News

Tibet's fragile ecosystem is in danger. China must change its flawed environmental policy | Lobsang Sangay

Rising temperatures on the roof of the world make Tibet both a driver and amplifier of global warming. China’s unchecked mining and dam building has to be reigned in. »

This week in climate news (6 August 2017)

The most popular articles from the past week. »

U.S. submits formal notice of withdrawal from Paris climate pact

The U.S. State Department has officially informed the United Nations it will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement in a document issued on Friday, but left the door open to re-engaging if the terms improved for the United States. »

Extreme weather deaths in Europe 'could increase 50-fold by next century'

If no action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or protect citizens, weather disasters could kill 152,000 a year between 2071 and 2100, says study. Deaths from weather disasters could increase 50-fold in Europe by the start of the next century if no action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or protect citizens, researchers have warned. »

Climate Change Could Get You Bumped from a Future Flight

Major airports will see more frequent takeoff weight restrictions in the coming decades due to increasingly common hot temperatures -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com. »

Gruesome discoveries a sign of rapidly retreating glaciers

The finds of human remains in the Swiss Alps in recent weeks are a reminder that alpine glaciers are melting rapidly, and could disappear entirely by the end of the century.  In mid-July two frozen corpses were found in the shrinking Tsanfleuron glacier near the border between Cantons Bern and Valais, not far from the chic resort of Gstaad.  Last week, a human hand and leg were uncovered on the... »

Climate change to cause humid heatwaves that will kill even healthy people

If warming is not tackled, levels of humid heat that can kill within hours will affect millions across south Asia within decades, analysis finds. Extreme heatwaves that kill even healthy people within hours will strike parts of the Indian subcontinent unless global carbon emissions are cut sharply and soon, according to new research. »

More climate scientists urgently needed for Australia, academy says

Australia's climate research is in "urgent" need of dozens more scientists to help prepare for global warming. »

Australia's shortage of climate scientists puts country at serious risk, report find

Climate science workforce needs to grow by 77 positions over the next four years, according to report prompted by CSIRO redundancies. Australia has a critical shortage of climate scientists, leaving it at serious risk of not delivering essential climate and weather services to groups like farmers, coastal communities and international organisations, a report has found. »

President Leuthard to travel to Denmark and Greenland and to Expo 2017

President Doris Leuthard will travel to Denmark for a working meeting with Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on Monday, 7 August. She will then travel to Greenland to hear about the impact of climate change in the Arctic from the local authorities and Swiss polar scientists. »

Earth Almost Certain to Warm by 2 Degrees Celsius

Experts say new findings should inspire even more action to combat climate change  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com. »

Fears Rise for U.S. Climate Report as Trump Officials Take Reins

Officials at the EPA are consulting global-warming sceptics as they weigh up a technical review -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com. »

Underground magma triggered Earth’s worst mass extinction with greenhouse gases | Howard Lee

There are parallels between today’s and past greenhouse gas-driven climate changes Coincidence doesn’t prove causality, as they say, but when the same two things happen together over and over again through the vast span of geological time, there must be a causal link. »

We'll never tackle climate change if academics keep the focus on consensus | Warren Pearce

Media and political attention is being wasted on boosting the public’s notion of scientific consensus, crowding out more important discussion and action. In a democracy, we hope that science helps to inform the public about its problems. In the case of climate change, believe it or not, the evidence suggests this is going relatively well. »

Forget That Big Iceberg--A Smaller One in the Arctic Is More Troubling

A chunk of ice the size of three Manhattans just broke free in the Arctic, and it has a much clearer link to climate change -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com. »

Planet has just 5% chance of reaching Paris climate goal, study says

Researchers find that economic, emissions and population trends point to very small chance Earth will avoid warming more than 2C by century’s end. There is only a 5% chance that the Earth will avoid warming by at least 2C come the end of the century, according to new research that paints a sobering picture of the international effort to stem dangerous climate change. »

This week in climate news (30 July 2017)

The most popular articles from the past week. »

Carbon emissions: Artificial intelligence used to fight deforestation in Congo

A new technique using artificial intelligence to predict where deforestation is most likely to occur could help the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) preserve its shrinking rainforest and cut carbon emissions, researchers have said. »

Al Gore Returns with an Ever-More Inconvenient Truth

The vice president-turned-environmental crusader takes viewers to climate change’s front lines in his documentary sequel -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com. »

Climate change drawing squid, anchovies and tuna into UK waters

Squid and anchovies are moving into warming waters in large numbers, a report finds, with the long-lost bluefin tuna also returning. Squid and anchovies, more commonly eaten by Britons holidaying abroad, are being drawn into UK waters in large numbers by climate change, according to major new report that suggests the nation’s long-lost bluefin tuna is also returning. »