Ørsted is slashing investment and dropping its targets for developing new renewable energy as part of a second drastic attempt to restore its struggling share price and boost confidence in its…Continue readingWorld’s biggest offshore wind developer Ørsted slashes investment by 25%
Author: Shane White
Millions of tonnes of plastic waste are dumped in the environment and much is broken down into small fragments. Microplastics were already known to have polluted the entire planet, from the…Continue readingVehicle tyres found to be biggest source of nanoplastics in the high Alps
The human body is widely contaminated by microplastics. They have also been found in blood, semen, breast milk, placentas and bone marrow. The impact on human health is largely unknown, but…Continue readingLevels of microplastics in human brains may be rapidly rising, study suggests
Waters off WA have been affected by prolonged marine heatwaves since September. Regions off the north-west coast were hottest, with ocean temperatures 1.5˚C higher than average over a five-month period and…Continue readingDeaths of 30,000 fish off WA coast made more likely by climate change
The number of monarch butterflies spending the winter in the western United States has dropped to its second-lowest mark in nearly three decades as pesticides, diminishing habitat and the climate crisis…Continue readingMonarch butterfly numbers plummet in US west coast winter habitats
Temperatures at the north pole soared more than 20˚C above average on Sunday, crossing the threshold for ice to melt. Temperatures north of Svalbard in Norway had already risen to 18˚C…Continue readingTemperatures at north pole 20˚C above average and beyond ice melting point
The pace of global heating has been significantly underestimated, according to renowned climate scientist Prof James Hansen, who said the international 2˚C limit is “dead”. A new analysis by Hansen and…Continue readingClimate change limit of +2˚C is ‘dead’, says renowned climate scientist
In early December 2024, hopes for a landmark global treaty to curb plastic pollution were dashed as negotiations in South Korea stalled. Leading the campaign against the deal were major oil-producing…Continue readingWhile plastic dominates human consumption, the global economy will remain hooked on fossil fuels
Residents of parts of Townsville and nearby towns spent the night in shelters as rising flood waters inundated their homes. In some places, more than 1 metre of rain fell during…Continue readingOne metre of rain in 48 hours: flooding to continue in north Queensland with thousands of homes at risk
The UK is not prepared for the impact of climate breakdown, fire chiefs have said, as they called on the government to take urgent action to protect communities. It said fire…Continue readingFire chiefs warn UK is not prepared for climate crisis impacts
Global demand for oil will not fall until at least 2040, according to a new forecast by the world’s largest independent energy trader, in the latest signal that economies will struggle…Continue readingOil demand to remain at current levels until at least 2040, Vitol says
Deforestation in Indonesia rose in 2024 for a third year running, a local environmental NGO said Friday based on satellite image analysis and fieldwork. Indonesia has one of the world’s highest…Continue readingIndonesia deforestation rises for third year running
On Thursday, the Trump administration ordered the US agriculture department to unpublish its websites documenting or referencing the climate crisis. By Friday, the landing pages on the United States Forest Service…Continue readingTrump orders USDA to take down websites referencing climate crisis
A sustained strategy was developed by the government and approved by the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, in December 2023 after the committee had warned in September the reef would be considered…Continue readingAustralia tried to influence other countries and Unesco to keep Great Barrier Reef off in-danger list
In North America and Europe, scientists have long warned bird numbers are falling. As cities and farms expand, forests around them become fragments, animal habitats shrink, pollution contaminates rivers, pesticides and…Continue readingIn the most untouched, pristine parts of the Amazon, birds are dying. Scientists may finally know why.
A study has found microplastic and nanoplastic pollution to be significantly higher in placentas from premature births than in those from full-term births. Microplastics, broken down from plastic waste, have polluted…Continue readingMicroplastics in placentas linked to premature births, study suggests
In our Short-Term Energy Outlook, we forecast the lowest annual petroleum consumption in Japan in 2024 since at least 1980, in part due to its aging and declining population. Japan’s reduced…Continue readingJapan’s oil consumption slumps as population ages rapidly
Shell dominated the $1.4bn global market for carbon credits last year as oil and gas companies scaled back their spending on clean energy and relied more heavily on offsets to reach…Continue readingShell dominates carbon credit market as clean energy spending scaled back
Human-caused climate change increased the likelihood and intensity of the hot, dry and windy conditions that fanned the flames of the recent devastating Southern California wildfires, a scientific study found. But…Continue readingStudy says climate change made conditions that fed California wildfires more likely, more intense
Tens of thousands of fish have died off northwestern Australia, as a large and long-lasting marine heat wave intensifies. The fish kill at Gnoorea Beach near Karratha is concerning our team…Continue readingA marine heat wave in northwest Australia is killing huge numbers of fish—it’s heading south
An interdisciplinary team of researchers from NTU Singapore, and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), The Netherlands, has projected that if the rate of global CO2 emissions continues to increase and…Continue readingGlobal sea level very likely to rise between 0.5 and 1.9 meters by 2100 under a high-emissions scenario
A Czech billionaire is accelerating his “contrarian approach” of acquiring carbon-intensive assets outside the EU, which has been given a boost by Donald Trump’s election as US president and promotion of…Continue readingCzech coal and gas investor Pavel Tykač sees vindication in Trump’s White House return
During the traditional 40-day period that runs before, during and after the holidays, some nine billion interprovincial passenger trips, on all forms of transport combined, are expected to be made, according…Continue readingMillions in China head home for Lunar New Year in ‘record high’ migration
Researchers surveying nests for the harmful chemical found in pet flea treatments found that it was present in every single nest. The scientists from the University of Sussex are now calling…Continue readingSongbirds being killed by pesticides found in pet fur flea treatments
Ministers have seen off a bill that would have made the UK’s climate and environment targets legally binding, after promising Labour backbenchers that they would have input into environmental legislation. The…Continue readingUK climate and nature bill dropped after deal with Labour backbenchers
Storm Eowyn caused havoc Friday as it battered Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, killing one person and leaving hundreds of thousands of homes without power, flights grounded and schools shut. Gusts…Continue readingPower cuts and transport chaos as Storm Eowyn hits Ireland and UK
Extreme weather disrupted the schooling of about 242 million children in 85 countries last year—roughly one in seven students, the UN children’s agency reported Thursday, deploring an “overlooked” aspect of the…Continue reading242 million children’s schooling disrupted by climate shocks in 2024: UNICEF
I was one of a group of Just Stop Oil activists given the longest-ever UK sentences for peaceful protest after blocking a motorway. Six months into my incarceration, this is what…Continue readingWhat the UK government does to those who protest against fossil fuel production
Over the past six years, Mexico’s left-wing ruling party has created a government-run airline, bank and tourism company. Its next business venture? A low-cost electric vehicle. This month President Claudia Sheinbaum…Continue readingMexico’s government to make a low-cost electric car
President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. on Monday to withdraw once again from the 2015 Paris climate agreement — instantly isolating the country from the global campaign to stem catastrophic warming.…Continue readingWhat Trump’s exit from the climate deal really means
Air pollution in the Thai capital forced more than 350 schools to close on Friday, city authorities said, the highest number in five years. Air pollution hits the Southeast Asian nation…Continue readingBangkok air pollution forces 352 schools to close
Microsoft will pay to restore parts of Brazil’s Amazon and Atlantic forests in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of carbon credits. The US company told the Financial Times…Continue readingMicrosoft secures deal to restore Amazon rainforest and offset AI emissions
Indonesia opened its carbon exchange to international buyers on Monday, aiming to raise funds to help meet ambitious domestic climate goals. Indonesia is one of the world’s biggest polluters and is…Continue readingIndonesia launches international carbon exchange
The Indonesian government wants to turn 20 million hectares (49 million acres) of forest into areas for food and energy production and water reserves, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni recently said…Continue readingActivists slam ‘destructive’ Indonesia forest conversion plan
A third of the Arctic’s tundra, forests and wetlands have become a source of carbon emissions, a new study has found, as global heating ends thousands of years of carbon storage…Continue readingA third of the Arctic’s vast carbon sink now a source of emissions
Wildfires in Brazil last year consumed a total area larger than all of Italy, a monitor reported Wednesday, as the country continues to battle blazes often set by farmers and ranchers…Continue readingBrazil saw 79% jump in area burned by fires in 2024
More than 40% of individual corals monitored around a Great Barrier Reef island were killed last year in the most widespread coral bleaching outbreak to hit the reef system. Scientists tracked…Continue reading‘Catastrophic’: Great Barrier Reef hit by its most widespread coral bleaching
Almost 26,000 hectares of threatened species habitat was greenlit for destruction in 2024 – more than double the previous year. A new Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) report has revealed a huge…Continue readingAlmost 26,000 hectares of Australian threatened species habitat approved for clearing under Labor in 2024
Using high levels of common fertilisers on grassland halves pollinator numbers and drastically reduces the number of flowers, research from the world’s longest-running ecological experiment has found. Increasing the amount of…Continue readingHigh fertiliser use halves numbers of pollinators, world’s longest study finds
Indonesia produced nearly four times the amount of nickel in recent years compared to a decade earlier—following the global push for a low-carbon revolution that drives the mining for the mineral…Continue readingWeighing the green cost: How nickel mining in Indonesia impacts forests and local communities
Huge volumes of sewage sludge, also known as biosolids but which is essentially human excrement and industrial waste, are spread on UK fields every year. It is regulated by the Environment…Continue readingUK farmland being contaminated by ‘forever chemicals’ linked to cancers
The global economy could face a 50% loss in GDP between 2070 and 2090 unless immediate policy action on risks posed by the climate crisis is taken, warns a new report…Continue readingCurrent climate policies risk catastrophic societal and economic impacts
A growing number of homeowners nationwide are being dropped by insurance companies as firms and regulators struggle to deal with the unpredictable and costly risks of climate disasters. Nonrenewal notices surged…Continue readingCalifornia isn’t the only place where insurers are dropping homeowners
More than 13,000 droughts spanning years have overwhelmed our planet across nearly four decades. These severe droughts are becoming hotter, longer and more devastating as our planet’s global temperature increases, new…Continue readingMultiyear droughts are worsening. Here’s where they have the most effects.
On the issue of oppressive laws, Australia has become something of a leader. Novel pieces of legislation that chip away and smother civil liberties is something of a speciality down under, encouraged…Continue readingTargeting Climate Change Protests
Twelve fires have ignited in the Los Angeles area since January 7, when a once-in-a-decade Santa Ana wind storm blew across Southern California’s drought-parched landscape. Since then, more than 60 square…Continue readingLA fires were larger and more intense because of planet-warming pollution, study suggests
The multibillion-dollar chemicals company 3M told customers its firefighting foams were harmless and biodegradable when it knew they contained toxic substances so persistent they are now known as “forever chemicals” and…Continue reading3M knew firefighting foams containing PFAS were toxic, documents show
“Our paper says that the Atlantic overturning has not declined yet,” said Foukal, who conducted the research while at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). “That doesn’t say anything about its future,…Continue readingCritical ocean current has not declined in the last 60 years, AMOC study finds
Tropical storm Dikeledi barreled towards Mozambique on Monday after leaving three dead in Madagascar and triggering floods in the French territory of Mayotte, less than a month after the cyclone-battered region…Continue readingCyclone-battered region sees storm Dikeledi leave Mayotte for Mozambique
California officials are withdrawing their final requests to enforce their nation-leading electric vehicle rules, days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. State officials told U.S. EPA on Monday they wouldn’t seek federal…Continue readingCalifornia withdraws requests to enforce pollution rules ahead of Trump
A climate activist who graffitied the word “liar” on the federal environment minister’s office has stood by his highly publicised actions, urging the public to stand up for their beliefs. The…Continue readingClimate activist who graffitied Tanya Plibersek’s office says he stands by his actions
The international team, led by Cardiff University researchers, show how southern migration of the westerly winds and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) towards the pole during periods of past global warming…Continue readingPast climate shifts altered Southern Ocean currents and carbon exchange: Study warns it may be happening again
Climate breakdown drove the annual global temperature above the internationally agreed 1.5˚C target for the first time last year, supercharging extreme weather and causing “misery to millions of people”. The average…Continue readingHottest year on record sent planet past 1.5˚C of heating for first time in 2024
The 2024 Global Water Monitor Report was produced by an international team of researchers from universities in Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany and elsewhere. The team used data from thousands of…Continue readingClimate crisis ‘wreaking havoc’ on Earth’s water cycle
Thirteen of the ports with the highest supertanker traffic will be seriously damaged by just 1 metre of sea level rise, the analysis found. The researchers said two low-lying ports in…Continue reading‘Ironic’: climate-driven sea level rise will overwhelm major oil ports
The increasing speed of sea level rise hardly seems to register with policymakers in Britain – even though with the UK weather getting more violent, destructive storm surges are increasingly likely.…Continue readingWeatherwatch: The need to wake up to sea level rise in the UK
The paper, published in the journal Science Advances, suggests that the industrial hunting of great whales such as sperm, blue, fin and right whales “masked” the ability of these underwater giants…Continue reading‘Extraordinary longevity’: great whales can live a lot longer than we thought – if we leave them alone
By David Spratt at Climate Code Red If an unexpected leap in the global average temperature in 2023 was described by one scientist as “gobsmackingly bananas”, are there even words to…Continue readingA(nother) year of scientific shock and awe
The Gulf of Mannar, an inlet of the Indian Ocean connecting India and Sri Lanka, is rich in biodiversity and a source of livelihood for both countries’ fishermen. Kachchatheevu, a tiny…Continue reading‘Treat us like humans’: Fishing wars trap Indians in Sri Lankan waters
Pariva beach is part of Kerema in Papua New Guinea’s Gulf province. In that area, rising sea levels and sand erosion have forced about 40,000 people to move inland over the…Continue reading‘Moving to the mountaintops’: rising seas displace tens of thousands in Papua New Guinea
The most profitable company in the world is Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia. It generates a daily profit of approximately 304 million dollars, which is about 3.519…Continue readingThe most profitable company in the world, the amount it earns every second is astonishing
Texas and 10 other Republican-led states are suing BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard, alleging they conspired to curtail coal supplies to further “a destructive, politicised environmental agenda”. The federal antitrust lawsuit…Continue readingRepublican US states sue BlackRock for ‘destructive’ green agenda
Citigroup on Tuesday said it was quitting the world’s largest climate alliance for banks, the latest sign corporate America may retreat from climate goals during Donald Trump’s second term as US…Continue readingCiti says it will exit UN-backed global climate pact
The world has endured a “decade of deadly heat”, with 2024 capping 10 years of unprecedented temperatures, the UN has said. The UN’s climate and weather agency, the World Meteorological Organisation…Continue readingWorld endures ‘decade of deadly heat’ as 2024 caps hottest years on record
Conservationists have said wildlife could be “disappearing in the dark” after figures showed that three-quarters of England’s most precious habitats, wildlife and natural features have had no recent assessment of their…Continue readingEnglish wildlife ‘could be disappearing in the dark’ due to lack of scrutiny
There have been alarming declines this year in some insect species including bees, butterflies, moths and wasps, while many seabirds have also been “hammered” by unstable weather patterns caused by the…Continue readingNational Trust records ‘alarming’ drop in insects and seabirds at its sites
Cyclone Chido was an “intense tropical cyclone”, equivalent to a category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic. It made landfall in Mayotte, a small island lying to the north-west of Madagascar on…Continue readingClimate, migration and conflict mix to create ‘deadly’ intense tropical storms like Chido
Italian energy giant Eni is firing up the world’s most powerful supercomputer outside the US this Christmas as it races rivals to build the technology infrastructure needed to better explore for…Continue readingEni fires up €100mn supercomputer in race to find oil and gas reservoirs
The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measure of pollution in the air, with higher numbers indicating greater health risks. Levels above 300 are considered dangerous. “Stuff I could never even…Continue reading‘Trapped inside’: The children suffocating in the smog of Lahore
A 77-year-old environmental activist will spend Christmas in prison despite having been released on an electronic tag, because the authorities cannot find an electronic device small enough to fit her wrists.…Continue readingElderly activist to spend Christmas in prison because tag does not fit
Forty people, aged from 22 to 58, will be behind bars on Christmas Day for planning or taking part in a variety of protests relating to the climate crisis or the…Continue readingRecord number of protesters will be in UK prisons this Christmas
Our new research published in Nature Climate Change shows the upper limits of human heat tolerance were breached for a total of 43 hours over the six days of Hajj. During…Continue readingMore than 1,300 Hajj pilgrims died this year when humidity and heat pushed past survivable limits—it’s just the start
The Albanese government has approved the expansion of four coalmines that climate campaigners estimate will release more than 850 megatonnes of CO2 over their lifetime – equivalent to almost double Australia’s…Continue readingAustralian government approves four coalmine expansions
The research, involving more than 200,000 people in Scotland, found an increase in exposure to nitrogen dioxide in particular was associated with a higher number of people being admitted to hospital…Continue readingPollution exposure linked to mental health hospital admissions
Charter rates for ships carrying liquefied natural gas have hit record lows, with some owners now facing a loss if they lease their vessels out, as the sector grapples with huge…Continue readingLNG freight rates plummet as sector grapples with glut of ships
The 12-day meeting of parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), known as COP16, has ended in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh without an agreement on responding to drought.…Continue readingUN talks fail
Three-quarters of Earth’s land has become drier since 1990. A new report from scientists convened by the United Nations found that an area as large as India has become arid, and…Continue readingRising desertification shows we can’t keep farming with fossil fuels
ExxonMobil announced plans to boost spending on oil production. The biggest western oil company on Wednesday said it had pencilled in $27bn-$29bn for capital expenditure next year, rising to $28bn-$33bn between…Continue readingExxon doubles down on oil production spending
Before the two-year marine heat wave that ended in 2016, Alaska had an estimated 8 million common murres — a quarter of the world’s population — spread across abundant colonies in…Continue readingScientists just confirmed the largest bird-killing event in modern history
Environmentalists have released what they say are the first maps of nearly 40,000 hectares of protected Tasmanian native forests that the state government plans to open to logging. They suggest significant…Continue readingMaps reveal parts of protected Tasmanian native forest that could be opened to logging
British police arrest environmental protesters at nearly three times the global average rate, research has found, revealing the country as a world leader in the legal crackdown on climate activism. Only…Continue readingBritain leads the world in cracking down on climate activism, study finds
Queensland’s environment minister has told parliament he stands by his comments more than a decade ago that he was “a bit sceptical” about human involvement in climate change. Griffith University emeritus…Continue readingAustralian Queensland environment minister stands by ‘scepticism’ about human-induced climate change
A study proposes a new method for recruiting trillions of microscopic sea creatures called zooplankton in the fight against climate change. The technique harnesses the animals’ ravenous appetites to essentially accelerate…Continue readingClay dust method turns CO₂ into food that zooplankton expel into the deep sea
The Arctic tundra is undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by frequent wildfires that are turning it into a net source of carbon dioxide emissions after millennia of acting as a carbon…Continue readingArctic tundra is now emitting more carbon than it absorbs
An area of land nearly a third larger than India has turned from humid conditions to dryland in the past three decades. Drylands are areas where 90% of the rainfall is…Continue readingDrylands now make up 40% of land on Earth, excluding Antarctica
A biologist at the University of Connecticut has found evidence that up to a third of all species alive today could go extinct by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are not…Continue readingMeta-analysis of current global warming impacts suggests a third of all species could be extinct by 2100
Bosnia may be one of Europe’s poorest countries but it has long been rich in one resource: water. The World Bank estimates Bosnia’s resources of renewable fresh water at nearly 10…Continue reading‘Scary’ drought empties one of Bosnia’s largest lakes
Oil companies Shell and Equinor are to combine their UK offshore oil and gas assets to form a new company they say would be the biggest independent producer in the North…Continue readingShell and Equinor to combine UK offshore oil and gas assets
As the Danish renewable energy company Ørsted battled to restore its reputation following a bruising year, a rival across the North Sea had the company in its sights. After months of…Continue readingHow the world’s biggest offshore wind company was blown off course