African cities and climate change: the real debate is who should pay to fix the problem: Most mayors and managers of African cities know too well that climate change is real GettyImages For most city mayors and managers in Africa, the debate about whether climate change is real is a moot topic. They know it …
Slowing deep Southern Ocean current may be linked to natural climate cycle – but that’s no reason to stop worrying about melting Antarctic ice: The Weddell Sea helps power the great ocean conveyor, which moves heat, carbon dioxide and nutrients around Earth's ocean basins. Janelle Lugge/Shutterstock Our new research in the Antarctic suggests that the …
Nigeria needs to take climate action: 4 urgent steps to start with: Trucks, with goods, abandoned on Nigeria's East-West highway cut off by flood in October 2022. Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images Climate change is not just a buzzword or a topic for political debates. It is a real and pressing issue that affects …
How cats and dogs affect the climate — and what you can do about it: Are dogs as polluting as private jets? elbud/Shutterstock According to Patrick Hanson, the CEO of Luxaviation, a Luxembourg-based luxury airline firm, having pets can be just as polluting as travelling by private jet. In defence of his own industry, he …
African plumes bring heat of the Sahara to UK – but climate change could make them less frequent: Alexandree/Shutterstock It’s not often that the UK feels as hot as the central Sahara, but there were certainly a few days in the summer of 2022 when that was the case. Such heat waves can occur when …
How universities could help whole communities tackle climate change: Shutterstock As centres of learning, universities have the potential to help whole communities learn about and address climate change. Education can lead us to change our attitudes and behaviour. It can also help us deal with the anxiety or fear of doom that can stun us …
Climate change first ‘went viral’ exactly 70 years ago: We have grown so used to many things. To the pictures of wildfires and cremated animals, to the ice sheets calving into the ocean, to the promises of world leaders that they will heed the “last chance” warning of the scientists. It’s hard for anyone under …
Climate change protest: a single radical gets more media coverage than thousands of marchers: Gil Scott Heron argued that the Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Yet recently in the UK that statement is being challenged by disruptive environmental protesters unexpectedly gatecrashing live sporting broadcasts. At the end of April, live on ITV the animal rights …
Why strike action is climate action: Taking strike action is difficult. Some difficulties are obvious: sacrificing my pay as a lecturer creates immediate financial difficulties. Other difficulties are more hidden, like the pervasive anxiety of a strike day as emails roll in. Strike-breaking colleagues remind me about pressing deadlines and students ask about class, marks, …
Climate change increases the risk of extreme wildfires around Cape Town — but it can be addressed: Fire at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images Across the globe, many recent severe wildfires have moved from wildlands into the urban periphery (the “wildland urban interface”). In their …
Climate change: multi-country media analysis shows scepticism of the basic science is dying out: Frame Stock Footage/Shutterstock Any regular viewer of BBC’s Question Time could be forgiven for thinking that old-fashioned climate science denialism is alive and kicking. In a recent edition, panellist Julia Hartley-Brewer called the IPCC’s climate models “complete nonsense”, and dismissed the …
Eco-anxiety: climate change affects our mental health – here’s how to cope: A climate protest in Ontario, Canada. Ali Jabber/Shutterstock As a psychologist, I have been researching, writing and talking about psychological and social responses to climate change for over ten years. An increasingly common response appears to be extreme worry. The University of Bath …
The UK’s first climate refugees: why more defences may not save this village from rising sea levels: A view of Fairbourne from above, showing the Mawddach estuary and the mountains of Eryri in the background. Wozzie/Shutterstock The impact of rising sea levels on our coastlines can be profound. A natural shoreline can respond to sea …
Why a serious climate strategy is almost impossible in the UK’s current political system: In its new energy strategy, the government says it "remains absolutely committed to maximising the vital production of North Sea oil and gas as the North Sea basin declines". donvictorio / shutterstock The UK government reportedly chose Aberdeen, its carbonisation capital, …
Climate change is accelerating – and the UK government is ‘strikingly unprepared’: Read successive progress reports by the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the UK government’s statutory advisor on climate change, and you sense the growing frustration. Over the years, the CCC’s assessments of the government’s response to the climate crisis have become more critical, its …
Climate doomism is bad storytelling – hope is much more effective at triggering action: IrDesign90/Shutterstock When news about the climate is published, like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report, frightening headlines like “final warning” or “now or never” are often the norm. Some activists call this approach “climate doomism”, and are quick to …
IPCC’s conservative nature masks true scale of action needed to avert catastrophic climate change: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) synthesis report recently landed with an authoritative thump, giving voice to hundreds of scientists endeavouring to understand the unfolding calamity of global heating. What’s changed since the last one in 2014? Well, we’ve dumped …
How to talk to your family and friends about the new IPCC report – five tips from climate change communication research: Esther Pueyo / Shutterstock The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report is a sobering read, which some describe as a “final warning” from scientists. The core message remains the same as prior IPCC …