Depending on where you live, you may have genuine energy choice – but in most states, you probably don’t. And if that sounds like a mixed message, welcome to the wonderful world of alternative energy in a deregulated market with a loophole you could drive an SUV through.

Half of the electricity generated in the United States and nearly one-third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from burning coal, and both of those numbers are predicted to rise, according to Department of Energy projections. The Backyard Climate Blog explains.

If there’s one choice we make every day that has the greatest single impact on our carbon footprint, for most of us it’s how we move ourselves and our gear from Point A to Point B.

Ah, Earth Day, that glorious time of year when we gather to celebrate the planet and recommit ourselves to its preservation - if only it weren’t for that awkward moment when we pull up in front of the flapping green banners and compost bins to park the car.

It may be hard to believe, but while much of the eastern U.S. was digging out from a series of snowstorms, Earth as a whole was experiencing its ninth warmest February on record.

Image: 2007 US heat wave, courtesy: NASA

The Chesapeake Bay forms the largest estuary in the United States. As such, it provides critical habitats and breeding grounds for thousands of species of fish, birds, mammals, and other wildlife. The changing climate has created new challenges for the Chesapeake that threaten to alter the entire ecology of the Bay.

We know global warming is heating the planet, but how do we know if something is happening right in our own backyards due to climate change? This new blog series will look at the local impacts of a global phenomenon.
Image: Maryland Science Center, courtesy: Michael Eckrich-Neubauer http://www.panoramio.com/photo/12916605

We know global warming is heating the planet, but how do we know if something is happening right in our own backyards due to climate change? This new blog series will look at the local impacts of a global phenomenon.
Image: Sunset on Baltimore Harbor