Peat beds around the world hold huge quantities of carbon and keep it from warming the planet. But rising temperatures and over-use could turn them from a brake on climate change into an accelerant.
This year’s World Soil Day theme is: ‘Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity’.
shutterstock
Healthy soils are vital for food, biodiversity, and a healthy planet, but this below-ground world is often overlooked. The launch of the State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity Report highlights this.
Missing a field season can be devastating if your research subject is melting away.
Karen Lloyd
Three scientists describe the fieldwork they’ve had to delay in 2020 because of the pandemic. These are setbacks not just for their careers, but for the body of scientific knowledge.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland gets a fist bump from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after delivering the 2020 fiscal update in the House of Commons on Nov. 30, 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The pace of federal government action to date does not align with the urgency of the twin climate and inequality crises. The latest fiscal update doesn’t go far enough on either crisis.
The Southern (Antarctic) Ocean is our planet’s primary storage of heat and carbon, and it’s home to extraordinary life forms, from tiny algae and spineless creatures to penguins, seals and whales.
The Pacific Ocean produces oxygen, helps regulates the weather, provides food and livelihoods. It’s a place of fun, solace and spiritual connection. But its delicate ecology is under threat.
A boat navigates at night next to large icebergs in eastern Greenland.
(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Penguins are sensitive to ecosystem changes such as reduction of available prey, pollution and climate change. Their presence and abundance is indicative of a healthy and balanced ecosystem.
A major new report presents the latest data on the health impacts in a warming world. It found there were 296,000 heat-related deaths in people over 65 years in 2018.
Jeff Bezos is pouring $10 billion into the fight against climate change.
Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images
Rather than pump money into a broken system, people like Jeff Bezos and Charles Koch could use their money to help fix it – by insulating politics from money.
The health of five World Heritage sites in Australia has worsened, according to a sobering report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
It reveals in alarming detail how gas emissions are cancelling out the gains won by Australia’s renewables boom, and uncovers misleading claims underpinning our gas-led economic recovery.
There were so many tropical storms in 2020, forecasters exhausted the list of names and started using Greek letters. And that’s only one reason 2020 was extreme.
Buddhist literature is used for teaching children about environmental issues in Taiwan.
Photo credit should read SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images
Taiwan has made significant efforts in protecting its environment. A scholar writes about how the country educates its children on protecting the environment through Buddhist stories.
Teaching researchers and scientists communication skills — including social media proficiency — will help inform the public about new discoveries and research.
(Shutterstock)
Budget cuts and outsourcing content have affected the amount and quality of science journalism. Scientists should learn to communicate their own findings directly and clearly to the public.