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
Tag: impact
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
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
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
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
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
Delhi’s air pollution is so bad that it’s sometimes hard to discern anything more than a few meters in front of you. And it is affecting people’s health. Breathing is uncomfortable.…Continue readingDelhi’s annual air pollution has become a human-made calamity
Japan has recorded its warmest autumn since records began 126 years ago. “This year was 1.97 degrees Celsius higher than usual… making it the hottest autumn since 1898, when statistics began,”…Continue readingJapan witnesses warmest autumn on record
The first summer on record that melts practically all of the Arctic’s sea ice, an ominous milestone for the planet, could occur as early as 2027. For the first time, an…Continue readingCountdown to an ice-free Arctic: Research warns of accelerated timelines
Some A$13 billion in taxpayer dollars and 30 years of policy reform have failed to arrest the devastating decline in the health of Australia’s most important river system, the Murray-Darling Basin,…Continue readingLandmark study reveals stark failure to halt Murray-Darling River decline
Land degradation is expanding worldwide at the rate of 1m sq km every year, undermining efforts to stabilise the climate, protect nature and ensure sustainable food supplies, a study has highlighted.…Continue readingLand degradation expanding by 1m sq km a year, study shows
Every year, billions of vehicles worldwide shed an estimated 6 million tons of tire fragments. These tiny flakes of plastic, generated by the wear and tear of normal driving, eventually accumulate…Continue readingCar tires shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment. Urgent action is needed
The world will be “unable to cope” with the sheer volume of plastic waste a decade from now unless countries agree to curbs on production, the co-chair of a coalition of…Continue readingWorld will be ‘unable to cope’ with volume of plastic waste in 10 years, warns expert
The fact that plastics pollute the environment and generate problems has been well-researched in many areas. However, there is little information on the impacts of plastics on climate and biodiversity. In…Continue readingPlastics contribute to ‘triple planetary crisis’ impacts
There are two main types of microplastics. One is primary microplastics, which are small to begin with, like the microbeads sometimes added to personal care products. Then there are secondary microplastics:…Continue readingExperts study where microplastics are winding up—and what risks they pose
A new study led by an international team of scientists highlights tire particles (TPs) as the leading contributor to microplastics and calls for urgent, targeted research to address their unique environmental…Continue readingResearchers call for recognition of tire particles as a distinct environmental threat
Lying just off the Canadian mainland, Qikiqtaruk is a mass of sediment and permafrost piled up during the last ice age. Despite its small size, the island is packed with immense…Continue reading‘The land is tearing itself apart’: life on a collapsing Arctic isle
The Middle East and North Africa, which already include some of the hottest and driest spots on Earth, are undergoing accelerated climate change and will reach warming thresholds two to three…Continue readingStaggering temperature rise predicted for the Middle East and North Africa
Reefs across the north of the Great Barrier Reef have seen “substantial losses” of coral cover after a summer of extreme heat, two cyclones and major flooding, according to the first…Continue reading‘Graveyard of corals’ found after extreme heat and cyclones hit northern Great Barrier Reef
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal Wednesday to protect a wide swath of giraffes under the Endangered Species Act, the first time the animal would receive protection under…Continue readingGiraffes are about to join the endangered species list
A new study led by researchers from ETH Zurich and Vrije Universiteit Brussel and published in The Cryosphere provides the most comprehensive projections to date, projecting the future of over 200,000…Continue readingGlobal glacier melt: Major mass loss expected by 2100
The research, led by the University of Bristol and published in Nature, compares for the first time how tiny ocean organisms called plankton responded when the world last warmed significantly in…Continue readingIce Age plankton model suggests sea life will struggle to survive future global warming
A new study published in Environmental Research Letters reveals that the severity of the state’s wildfires has rapidly increased over the last several decades, contributing to greater forest loss than would…Continue readingAs climate warms, California wildfires are becoming more severe, killing more trees
Ecuador has declared a 60-day state of emergency as the South American country has been hit by a severe drought and record wildfires that have razed large swaths of territory over…Continue readingEcuador declares 60-day state of emergency to help battle wildfires
Prolonged drought and extreme weather are forcing Canada to import electricity from the US after nearly two decades of exporting excess hydropower to its neighbour. Canada is the world’s third-largest producer…Continue readingCanada imports US electricity as droughts curb hydropower
For a while, it looked like Zambia had achieved a status that almost any nation would envy. Drawing hydropower from the massive Zambezi River and its tributaries, the country could meet…Continue readingWhy hydropower is failing this nation — and could fail others
An international team of scientists using observations from NASA-German satellites found evidence that Earth’s total amount of freshwater dropped abruptly starting in May 2014 and has remained low ever since. Reporting…Continue readingNASA satellites reveal abrupt drop in global freshwater levels
Residents of India’s capital New Delhi choked in a blanketing toxic smog Wednesday as worsening air pollution surged past 50 times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily maximum. Many in the…Continue readingToxic smog smothering India’s capital smashes WHO limit
Punjab with a population of 127 million has been struggling to combat smog since last month. “Over 1.8 million people visited hospitals and private clinics in the smog-hit districts in Punjab…Continue readingGrowing pollution in Pakistan has sickened 1.8M people in a month
In 2020, more than a quarter of the Maldivian islands containing mangrove forests saw their trees experiencing a gradual deterioration before dying, a condition known as dieback. Mangroves play an essential…Continue reading‘Drowning’ mangrove forests in Maldives signal global coastal threat
Over the past five years, all bird species have faced population decline after suffering from habitat loss, pesticide use, climate breakdown and bird flu. Overall, bird species have declined in number…Continue readingWild bird numbers continue ‘alarming’ decline in UK
Air pollution in Pakistan’s second biggest city Lahore soared on Saturday, with an official calling it a record high for the smog-choked mega city. For days, the city of 14 million…Continue readingPollution level in Pakistan megacity hits new high
The world is striving to reach net-zero emissions as we try to ward off dangerous global warming. But will getting to net-zero actually avert climate instability, as many assume? Our new…Continue readingEarth’s climate will keep changing long after humanity hits net-zero emissions
Nearly 1.4 million hectares of tree cover was lost between 2001 and 2020 in areas where mining and related activities have taken place, analysis of University of Maryland data by the…Continue readingMining eats into more of the world’s forests
Microplastics have been found throughout the human body — including inside lungs, blood and brains — and while it is not yet clear how harmful they are to our health, some…Continue readingHow harmful are microplastics to human health?
New global findings in the 8th annual indicator report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change reveal that people in every country face record-breaking threats to health and survival…Continue readingExperts call for trillions of dollars spent on fossil fuels to be redirected
Oxfam’s research shows that that the richest 1%, made up of 77 million people including billionaires, millionaires and those earning $310,000 ($140,000 PPP) or more a year, accounted for 16% of…Continue readingCarbon emissions of richest 1% increase hunger, poverty and deaths
Schoolchildren in Pakistan’s second-largest city of Lahore have been banned from outdoor exercise until January because of hazardous smog levels, officials said Friday. The eastern megacity near the border with India…Continue readingSmog in Pakistan megacity ends outdoor play for schoolkids
Biodiversity is declining more quickly within key protected areas than outside them, according to research that scientists say is a “wake-up call” to global leaders discussing how to stop nature loss…Continue readingBiodiversity declining even faster in ‘protected’ areas, scientists warn COP16
Human-caused climate change worsened floods that have killed hundreds of people and displaced millions in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan this year, according to a study published on Wednesday. A…Continue readingClimate change worsened deadly Africa floods
The dangers of a collapse of the main Atlantic Ocean circulation, known as AMOC, have been “greatly underestimated” and would have devastating and irreversible impacts, according to an open letter released…Continue reading‘We don’t know where the tipping point is’: climate expert on potential collapse of Atlantic circulation
The World Weather Attribution (WWA) network said on Wednesday that human-driven climate change, caused by the use of fossil fuels, had made seasonal downpours across the Niger and Lake Chad basins…Continue readingGlobal warming worsening deadly flooding in Africa
Five Pacific nations on Thursday plotted how to prosecute a pivotal UN court case that aims to hold climate-polluting countries to account and safeguard their islands’ survival. The International Court of…Continue readingClimate-hit Pacific Islands plot landmark UN court case
All over Europe alarm bells are ringing over the state of winter snow sports and fears for the future. In France, the ski resorts of Alpe du Grand Serre and Grand…Continue readingFears for future of ski tourism as resorts adapt to thawing snow season
At least eight people died after heavy rains in Brazil, authorities said Saturday, as storms swept parts of the country following a severe drought that fueled a record wave of wildfires.…Continue readingEight dead as heavy rain thrashes Brazil after long drought
A few weeks on from the flooding of 19 September, when the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna was struck by its third devastating storm in less than 18 months, the…Continue reading‘It’s shameful and I won’t pay it’: flood-hit Italians rage against insurance call
Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have all declared a state of national disaster in the past months as the drought has destroyed crops and livestock. Angola and Mozambique are also…Continue readingWorst drought in century devastates Southern Africa with millions at risk
Only about one-third of Europe’s surface water is in good health or better, a report has found, despite an EU target first set for 2015 to bring all bodies of water…Continue readingOnly one-third of Europe’s surface water qualifies as good or better
More than half the world’s food production will be at risk of failure within the next 25 years as a rapidly accelerating water crisis grips the planet, unless urgent action is…Continue readingGlobal water crisis leaves half of world food production at risk in next 25 years
A major new study reveals that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from forest fires have surged by 60% globally since 2001, and almost tripled in some of the most climate-sensitive northern boreal…Continue readingGlobal CO₂ emissions from forest fires have increased by 60% since 2001
The boreal forests here in the Sami homeland take so long to grow that even small, stunted trees are often hundreds of years old. It is part of the Taiga –…Continue readingWhat happens to the world if forests stop absorbing carbon? Ask Finland
One of the largest types of carbon offset projects the Australian government is using to meet climate change targets and reduce carbon in the atmosphere is failing to do so, new…Continue reading‘Widespread noncompliance and poor performance’ in world’s largest nature-based carbon removal projects
Warm water fueled amazingly rapid intensification that took Milton from a minimal hurricane to a massive Category 5 in less than 10 hours. It weakened, but quickly bounced back, and when…Continue readingHere’s what has made Hurricane Milton so fierce and unusual
The Amazon rainforest could be reaching an irreversible tipping point beyond which it will decline until “we’re just left with scrub,” conservationists have warned. WWF’s biennial Living Planet report said the…Continue readingAmazon rainforest near tipping point partly driven by UK consumers, WWF says
Global wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 73% in 50 years, a new scientific assessment has found, as humans continue to push ecosystems to the brink of collapse. Latin…Continue readingCollapsing wildlife populations near ‘points of no return’, report warns
On staple crops, England’s wheat haul is estimated to be 10m tonnes, or 21%, down on 2023, according to analysis of the latest government data by the Energy and Climate Intelligence…Continue readingHarvest in England the second worst on record because of wet weather
We are seeing unprecedented rapidly intensifying tropical storms such as Hurricane Helene in the eastern United States and Super Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam. Unprecedented fires in Canada have destroyed towns. Unprecedented…Continue readingUnprecedented peril: Disaster lies ahead as we track towards 2.7°C of warming this century, researchers warn
Some kind of overshoot of 1.5˚C is increasingly being seen as inevitable by scientists and policymakers. This new study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, cautions against “overconfidence” in such a…Continue readingStudy warns of ‘irreversible’ climate impacts from overshooting 1.5˚C
An international coalition led by Oregon State University scientists concludes in its annual report published in BioScience that the Earth’s worsening vital signs indicate a “critical and unpredictable new phase of…Continue readingClimate report warns of escalating crisis, urges immediate action as UN summit nears
Many of Earth’s “vital signs” have hit record extremes, indicating that “the future of humanity hangs in the balance”, a group of the world’s most senior climate experts have said. More…Continue readingEarth’s ‘vital signs’ show humanity’s future in balance
A large French Alpine ski resort has announced it is to close, citing a lack of funds to become a year-round destination, as low- and medium-altitude mountain areas around Europe struggle…Continue readingLarge French Alpine ski resort to close in face of shrinking snow season
The remnants of Hurricane Kirk swept into western Europe Wednesday, tearing up trees in Portugal and Spain before dumping heavy rains on France that left at least one dead. A storm…Continue readingOne dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
As Hurricane Milton bears down on Florida, fueled by a record-hot Gulf of Mexico, a new analysis has shown how the Gulf’s heat that worsened last month’s Hurricane Helene was 200…Continue readingGlobal heating makes hurricanes like Helene twice as likely
The destruction of global forests increased in 2023, and is higher than when 140 countries promised three years ago to halt deforestation by the end of the decade. The rising demolition…Continue readingDeforestation ‘roaring back’ despite 140-country vow to end destruction
A critically endangered orchid has received a late reprieve after a local environmental group threatened legal action against the Victorian government, prompting officials to cancel a planned burn of its habitat.…Continue readingFewer than 10 of these orchids remain in the wild. Victoria was about to burn them into extinction.
Forest campaigners have accused the federal government of hypocrisy for hosting a global nature-positive summit in Sydney while logging resumed in public forest 400km away in mid-north New South Wales. The…Continue readingEnvironment summit taking place in Sydney while greater glider habitat is logged is ‘bullshit’, advocates say
Scientists have challenged Tanya Plibersek’s claim that Australia is protecting more than half of its oceans and has “blitzed” a 30% target, arguing industrial longline fishing will still be allowed in…Continue readingScientists contest environment minister’s claim of ‘blitzing’ Australia’s ocean reserve expansion goal
Studies have found that, across the world, extreme rainfall has become more common and intense due to climate change; there is a high degree of confidence that such is the case…Continue readingHurricane Helene’s reach was shocking, another example of how climate change ‘is here and now,’ scientists say
Rivers dried up at the highest rate in three decades in 2023, putting global water supply at risk, data has shown. Over the past five years, there have been lower-than-average river…Continue readingClimate warning as world’s rivers dry up at fastest rate for 30 years
A report from the Environment Agency and Cefas shows Atlantic salmon stocks in England and Wales have dropped to their lowest level since records began in 1997. Once common across the…Continue readingSalmon numbers in England and Wales last year were lowest on record
Plant cover across the Antarctic peninsula has soared more than tenfold over the last few decades, as the climate crisis heats up the icy continent. Analysis of satellite data found there…Continue readingAntarctica is ‘greening’ at dramatic rate as climate heats
According to a report by Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL), the amount of land in England that can be said to be effectively protected for nature has fallen to just 2.93%,…Continue readingNature in England at risk as amount of land ‘effectively protected’ falls to 2.93%
Wildfires are burning through the carbon budget that humans have allocated themselves to limit global heating, a study shows. The authors said this accelerating trend was approaching – and may have…Continue readingWildfires are burning through humanity’s carbon budget
A year ago, Carlos Nobre, one of Brazil’s top climate scientists, was a rare voice of optimism about the future of the planet. The 73-year-old, one of the top experts on…Continue readingFires taking Amazon closer to ‘point of no return’: Expert
With as much as 80% of Brazil under a blanket of smoke from historic wild fires, face masks last used during the coronavirus pandemic are coming out again. South America’s biggest…Continue readingBrazilians choke as fire smoke blankets 80% of country
Hurricane Helene’s death toll has surpassed 150 as searchers use helicopters to get past washed-out bridges and hike through wilderness to reach isolated homes. Crews were still trudging through knee-deep muck…Continue readingMore than 150 dead after Hurricane Helene dumps over 40tn gallons of rain
Water flows in mainland Australia’s most important river system, the Murray-Darling Basin, have been declining for the past 50 years. The trend has largely been blamed on water extraction, but our…Continue readingNew study reveals why the mighty Darling River is drying up—and it’s not just because we’re taking too much water
In July 2024, global temperatures reached unprecedented levels, breaking historical records with an average of 17.16°C. This extreme heat has led soil water to evaporate, leaving the vegetation and biodiversity more…Continue readingGlobal drought threatens food supplies and energy production
Hurricane Helene caused deadly and destructive flooding when it swept through the Southeast on Sept. 26–29, 2024. Across a broad swath of western North Carolina, where the worst flooding occurred, the…Continue readingWhy are so many historically rare storms hitting the Carolinas?
Two people have died in a rugged mountainous area in central Greece while trying to help firefighters tackle a forest fire that has forced several villages to be evacuated, authorities have…Continue readingRaging wildfires in central Greece leave two people dead
Residents of Nepal’s flood-hit capital returned to their mud-caked homes on Sunday to survey the wreckage of devastating floods that have killed at least 104 people across the Himalayan republic. Deadly…Continue reading104 dead in Nepal floods after relentless monsoon rains
Climate change is dramatically reshaping life in Pacific Island nations, leaving them ever more vulnerable to storm surges, saltwater contamination, ruined crops, and relentless coastal erosion. “Every day it’s a constant…Continue readingStay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate’s grim choice