In Rhode Island, piping plovers may find rising sea levels threatening nesting sites on the beaches. The birds are part of a photo exhibit this month in Providence.

The Providence Journal / GrETCHEN ERTL

Dramatic photographs of piping plovers, a lobster and sugar maples are part of a special photography exhibit this month in downtown Providence designed to call attention to the effects of climate change on wildlife.

“Irreplaceable Wildlife in a Warming World” is the name of the exhibit sponsored by a group called Earthjustice, along with local science and faith-based groups.

The exhibit is opening here before moving on to Montana, Washington state and California.

It is in the lobby of the Peerless Building at 150 Union St. Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It will run through April 26.

The campaign is designed to bring the public face to face with the wildlife most endangered by climate change.

Locally, for instance, piping plovers may find rising sea levels threatening nesting sites on the beaches. Lobsters are harmed by rising water temperatures. Sugar maples will have sap production reduced by spring arriving earlier each year.

Photographs in the 40-print exhibit were taken by award-winning outdoor and wildlife photographers.

Other partners in the campaign include Noah Alliance, International League of Conservation Photographers and Conservation International’s Center for Applied Biodiversity Science. Local partners include People’s Power & Light and the Rhode Island Climate Coalition, representing 79 unions, businesses and community groups.

In Rhode Island, the General Assembly is considering a bill that would require more efforts to reduce the state’s emissions that cause climate change.

“Global warming has emerged as the most pressing challenge facing the world today,” said Trip Van Noppen, executive director of Earthjustice, in a statement. “Our nation’s wildlife — from the Arctic’s polar bears to Rhode Island’s piping plovers — are being affected and we will be judged by future generations on how we respond. Our coalition of faith, science, art and justice partners has united for this exact purpose: to protect imperiled wildlife from the threats of a warming world.”

More information is available at http://www.irreplaceablewild.org www.earthjustice.org.

Climate-change forum at URI

Details of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative as well as other programs to address climate change will be discussed Wednesday, April 16, at 5 p.m. at the Coastal Institute at the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston campus.

Speakers will include W. Michael Sullivan, director of the state Department of Environmental Management, Steve Majkut, chief of the DEM’s Air Resources office, and Matt Auten, spokesman for Environment Rhode Island.

The presentation is part of an energy lecture series sponsored by the URI Energy Partnership. For questions, call Chris Kearns at (401) 787-4748.

Barrels offered at a discount

Four more opportunities are being offered to people in Rhode Island to buy rain barrels at reduced prices. The plastic barrels are designed to capture rainwater runoff from gutters and store it for use in gardens or lawns.

The New England Rain Barrel Co., which manufactures the barrels in Massachusetts, recently raised its price per barrel to $99. But the prices are lower if you agree to buy through a local organization that sponsors a group pickup site.

For details, go to www.nerainbarrel.com or call (877) 977-3135.

• The Narragansett Bay Commission has a grant to subsidize the cost of the rain barrels. The first 400 ratepayers who call will pay $62 each. After that, the price will be $68. Customers in Smithfield and Cranston should order at the phone number above. Others may also order online. The last day to order is April 21. The barrels will be delivered from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, April 27, at Bay Commission headquarters at 1 Service Rd. in Providence.

• The Northern Rhode Island Conservation District is charging $73, with $5 going to the district. Orders must be placed by April 25. The pickup will be from Wednesday, April 30, from 3 to 6 p.m., at the district offices at 17 Smith Ave., Greenville.

• The City of Newport is organizing a sale with a price of $68 apiece. The last day to order is June 4. Pickup will be from 9 a.m. to noon at the Newport Department of Public Works at 70 Halsey St.

• Cranston residents can get the barrels for $68. The last day to order is June 25. Pickup day is Saturday, June 28, 9 a.m. to noon, at the Pawtuxet Village Farmers Market in the Rhodes Place parking lot off Broad Street.

Talk on science set for Friday

Cornelia Dean, a science writer at The New York Times and a lecturer at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is giving a talk on the public’s understanding of science Friday at 12:30 p.m. in the Coastal Institute on the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston campus.

Dean’s talk is titled “The Public’s Understanding of Science: a Journalist’s View.”

Her presentation is sponsored by the URI’s IGERT program (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship.)

Dean is also the former science editor at The Times, author of the book Against the Tide: The Battle for America’s Beaches, and a former editor at the The Providence Journal.

Following Dean’s presentation, Margaret Leinen, former dean of URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography, will give a talk at 3:30 p.m. in the Coastal Institute at URI’s Bay campus titled: “Climate Change Today and Tomorrow: Where Do We Go from Here?”

Fluorescent bulbs need special care

How should people properly dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbs, which contain tiny pieces of toxic mercury?

The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Authority recommends that the bulbs be discarded at the agency’s regular Eco-Depot collections of computers and household hazardous wastes. The agency says the bulbs are sent to a recycler that removes the mercury and recycles the glass.

The next Eco-Depot day is scheduled for . Saturday, April 19, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Second Beach in Middletown.

People need to make appointments to stop by. Call (401) 942-1430, ext. 241, or sign up online by going to www.rirrc.org.

The Eco-Depot will accept computers, cell phones, poisons, chemicals, cleaners, oil-based paints, propane tanks, motor oil and paint thinners.

The Environmental Journal is a listing of brief news items about the actions of individuals, organizations and businesses that affect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the landscape that surrounds us. If you have comments or suggestions, please contact environment reporter Peter B. Lord at (401) 277-8036, or by e-mail at plord@projo.com or by writing him, care of The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902.