The Thames Barrier is already being used far more than was originally intended.
Sunke Trace-Kleeberg
As the sea rises and storms get stronger, movable flood barriers are going to be used more often.
Wandering albatross nesting on Marion Island.
Shutterstock
Climate change could reduce suitable nesting sites for the wandering albatross on Marion Island.
People run from a bushfire in Uruguay in January 2023.
FEDERICO GUTIERREZ/EPA
Without urgent action, Earth is heading for climate catastrophe. Yet there are reasons for hope in 2024 – including a possible peak in global greenhouse gas emissions.
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Floodwaters pulsing into the sea normally clear within six days. But the 2022 floods in eastern Australia were different.
Joe H Taylor/Shutterstock
Nearly a third of all moorland burning in Scotland occurs on peat soil – a vital carbon sink.
Solar panels pave a square in Zadar, Croatia.
Michele D'Ottavio/Alamy Stock Photo
Modellers of the energy transition have tended to neglect fractious international relations in their calculations.
Recycling construction materials and water can make urban agriculture more sustainable.
Lauren Moore/USDA
A study of dozens of city gardens and urban farms across the US and Europe found several ways to boost their benefits, not just for their neighborhoods, but for the planet.
PradeepGaurs/Shutterstock
Most of the 1 billion people in informal settlements are in the tropics where the threat of humid heat is rising. Poor weather station coverage that misses local hotspots puts them even more at risk.
Samedan airport near Davos is dedicated to private jets.
Thierry Weber / shutterstock
Research shows prominent individuals can influence the rest of us.
The April 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal were the worst natural disaster recorded in the province.
SA Government
Regular floods are washing away parts of KwaZulu-Natal faster than they can be rebuilt.
Sarah Nance at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, 2019.
Courtesy of Sarah Nance
Sarah Nance uses geologic data and a variety of artistic media to help people think about their place in the landscapes they use and occupy.
An old-growth forest of noble fir trees at Marys Peak in Oregon’s Coast Range.
Beverly Law
President Biden has called for protecting large, old trees from logging, but many of them could be cut while the regulatory process grinds forward.
A study found migrants were more likely to volunteer in their communities than native residents.
Sabrina Bracher/Shutterstock
Migration is considered an inevitable effect of climate change. It could also be part of the solution.
A view of the Yaqan Nukiy, also known as the Lower Kootenay Band First Nation, wetland restoration project is seen near Creston, B.C.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Norm Allard
The results of a new study are clear: resilient water governance systems are effective and enjoy strong public support. The time is now to build resilience into our global water systems.
A blizzard with brutally cold temperatures hit Iowa and neighboring states on Jan. 12, 2024.
Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The world can expect fewer severe cold events as average temperatures rise, but people still need to be prepared for wintery blasts.
Okrasiuk/Shutterstock
Go vegan for cleaner air and a smaller food bill.
Darren Pateman/AAP
Even a small rise in sea level can have big impacts on coastal properties, so we must do all we can to limit the changes while taking them into account in coastal land-use planning.
original.
Idrees Mohammad/EPA
To date, the effects of climate change on global rainfall has been uncertain. New research overcomes this uncertainty – with alarming results.
Shutterstock
Sometimes when taking these actions, however, carbon storage is prioritised at the expense of biodiversity. But that need not be the case.
Tyler Olson/Shutterstock
Cutting wealth inequality could curb the super-rich’s disproportionate share of emissions.