Climate activism has so far been fairly peaceful: here’s why that might change: The world has seen widespread climate protests in recent years. Shutterstock Climate change is perhaps the most serious threat to life on this planet. According to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC), climate change has already caused …
Energy charter treaty makes climate action nearly illegal in 52 countries – so how can countries leave it?: ZoranOrcik/Shutterstock Five young people whose resolve was hardened by floods and wildfires recently took their governments to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Their claim concerns each country’s membership of an obscure treaty they argue makes …
We built an algorithm to predict how climate change will affect future conflict in the Horn of Africa: here’s what we found: shutterstock The Horn of Africa, on the eastern coast of the continent, is currently being battered by an intense and sustained drought thanks to which around 20 million people are going hungry. And, …
Methane emissions reach new highs despite pandemic – they are four times more sensitive to climate change than first thought: Wildfires may be slowing the rate at which the atmosphere removes methane. Gonzalo Keogan/Shutterstock Eliminating emissions of CO? is high up the environmental agenda – but the world should not lose sight of the threat …
Here are the most effective things you can do to fight climate change: Cutting driving and flying are two of the most eco-friendly actions you can take. Shutterstock Limiting global warming to 1.5? above pre-industrial levels requires reaching net zero emissions by the middle of this century. This means that, in less than three decades, …
Climate change: wildfire risk has grown nearly everywhere – but we can still influence where and how fires strike: Stefan Doerr, Author provided Humans have raised CO? levels in the atmosphere to 50% above what they were before the industrial revolution. As a result, the world has already warmed by 1.1°C over the past century …
Climate crisis: even temporarily overshooting 2°C would cause permanent damage to Earth’s species: Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock The history of climate change is one of people slowly coming to terms with the truth. None but a small minority still question whether it’s real and caused by humans. Now most grapple with the reality of trying to slow …
How climate change, overfishing and COVID drove irregular migration from West Africa: Crossing the Mediterranean has taken thousands of West African lives Flickr Throughout 2020, 23,023 irregular immigrants arrived on the coast of the Canary Islands, 757% more than the previous year. In 2021 the figure fell slightly to 22,316 people but it is still …
Conversation Insights wins journalism award for climate coverage: The Conversation authors recognised for work on net zero. You may remember seeing an article we published in April last year in which climate scientists, James Dyke, Wolfgang Knorr and Robert Watson, set out the problems inherent in the idea of net zero. Climate activist Greta Thunberg …
Alien species are moving across oceans faster: climate change will accelerate this: The brown mussel has retracted its range in South Africa due to decreasing seawater temperatures. Olga Ernst/ Wikimedia Commons Oceans and coastlines have been subjected to human use for centuries. But the effects of human activity on the oceans are now more extensive, …
Britain’s first wetland ‘super reserve’ offers boost to nature-based solutions to climate change: Avalon Marshes wetland, in Somerset, England. IanRedding / shutterstock Wetlands are the superheroes of the natural world. They are crammed with wildlife, protect our coastlines, keep our rivers clean, and store climate-changing amounts of carbon. Yet through much of history they have …
The ‘carbon footprint’ was co-opted by fossil fuel companies to shift climate blame – here’s how it can serve us again: Carbon footprints have a complex history. Shutterstock “You can’t manage what you can’t measure”, according to a famous business mantra often attributed to management guru Peter Drucker. This can help explain why carbon emissions …
Climate change: efficiency labels really do encourage less energy use – but there’s a better way of using them: Energy labels are useful, but they could be made more effective. Shutterstock Reducing our energy use has rarely been so pressing. And one way we can do this is choosing the most energy efficient option when …
Climate change isn’t a priority for Kenyan universities. It should be: Increased financing will enable universities in Kenya to make climate change activities a central part of curricula and research output. Peter Cade via GettyImages Universities can play a vital role in shaping change in societies. They produce knowledge through research, train future decision makers, …
Climate change: radical activists benefit social movements – history shows why: Wynn Bruce set himself on fire on April 22 2022 – Earth Day. His self-immolation in front of the US supreme court was a protest against inadequate action on the climate crisis. He later died of his injuries. Two days earlier in the UK, …
Climate change: UK’s net zero target is under threat because there’s no plan to pay for it: Costs for achieving net zero are mounting, with no clear plan to afford them. Shutterstock The UK government’s plan for achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is at a serious risk of sinking before it’s been …
David Bowie and the birth of environmentalism: 50 years on, how Ziggy Stardust and the first UN climate summit changed our vision of the future: David Bowie released his seminal album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars 50 years ago, on June 16, 1972. It was an artsy and …
Climate change: the IPCC has served its purpose, so do we still need it?: In 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its first assessment report on the state of climate change science. The synthesis of the sixth assessment report will be released later this year. But we can guess its messages: we …