The planet is building up heat at the equivalent of four Hiroshima bombs worth of energy every second. And 90% of that heat is going into the oceans. Right, now I’ve got your attention. It’s widely acknowledged…
Miami, New York City… who’s next?
Allstar/Fox 2000/Sportsphoto Ltd
Small numbers can imply big things. Global sea level rose by a little less than 0.2 metres during the 20th century – mainly in response to the 0.8 °C of warming humans have caused through greenhouse gas…
You’re expecting us to solve climate change for you?
Kaibab National Forest
Zimbabwean biologist Allan Savory proposed in a TED talk in March that getting more cows grazing on rangelands worldwide would soak up carbon dioxide. His suggestion has been a huge hit with online viewers…
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Broede Carmody, The Conversation
Wine businesses around the country are taking steps to offset the potential effects of climate change, a study has found. Associate Professor Jeremy Galbreath, of the Curtin Graduate School of Business…
Heat levels in the world’s oceans keep rising.
dustinphilliips/Flickr
A review of research data from almost 400 scientists in 52 countries has concluded that policy makers need to adapt to “the new normal” of rising world temperatures and the changes they bring. The US National…
This eastern shovelnose stingaree was once unheard of in northern Tasmania. Now it is abundant.
Peter Last
Warming oceans are affecting the breeding patterns and habitat of marine life, according to a three-year international study published today in Nature Climate Change. This is effectively re-arranging the…
When officials in the northern Chinese province of Hubei recently declared their dedication to cleaning up air pollution by giving up smoking, few were impressed by their grasp of the problem. But China…
Craig Moritz, Australian National University and Rosa Agudo, Australian National University
In work we published in Science today we look at two conflicting ideas on whether species can adapt to climate change. Are our ideas about extinction too catastrophic, or do we actually need to do more…
Cheap emissions permits means industry hasn’t traded in its polluting ways.
David Davies/PA
Raphael Calel, London School of Economics and Political Science and Cameron Hepburn, London School of Economics and Political Science
When the carbon price collapsed to below €3 in April this year, EU policymakers sought to prop up carbon prices by a deal that would delay the release of carbon allowances (known as “backloading”). This…
Cane toads spread faster when they arrive in a new area.
Flickr/blundershot
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…