Cane toads are one of the Australia’s most serious invasive species, killing predators such as goannas, quolls and crocodiles in the tropical north. We already know the toads are advancing from Queensland…
Damaging hurricanes are familiar along the US east coast, with the recent hurricane Sandy a dramatic example. In Europe we are unused to such dramatic weather and the widespread destruction that hurricanes…
We all know that weather is not the same as climate, but it is surprising how our perceptions of global warming vary according to what we see outside our window. In the UK for example, last year’s washed-out…
Cracks appearing in the permafrost signal that a thaw is coming.
Brocken Inaglory/Wikipedia
Arctic sea ice is retreating, with projections suggesting that the summer months will be substantially ice-free within the next few years. Nations are waking up to the possibilities for shipping and resource…
Tropical forests such as this in Borneo remove large quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
H-D Viktor Boehm
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Alexia Attwood, The Conversation
Rising temperatures are linked to a decrease in carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption by tropical forests, according to a 50-year study published today. Greenhouse gases, such as CO2, contribute to global warming…
The world’s most endangered cat, the Iberian lynx, is headed for extinction within the next 50 years. The international study…
Improvements in newer climate models have resulted in larger
uncertainties in future climate projections. Are climate models flawed and
getting worse?
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
The first climate models were built on fundamental laws of physics and chemistry and designed to study the climate system. Now, the use of climate models is heated ground in the public discussion of our…
Emergency management would be severely stretched under future conditions: we need a serious conversation now.
Alexander Kesselaar
Recent conversations about carbon pricing are still framed within gentle themes of continuing growth and well-being, where no one has to pay more for anything without being compensated. The words that…
China has become a popular target of environmental ire, drawing criticism for its soaring carbon emissions and perceived intransigence during climate negotiations. Nonetheless, an easy target isn’t always…
“If you think electricity is costing you more under Labor, then you’re right. Under the Rudd/Gillard Labor government, electricity prices have gone up 94%. And don’t forget: the cost will go up even more…
Kevin Rudd tried to turn climate change into a security issue, so why didn’t it work?
AAP Image/Danish Foreign Ministry
Kevin Rudd once called climate change “the greatest moral, economic and social challenge of our time”. Despite the fiery rhetoric, support for climate change action declined during his tenure. So, how…
To whom does one complain about the PCC?
Yui Mok/PA
Free speech does not imply the freedom to mislead. We want our media to be free, but also honest and reliable. Balancing those sometimes competing demands is a subtle and difficult task. In many countries…
The tragic events in Yarnell, Arizona, where 19 firefighters died battling a forest fire, brought to the forefront the dangers of forest fires. The changes in climate that have been observed during the…
Today we released a study that shows quantitatively that anthropogenic climate change substantially increased the likelihood of the record-breaking Australian summer of 2013. Indeed, human influences on…
Coral are among the sea organisms susceptible to small changes in acidity.
NOAA/David Burdick
As a scientist working on the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems, one of my duties is to communicate my work. My main goal is to convince students, citizens, economists and politicians that…
Yes, it’s getting hotter. Now President Obama is taking action.
EPA/Dennis Brack
President Obama’s speech at Georgetown University yesterday marks the most significant development in US climate change action so far. The “President’s Climate Action Plan”, a 21-page document, sets out…