An east wind whips Gasparilla Sound into foam. Literally. Chunks of wind-whipped water blow ashore as I unload my kayak from my car onto the sand.

The Nature Conservancy’s Rane Cortez blogs about her visit to the Amazon frontier town of São Felix do Xingu. Over the next eight weeks she will share her perspectives about how accelerated economic growth and the need for environmental conservation are meeting in one of the most dynamic parts of the Amazon.

In the News is a Planet Change selection of news, stories and images on topics relating to climate change, nature, our environment and the impacts of a changing planet.

Here’s a peak at a few of the items on our radar this week — 10 global green cities; before and after drought images from space; the growing link between weather extremes and warming; and, a hypnotic video from NASA on our Perpetual Oceans. Continue reading for the complete list…

In the News is a Planet Change selection of news, stories and images on topics relating to climate change, nature, our environment and the impacts of a changing planet. Click Continue Reading to see the stories we’ve pulled from the news…

NYC to Utilize Dump Site for Solar and Wind Power; Oil from Deepwater Horizon Enters Gulf Food Chain; Rising Sea Levels Threaten Coastal US; Colorado River Running Near Empty; VIDEO Test Drive of the Nissan Leaf; Solar, Wind and Biofuels a $246B Market; Warming Antarctic Changes Penguin Breeding Cycles.

The roads of South Florida stretch in across a seemingly endless flat and watery landscape. There are no hills, but countless drainage ditches and culverts, trying mightily to carry the abundant rain to the sea.

It’s the perfect place to read Juliet Eilperin’s Washington Post story today on how sea level rise and climate change-driven increases in storm intensity threaten the roads to the oil port of Port Fourchon. It could have been written about Cape Coral, Miami Beach, Key West, or any of a dozen other Florida cities.

The annual National Cherry Bossom Festival in Washington, DC, starts this week, celebrating its 100th anniversary. But the main attraction — the cascades of pink and white blossoms — are already on stage.

Looking ahead, Pacific islanders are making community plans to cope with rising sea levels. And on some low-lying coral atolls, that includes contingency plans to relocate farmland, and even people, elsewhere.

The Lorax encourages all of us to reflect on how nature makes our lives better and reminds me why I do what I do everyday. What lessons has The Lorax taught you and your family about nature? Share your stories in the comments section below.

Nature can help people innovate as we search for solutions to deal with rapid environmental change. The Nature Conservancy’s adaptation expert, Frank Lowenstein, joined a radio discussion this week on how innovation can help us cope with challenges like sea levels rising on the edges of our cities.

From human migrations to melting ice caps, heirloom seeds and the high tech BeetleCam, Planet Change provides a diverse look at what’s in the news today.

The Cincinnati City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to pass a resolution urging the EPA to reduce carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act.

Living in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California, air quality and sufficient water are daily issues.

Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana is in the process of installing the largest geothermal system in the U.S. The scope of Ball State’s system – 47 buildings over 731 acres – makes it unique, as well as carbon dioxide savings of 85,000 tons annually, cutting Ball State’s carbon footprint by nearly half.

With so many interesting things out there today, we thought we’d share a few with you. Beware the Penguin Cam, it can prove addicting! Enjoy.

At the end of August 2011, I packed up and headed to Ecuador for 3 months to volunteer on an organic farm.

Strange things are aloft in the bird world. Endangered whooping cranes flew 2,500 miles from Canada to Texas, where they usually spend the whole winter. Instead, they pecked around for a short time and flew back. In Nebraska, other cranes never left.