In a study published in One Earth, scientists report that, for the highly populated coastal country of Bangladesh, what was once a 100-year event could now strike every 10 years—or more…Continue readingHundred-year storm tides to hit Bangladesh every decade as climate change intensifies, scientists report
Tag: projections
Water levels in the Caspian Sea—the world’s largest landlocked water body—are getting lower, as hotter temperatures cause more water to evaporate than is flowing in. Even if global warming is limited…Continue readingCaspian Sea’s rapid decline threatens endangered seals, coastal communities and industry, study warns
The natural process of locking away carbon dioxide (CO2) appears to be in decline—and climate change will accelerate as a result, a University of Strathclyde study warns. Researchers found that the…Continue readingClimate change ‘will accelerate’ owing to decline in natural carbon storage, says study
“There is no peak demand on the horizon,” OPEC Secretary General Haitham al-Ghais said in the organization’s World Oil Outlook, which sees global thirst for liquid fuels increasing from 102.2 million…Continue readingFrom Sept 2024: OPEC raises long-term demand forecasts in rejecting peak oil
As Arctic ice melts, massive amounts of freshwater flow into the ocean. The seawater becomes diluted and less saline, a development that reduces its density and causes it to sink more…Continue readingLong-term costs of global warming: Weaker ocean circulation could cost trillions
A collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) would have disastrous consequences around the world, severely disrupting the rains that billions of people depend on for food in India, South…Continue readingTotal collapse of vital Atlantic currents unlikely this century, study finds
Oil major BP says it has slashed planned investment in renewable energy and would increase annual oil and gas spending to $10bn. Under Auchincloss’s predecessor, Bernard Looney, BP pledged in 2020…Continue readingBP drops climate targets in pivot back to oil and gas
Global demand for liquefied natural gas is forecast to surge 60 per cent by 2040 due to faster economic growth in Asia and the race to decarbonise industry, Shell has said.…Continue readingLNG demand to jump 60% by 2040, Shell forecasts
The studies were conducted independently by researchers in Europe and Canada. They tackled the same basic question: is a year above 1.5°C global warming a warning sign that we’re already crossing…Continue readingEarth is already shooting through the 1.5°C global warming limit, two major studies show
For the past few years, scientists have watched, aghast, as global temperatures have surged — with both 2023 and 2024 reaching around 1.5 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial average. Two new…Continue readingScientists have a new explanation for the last two years of record heat
Warm-water coral reefs are facing unprecedented human-driven threats to their continued existence as biodiverse functional ecosystems upon which hundreds of millions of people rely. These impacts may drive coral ecosystems past…Continue readingConsiderations for determining warm-water coral reef tipping points
Greenland has been behind approximately 14 mm of sea level rise since 1992. This is due to increased melting from the ice surface in response to warmer air temperatures, and increased…Continue readingCracks in Greenland Ice Sheet grow more rapidly in response to climate change
Both the North and South Pole regions have warmed by some three degrees Celsius compared to late 19th-century levels, much faster than the global average. The US National Snow and Ice…Continue readingArctic sea ice levels second lowest on record for January
An international group of scientists, led by King’s College London, has revealed how continued global warming will lead to more parts of the planet becoming too hot for the human body…Continue readingHalf a degree rise in global warming will triple area of Earth too hot for humans
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
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
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
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
In launching its World Energy Outlook 2024 (WEO), the IEA stated that “the future of the global energy system is electric.” This follows its assertion that demand for coal, oil and…Continue reading‘’Age of electricity’ to follow looming fossil fuel peak’’: Analysis or Science Fiction?
A $200bn wave of new gas projects could lead to a “climate bomb” equivalent to releasing the annual emissions of all the world’s operating coal power plants, according to a report.…Continue reading‘Climate bomb’ warning over $200bn wave of new gas projects
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
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 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
BP and its partners have given the green light to a $7bn gas project in Indonesia. The project is an additional development of the Tangguh liquefied natural gas project in Papua,…Continue readingBP greenlights $7bn Indonesia gas project
Kuwait Petroleum Corp. plans to spend about 10 billion dinars ($33 billion) over five years to ramp up oil production capacity, betting on robust demand for decades to come. “We’re looking…Continue readingKuwait to Spend Over $30 Billion to Boost Oil in Bet on Demand
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
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
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
An unprecedented global mobilisation of renewable energy, forest protection and other measures is needed to steer the world off the current path towards a catastrophic temperature rise of 3.1˚C, a report…Continue reading‘Crunch time for real’: UN says time for climate delays has run out
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
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
The overwhelming majority of young Americans worry about the climate crisis, and more than half say their concerns about the environment will affect where they decide to live and whether to…Continue readingOverwhelming majority of young Americans worry about climate crisis
The world’s energy watchdog has signalled a new energy era in which countries have access to more oil, gas and coal than needed to fuel their economic growth, leading to lower…Continue readingFossil fuels could become cheaper and more abundant, says IEA
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
It begins each day at nightfall. As the light disappears, billions of zooplankton, crustaceans and other marine organisms rise to the ocean surface to feed on microscopic algae, returning to the…Continue readingTrees and land absorbed almost no CO₂ last year. Is nature’s carbon sink failing?
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
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 world where global mean surface temperature has increased 3°C will be characterized by widespread and intense heat stress, extreme weather events, ruptured and unproductive marine and terrestrial ecosystems, broken food…Continue readingEarth at risk: An urgent call to end the age of destruction and forge a just & sustainable future
“The goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C is hanging by a thread,” said the official spokesperson for António Guterres, the UN secretary general. “The battle to keep 1.5C alive will…Continue reading‘The stakes could not be higher’: world is on edge of climate abyss, UN warns
A massive new review of ancient atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels and corresponding temperatures lays out a daunting picture of where the Earth’s climate may be headed. The study covers geologic records spanning…Continue readingA New 66 Million-Year History of Carbon Dioxide Offers Little Comfort for Today
The largest ever recorded leap in the amount of carbon dioxide laden in the world’s atmosphere has just occurred, according to researchers who monitor the relentless accumulation of the primary gas…Continue readingRecord-breaking increase in CO2 levels in world’s atmosphere
Hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists expect global temperatures to rise to at least 2.5˚C (4.5˚F) above preindustrial levels this century. Almost 80% of the respondents, all from the authoritative…Continue readingWorld’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5˚C target
The climate emergency is already here. Even just 1˚C of heating has supercharged the planet’s extreme weather, delivering searing heatwaves from the US to Europe to China that would have been…Continue reading‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair
Much of the world’s natural coastline is protected by living habitats, most notably mangroves in warmer waters and tidal marshes closer to the poles. These ecosystems support fisheries and wildlife, absorb…Continue readingAfter studying more than 1,500 coastal ecosystems, researchers say they will drown if we let the world warm above 2˚C
Wildfires and heatwaves wreaking havoc across swathes of the globe show humanity facing “collective suicide”, the UN secretary general has warned. António Guterres told ministers from 40 countries meeting to discuss…Continue readingHumanity faces ‘collective suicide’
In the years ahead, sea level rise, more intense storm surge and jacked-up tropical storms will be visiting many of the world’s roughly 3,800 ports. Most of those ports are coastal;…Continue readingRising Seas Are the Next Crisis for the World’s Ports
No organism on Earth is known to live as long as the Great Basin bristlecone pine. The oldest documented tree, a well-hidden specimen nicknamed “Methuselah,” after the long-lived biblical patriarch, was…Continue readingScientists rush to save 1,000-year-old trees on the brink of death
In 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report (Assessment Report 5; AR5) concluded that Northern Hemisphere temperatures had reached levels unprecedented in at least 1,400 years. The 2021 report…Continue readingTechnical Note:Past and future warming – direct comparison on multi-century timescales
Almost a quarter of the world’s population are exposed to significant flood risks, according to new research published Tuesday, which warned those in poorer countries were more vulnerable. 1.81 billion people—or…Continue readingNearly 1 in 4 globally at risk from severe flooding
Unless urgent action is taken, emissions are expected to cause the planet to continue heating rapidly over the next few decades, prompting the global average temperature to overshoot the Paris agreement’s…Continue readingEven temporarily overshooting 2°C would cause permanent damage to Earth’s species
Antarctic ice sheets are melting, the continent’s climate is changing, and the Southern Ocean is warming, becoming more acidic and losing oxygen. Locally, changing climates are already affecting the region’s iconic…Continue readingAntarctic is changing dramatically, with global consequences
Sea level rise will force the abandonment of about 200,000 coastal properties in England within 30 years, new data suggests, as the climate crisis takes hold. These are the homes that…Continue readingSea level rise in England will force 200,000 to abandon homes
A world severely blighted by plastic pollution is on track to see the use of plastics nearly triple in less than four decades. Even with aggressive action to cut demand and…Continue readingGlobal plastic use and waste on track to triple by 2060
In their effort to provide decision makers with insight into the consequences of climate change, climate researchers are bringing order to the large number of sea level projections. Aimée Slangen is…Continue readingBringing order to the chaos of sea level projections
Humanity is “at a crossroads” when it comes to managing drought and accelerating mitigation must be done “urgently, using every tool we can,” says a new report from the United Nations…Continue readingWorld ‘at a crossroads’ in management of droughts, up 29% in a generation and worsening, reports the UN
Coral reefs are rapidly declining due to local environmental degradation and global climate change. In particular, corals are vulnerable to ocean heating. Hotter oceans can kill corals via expulsion of their…Continue readingPast the precipice? Projected coral habitability under global heating
Amazon rainforest becomes a savanna The 2.5 million square mile rainforest is so vast it creates its own rainfall and is home to 10% of the world’s species. But rising temperatures…Continue readingThe world is ‘perilously close’ to irreversible climate change
The study examined four possible scenarios for future carbon emissions, and found increased risk of El Niño events in all four. This means El Niño events and associated climate extremes are…Continue readingIncreasing frequency of El Niño events expected by 2040
Although Africa has contributed relatively little to the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions, the continent has suffered some of the world’s heaviest impacts of climate change. This will only get worse, according…Continue readingAfrica, already suffering from warming, will see worse
As required by the UK Climate Change Act 2008, the government has today submitted the Third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) to Parliament. Professor Richard Betts MBE, who led this team,…Continue readingUK government: 4°C warming by 2100: “can’t be ruled out”
In 2009, an international team of researchers identified nine planetary boundaries that demarcate the remarkably stable state Earth has remained within for 10,000 years—since the dawn of civilization. These boundaries include…Continue readingSafe planetary boundary for pollutants, including plastics, exceeded
A few days before Christmas, Super-typhoon Rai – known locally as Odette – ravaged the Philippines. Lost lives continue to climb two weeks on. Vast numbers of buildings were destroyed –…Continue readingFilipinos count cost of climate crisis as typhoons get ever more destructive
“We need drastic, radical emissions reductions, and on top of that we need some CDR,” said Glen Peters, research director at the Centre for International Climate Research. There are basically two…Continue readingClimate: Removing CO₂ from the air no longer optional
Today’s emission reduction pledges cover less than 20% of the gap that needs to be closed by 2030 to keep a 1.5 °C path within reach. For all the advances being…Continue readingA new global energy economy is emerging, but the transformation still has a long way to go
National net zero emission targets could, if fully implemented, reduce best estimates of projected global average temperature increase to 2.0–2.4 °C by 2100, bringing the Paris Agreement temperature goal within reach. A…Continue readingWave of net zero emission targets will still cause dangerous warming
Global greenhouse gas emissions must peak in the next four years, coal and gas-fired power plants must close in the next decade and lifestyle and behavioural changes will be needed to…Continue readingGreenhouse gas emissions must peak within 4 years, says leaked UN report
Rising sea levels and climate change are posing serious threats to the population and economy of several Asian coastal cities—Bangkok, Dhaka, Jakarta, Manila and Shanghai, among them. Threats come from a…Continue readingAs Asian cities sink, managed retreat must be tabled
The comprehensive assessment of climate science published on Monday, the sixth such report from the IPCC since 1988, has been eight years in the making. It represents the world’s full knowledge to date of the physical basis…Continue readingMajor climate changes inevitable and irreversible – IPCC’s starkest warning yet
Earth’s temperature is projected to hit 1.5˚C or 1.6˚C around 2030 in all five scenarios—a full decade earlier than a similar prediction the IPCC made less than three years ago. The…Continue readingKeeping Earth cool: Is the 1.5˚C target ‘mission impossible’?
If climate change continues at its current rate, more than 98% of emperor penguin colonies are expected to become quasi-extinct by the turn of the century. Scientists’ near-term predictions were equally grim: they…Continue readingVirtually all emperor penguins doomed for extinction by 2100 as climate change looms, study finds
“We find that there is a substantial mismatch between likely warming rates and research coverage. 1.5 °C and 2 °C scenarios are substantially overrepresented. More likely higher end warming scenarios of…Continue readingBetting on the best case: higher end warming is underrepresented in research
“There is growing evidence we are getting close to or have already gone beyond tipping points associated with important parts of the Earth system” The 5 hottest years on record have…Continue readingCritical measures of global heating reaching tipping point, study finds
Carbon emissions are set to hit an all-time high by 2023 as just two percent of pandemic recovery finance is being spent on clean energy. “Not only is clean energy investment still…Continue readingCovid recovery to drive all-time emissions high: IEA
The figures are based on projections of a population growth of about 4.5 billion over the same period, and a temperature rise of about 3.7˚C by 2100.Continue readingClimate crisis ‘may put 8 billion at risk of malaria and dengue’ by 2080
Chair of CCAG, Sir David King said: “I believe we have five years left to get on top of this global problem. We began talking seriously about climate change in 1992, yet we…Continue readingReducing carbon emissions not enough, expert warns
Species extinction, more widespread disease, unliveable heat, ecosystem collapse, cities menaced by rising seas—these and other devastating climate impacts are accelerating and bound to become painfully obvious before a child born…Continue readingCrushing climate impacts to hit sooner than feared: draft UN report
“I cannot say that there was really any breakthrough in the consultations that took place here” said United Nations climate chief Patricia Espinosa.Continue readingNo breakthrough during ‘exhausting’ online climate talks
“If we allow fossil fuel burning to continue to grow, our grandchildren may experience CO₂ levels that haven’t been seen on Earth for around 50 million years, a time when crocodiles roamed the Arctic.”Continue readingEarth’s history sends climate warning
There is “no longer any realistic chance” for an orderly transition for global financial markets because political leaders will be forced to rely on “handbrake” policy interventions to cut emissions, according…Continue readingPrepare for DISORDERLY shift to low-carbon era
“While 63% of reefs are projected to continue to accrete by 2100 under the low-impact pathway, 94% will be eroding by 2050 under the worse-case scenario,” Dr Cornwall said. “And no reef will…Continue readingTime running out to save coral reefs
The nightmare scenario: Year 2100, global waming exceeds 4˚C:→ Massive frequent wildfires→ Dead coral reefs→ Frequent prolonged droughts→ Increased air pollution→ Ice-free Arctic summers→ Rapid sea level rise→ Abandoned small island nations→…Continue readingClimate change: how bad could the future be if we do nothing?