recent years. Hoffman says we’re seeing stronger thunderstorms, tornadoes & snowstorms.

10:10am - Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) points out that Congress is working to address cyber-terrorism threats to our electric grid, but isn’t doing nearly as much to prepare our grid for increasing extreme weather events.

9:58am – Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) talks about “act of god” storms that we have “no way of knowing about until it hits us.” But we know a lot more about how man-made carbon pollution is fueling extreme weather than many members of Congress from oil and coal states would like to admit.

9:44am – The hearing was due to begin at 9:30am, but there’s a short delay while the committee considers some administration nominations. Here’s the meeting schedule:

Member Statements

• The Honorable Richard Blumenthal, United States Senate

Witness Panel 1

• The Honorable Patricia Hoffman, Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, U.S. Department of Energy

Witness Panel 2

• Mr. Norman Bay, Director, Office of Enforcement, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Mr. Thomas Getz, Former Chair, Public Utilities Commission, Concord, NH
• Mr. John Bilda, General Manager, Norwich Public Utilities, Norwich, CT

The young babies–five from one nest and four from another–are being hand-fed until they are strong enough to eat on their own. The first four were brought to WSU on April 13 at roughly one week old. Just four days later, the second group arrived at only a few days old.

“We’ve had great horned babies before, but in 10 years, I’ve never had any this young,” said veterinarian Nickol Finch, who oversees WSU’s Raptor Rehabilitation Center. “Pretty much all they’re doing is eating and sleeping.”

It’s rare for humans to get a glimpse of baby great horns. Their parents usually nest high up in trees and are aggressive protectors of their young. Considering they possess talons powerful enough to cart off animals five times the bird’s weight, most people are wise enough to keep their distance.

As for WSU’s nine owlets, the first four survived a fall to the ground near Colton after someone unknowingly cut down a tree where they were nesting, said Finch. The younger ones were brought to a veterinarian in Lewiston and then transported to WSU after their nest was destroyed inside a chimney during a home remodel.

Meet the baby owls in this clip, then learn more at NWF’s great horned owl page:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Symbolically adopt a Great Horned Owl today through NWF’s Adoption Center!

Tar mat coats marsh in Bay Jimmy off Louisiana's Barataria Bay, March 2012 (NWF staff photo)

Ryan Lambert has been a Cajun fishing and hunting guide for 31 years and is alarmed by the decline he’s seen in the last two.

“This [Bay Jimmy] island should be covered with shorebirds and there are none,” he says. “They ought to be nesting in here. Any island before this oil spill, you come up to an island like this and you can’t hear yourself think. And look, it’s void of life.” Lambert says his speckled trout catch is also down 98 percent.

“You know, we’re used to going out … where this water is coming through and [picking] up 40 fish right there, no problem in a half hour,” he says. “You go try to catch a fish there right now, that’s not happening.” Lambert says he’s tired of hearing “Everything’s fine, come on down,” a message in some of BP’s ads. “Our whole life is upside-down, on hold, waiting to see what happens.”

He says two years later, it’s not fine — and it’s far from over.

It’s not just BP that wants to pretend everything’s fine—plenty of members of Congress have been more eager to rush back to reckless drilling than they have been to commit the federal government to comprehensive Gulf restoration.

I joined The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann last week to talk about continued Congressional inaction in the face of ongoing evidence of the oil’s destruction, particularly the troubling dolphin deaths:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to ask your members of Congress dedicate BP’s oil spill fines and penalties to Gulf restoration.

Flickr's Tina Neale

The hearing, Impacts of Rising Sea Levels on Domestic Infrastructures, was one of the only hearings on climate change that Congress has held this year. In that sense, it’s an important chance to talk about global warming, America’s biggest threat that Congress refuses to address. As National Wildlife Federation Climate Scientist Dr. Amanda Staudt blogged in advance of the hearing, “The climate-related threats to our nation’s energy systems compound the vulnerability associated with our aging & crumbling energy infrastructure, which is already causing environmental damage.” However, the committee made clear that this “is an oversight hearing, not intended to lead to legislation.”

I headed down to Dirksen Senate Office Building this morning to watch the hearing and kept a running diary …

9:27am - The hearing is set to begin at 9:30am. The committee includes some of Congress’ biggest champions of climate action (Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Maria Cantwell) and some of its staunchest polluter allies (Sen. Joe Manchin, Sen. John Barrasso) so we could see some fireworks. The witness panel:

Striped dolphins swim through BP oil, April 2012 (NOAA's National Ocean Service)

Based on comprehensive physicals of 32 live dolphins from Barataria Bay in the summer of 2011, preliminary results show that many of the dolphins in the study are underweight, anemic, have low blood sugar and/or some symptoms of liver and lung disease. Nearly half also have abnormally low levels of the hormones that help with stress response, metabolism and immune function.

Researchers fear that some of the study dolphins are in such poor health that they will not survive. One of these dolphins, which was last observed and studied in late 2011, was found dead in January 2012. [...]

NOAA is sharing the preliminary results from the study so that stranding responders and veterinarians can better care for live stranded dolphins and look for similar health conditions.

Since February 2010, more than 675 dolphins have stranded in the northern Gulf of Mexico (Franklin County, Florida, to the Louisiana/Texas border)–a much higher rate than the usual average of 74 dolphins per year, prompting NOAA to declare an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) and investigate the cause of death for as many of the dolphins as possible. The vast majority of stranded dolphins have been found dead; however, 33 have stranded alive and seven have been taken to facilities for rehabilitation.

Last year, the National Wildlife issued a status report on Gulf wildlife and ecosystems warning  to watch dolphin populations for “reduced fitness of adults” – exactly what NOAA is now detailing. ”The poor health of dolphins in the oil spill area was to be expected,” says NWF Senior Scientist Doug Inkley. “The Gulf oil disaster is to marine life what smoking is to humans – it could kill you, and if it doesn’t, your general health suffers.”

Dolphins aren’t the only species showing signs of long-term impacts. A study last year documented the oil’s impact on Gulf killifish, a critical part of the Gulf’s food chain.

Just last week, National Wildlife Federation staffers found oil remains in Barataria Bay marshes and discovered a dead pelican with oil on it. The trip was a reminder that Mississippi River Delta restoration is needed now more than ever. While the Senate passed the RESTORE Act as part of its transportation bill, the House has yet to act.

Speak Up for Gulf Restoration

Speak up for Gulf wildlife and ask your Members of Congress to protect the Gulf’s wildlife and communities by passing the RESTORE Act >>

Tar mat coats marsh in Bay Jimmy off Louisiana's Barataria Bay, March 2012 (Photo: National Wildlife Federation)

The trip made depressingly clear that while national attention has moved on and Congress still hasn’t passed legislation to restore the Gulf, much BP oil remains, it’s easy to find, and it’s never far from the Gulf’s wildlife.

The trip out of Myrtle Grove Marina with Captain Dave Marino was led by David Muth, state director of NWF’s Mississippi River Delta campaign, David White, director of NWF’s Gulf of Mexico Restoration campaign and Alisha Renfro, NWF coastal scientist.

“As they headed south to the corner of Barataria Bay called Bay Jimmy, the tide was high and winds were blowing strong at 20 miles an hour out of the southeast,” said NWF’s David White. “That drove water high up into the marsh, obscuring the oiled edges denuded of vegetation. With such a high water line, it was hard to determine exactly how much oil might remain.”

After finding a safe place to land, it became clear that despite BP’s efforts to mop and scrape marshes, oil remains in various stages of weathering and decomposition. On the surface, it’s now weathered into tar—some small clumps and other large mats—and it’s there for the long term.

“There were a few patches in the marsh that were completely devoid of vegetation. They smelled like asphalt,” said NWF’s Alisha Renfro. “Because it’s so thick, natural processes like sunlight and bacteria have a hard time breaking down the hydrocarbons. It ends up serving like a cap on the marsh surface—a hardened seal that blocks light and gas exchange, diminishes growth and creates a dead zone with little new life. However, baby fiddler crabs and other marsh invertebrates could be seen scuttling across the dead surface.”

Dead, Oil-Covered Pelican Found on Bay Jimmy

(Warning: Graphic Photo)

In the tar-covered marshes, National Wildlife Federation staff found a dead and decomposed American white pelican. Liquid oil was visible on its wing feathers, its origin mysterious, until the staff made a new discovery.

“Wherever we stood in the marshes, liquid oil would squeeze out of the sediment,” said NWF’s Alisha Renfro. “I probed the ground a little and didn’t see the oil right at the surface, so it was probably coming from several centimeters down. During the winter, with cooler temperatures, this oil would be thicker and harder to see since it’s not at the surface, but as it has gotten warmer the oil is far less viscous and can seep back to the marsh surface.”

This photo of a dead American white pelican with oil on its feathers was taken in Louisiana's Bay Jimmy, March 2012. (Photo: National Wildlife Federation)

As you can see in additional photos from the trip at NWF’s Flickr page, marshes continue to show signs of degradation and retreat. That follows the trend NWF staff have witnessed in recent trips, like the collapse of Cat Island’s mangrove trees from a thriving rookery for brown pelicans and other birds in 2010 to a patch of brown lifeless sticks in 2011.

The trip was a reminder that Mississippi River Delta restoration is needed now more than ever. While the Senate passed the RESTORE Act as part of its transportation bill, the House has yet to act.

Speak Up for Gulf Restoration

Speak up for Gulf wildlife and ask your Members of Congress to protect the Gulf’s wildlife and communities by passing the RESTORE Act >>

Cherry blossoms along DC's Tidal Basin, April 2011 (Flickr's Robert Pos)

Now comes a team of scientists theorizing that with drastic warming of the globe, future decades could see blossom times not just a few days early but advanced by almost a month.

That could mean a bloom process that begins in January, rather than February, a blooming period in February instead of March, and a peak bloom in early March, instead of early April, the research suggests. [...]

According to the more dire global warming scenario the scientists used — one with unchecked global population growth — the District’s cherry trees could be blooming 29 days earlier by 2080 and 13 days earlier by 2050. A less severe scenario, with eventually declining population, had the trees blooming 10 days earlier by 2080 and five days earlier by 2050.

Dr. Amanda Staudt, National Wildlife Federation climate scientist, told DC’s WJLA the early cherry blossoms are a warning sign our climate is rapidly warming and limits on carbon pollution are needed:

Cherry blossoms are blooming earlier this year. Those are like little pink warning flags. [...]

We’re emitting carbon pollution into our atmosphere by burning coal, oil, and gas. This carbon pollution acts like a blanket for our atmosphere, keeping extra heat in.

You can watch the full video on WJLA’s website.

It’s not just DC. All across America, the winter and early spring of 2011-2012 will be remembered as extreme. According to NOAA:

• America had its 4th-warmest winter on record
• Massachusetts tied its warmest February on record
• California had its 2nd-driest winter on record

Right now, people in places like our nation’s capital are talking the surprisingly pleasant March weather. But a question lingers at the end of every conversation: If it’s this hot now, how hot will summer get?

Take Action

Email officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to let them know you support limits on carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dr. Hansen heads the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and has been at the forefront of scientific efforts to understand climate change since his landmark 1988 Congressional testimony spelled out undeniable evidence that our climate is changing thanks to man-made carbon pollution. His TED Talk is essentially a short update of Al Gore’s 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, reminding us that despite new federal fuel efficiency standards and some state-level efforts to cap carbon pollution and invest in renewable energy, we still have no comprehensive national policy to confront climate change.

Dr. Amanda Staudt, National Wildlife Federation climate scientist, explains why Hansen’s talk is so important:

Jim Hansen spells out the climate change problem in the clearest of terms in his TED lecture. I’m impressed that he doesn’t shy away from warning about the really bad consequences of continuing to burn fossil fuels at today’s rates. And he doesn’t shy away from the moral implications of the choices our society is making now. It is so important that people understand the scientific and ethical dimensions of climate change.

So please do three things:

1. Watch Dr. Hansen’s 18 minute talk right now or download the podcast
2. Tell the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency you support limits on industrial carbon pollution
3. Email the link to this post to your friends or share it using the “like” & “tweet” buttons

If you can’t watch the clip, read a summary of Dr. Hansen’s talk from ClimateProgress.org.

Sen. Jim Inhofe: Big Oil's MVP

When the city engineer refused to budge on Inhofe’s plan to move the fire escape on his mansion, it fueled his political ambitions.

“So I told him I was going to run for mayor and fire him,” he said. “And I ran for mayor and I fired him.”

Published by right-leaning WND Books, a division of WorldNetDaily, the book establishes Inhofe as an opponent of environmental regulations of all stripes long before 2003, when he famously told the Senate that climate change was “greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”

It’s odd to see Sen. Inhofe’s book published by such an extremist organization as WND Books, featured alongside such esteemed authors as … Jack Abramoff, whose book is part of his efforts to pay restitution to his victims.

But back to Sen. Inhofe. It’s a strange case to make and a completely upside down way to make it – like saying since you don’t like paying taxes to fund the fire department, you’re now on a crusade to prove fire doesn’t exist:

Joe Mendelson, director of global warming policy at the National Wildlife Federation, said Inhofe’s admission that he is against regulation in almost every instance suggests that he arrived at his scientific skepticism through something other than an impartial look at the facts.

“He sort of comes at it from ‘I am an anti-regulatory person, and therefore if there is something out there that may require a government response to address, I’m either going to ignore it or poke holes in the science so I don’t have to get the regulation,’” he said.

Mendelson also disagreed with Inhofe that environmental regulation threatens personal freedom.

“The impacts of the pollution actually do impede our freedom,” he said. “Our freedom to breath healthy air, our freedom to ensure that our family or our property is actually safeguarded from harm.”

Even though Sen. Inhofe delights in bashing high-profile climate activists, from Al Gore to Leonardo DiCaprio, he has another confession: Being a climate denier makes Sen. Inhofe a celebrity too, and he loves every minute of it:

“I was only in Copenhagen for three hours, but they were the most exhilarating three hours of my political life,” he writes. [...]

“I know it sounds strange to say it, but the experience was really quite enjoyable,” he writes. “I will always remember all those people in the room — hundreds of them — and all the cameras. And they all had one thing in common: they all hated me.”

Sen. Inhofe’s story reminded me of the Esquire Copenhagen profile of his former press secretary, Marc Morano, and how Morano’s fight for “freedom” finances his lavish lifestyle.