When Buckingham Palace announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, the news overshadowed reporting of a critical review of climate tipping points, published in Science. Did you miss it?
A glacier in Paradise Bay, Antarctica.
jet 67/Shutterstock
James Renwick, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Climate change is adding energy to the atmosphere and the oceans. This in turn fuels more intense storms and heavy rainfall.
If left unchecked, the complete melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet would cause a global sea level increase of 3.3 metres in the distant future.
(Shutterstock)
We can now monitor coastal changes across thousands of beaches over the last 40 years, from Australia, New Zealand and Japan, to Chile, Peru, Mexico and California. Here’s what our new tool uncovered.
At least 115 of Indonesia’s islands will be underwater due to a combination of sea level rise and land subsidence. What do these estimates mean to Indonesia’s future as an archipelagic state?
Miami is often held up as an example of ‘climate gentrification.’ But a closer look finds a bigger driver of flashy new developments in low-income neighborhoods.
Nick Kelly, Queensland University of Technology et Marcus Foth, Queensland University of Technology
Rising sea levels due to climate change are already having severe impacts on the nation of Tuvalu. It proposes to build a digital replica of itself in the metaverse. Could it be done?
Mayotte’s surrounding coral reef is made up of three different structures more than 350 kilometers long. The lagoon they form is threatened by climate change and erosion.
Axelspace
Noro Ravoavahy, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM)
Mayotte is no exception to the adage “small islands, big problems”. A newly born volcano combined with poor land management and accelerating climate change has put its fabled lagoon at risk.
Seas are rising in the Torres Strait, swamping crops and graveyards. Friday’s decision by a landmark UN committee is a breakthrough for Indigenous rights and climate justice.
The edge of the Thwaites Glacier extends into the Amundsen Sea in western Antarctica.
NASA
If and when the Thwaites Glacier melts, it will result in nearly 0.6 metres of sea level rise, but it holds back another three metres of sea level rise lurking within the Antarctic continent. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
Indigenous Rangers pointing to damaged rock art. Left to right: William Campbell, Meryl Gurruwiwi, Aron Thorn, Marcus Lacey, Djorri Gurruwiwi.
Jarrad Kowlessar/courtesy of Gumurr Marthakal Indigenous Rangers
Cyclones, floods and other climate change-linked events are threatening Indigenous heritage tens of thousands of years old. Unless we act, they’ll be gone for good.
A turbulent melt-river pours a million tons of water a day into a moulin, where it flows down through the ice to ultimately reach the ocean.
Ted Giffords
Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Technology Sydney and Chief Investigator of ARC Centre for Excellence in Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Technology Sydney
Chief Executive Officer, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Professorial Fellow, Fenner School for the Environment and Society, Australian National University