Degrowth: slowing down rich economies to deal with climate change is a flawed idea: Degrowth will result in industrialised countries having less income for climate change mitigation GettyImages The notion of “degrowth” is gaining traction among some politicians in Europe. It was given a platform recently at the European Parliament’s “Beyond Growth” conference. Jason Hickel, …
The oil industry has succumbed to a dangerous new climate denialism: Opec predicts oil demand will be 10% higher by the 2040s. Iurii If we have not been warned of the dangers of climate change this summer, we never will be. Extreme heat, forest fires and floods have been all over news reports. Yet the …
Bangladesh is undertaking the world’s largest resettlement programme – and the climate is making it harder: Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate extremes. The nation’s topography lays its citizens bare to cyclones, flash floods, erosion and drought – not to mention the significant socio-economic impact these bring. Agricultural economist GM Monirul Alam showed, in a …
The Atlantic is at risk of circulation collapse – it would mean even greater climate chaos across Europe: andrejs polivanovs / shutterstock Amid news of lethal heatwaves across the Northern Hemisphere comes the daunting prospect of a climate disaster on an altogether grander scale. New findings published in Nature Communications suggest the Atlantic meridional overturning …
Greece wildfires: how climate change is involved, and what we can do about it: Fanned by strong winds and record temperatures, wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes recently spread from the hilly interior to the densely populated coastline with astonishing speed, leaving authorities with the daunting task of evacuating thousands of residents and holidaymakers …
Extreme weather events are exactly the time to talk about climate change – here’s why: Zurijeta/Shutterstock Record-breaking heatwaves are sweeping across the northern hemisphere, affecting large parts of southern Europe, the US and China. On July 24, Sicily recorded blistering temperatures of more than 47.5? and wildfires are currently tearing through Greece. The heatwaves come as …
Britain’s next election could be a climate change culture war: A byelection in a London suburb has placed environmental policy at the centre of political debate in the UK, and could make it a key battleground in the next general election. The Conservative party narrowly held former prime minister Boris Johnson’s seat in Uxbridge and …
The climate crisis leaves students feeling helpless – what universities can do to empower them: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Universities have the resources to help combat the climate crisis. What’s more, they have a responsibility to their students – who want to take action, but may lack the support they need to do so. One way universities can …
European heatwave: what’s causing it and is climate change to blame?: Blistering temperatures are spreading across southern and eastern Europe. Massimo Todaro/Shutterstock Europe is currently in the midst of a heatwave. Italy, in particular, is expected to face blistering heat, with temperatures projected to reach 40? to 45?. There’s even a chance that the current …
Understanding time may be the key to the race against climate change: Es sarawuth/Shutterstock Something has to change. Politicians and environmental organisations have invested millions trying to influence people’s behaviour and tackle the climate crisis. But it’s not working. No G20 country is on track to meet their climate goals. So instead, researchers are turning …
What El Niño means for the world’s perilous climate tipping points: The UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has confirmed it: El Niño conditions have arrived and are expected to become moderate to strong as they develop over the coming year. El Niño is the hot phase of a natural fluctuation in the Earth’s climate system …
Seabed trawling’s impact on the climate may be wildly overestimated – new study: Anney_Lier/Shutterstock You might remember newspaper articles in 2021 claiming that towing nets over the seabed to catch fish (known as bottom trawling) releases as much carbon as all flights taken each year. It turns out that the assessment behind this claim overestimated …
How climate change is causing a communication breakdown in the animal world: Damselfish are finding it harder to detect predators. Vojce / shutterstock What do the following changes have in common? Some ant species are struggling to follow trails, as warming temperatures cause a certain pheromone they use to communicate to decay. The water fleas …
How heating your home fuels climate change – and why government measures are failing to stop it: Heat pumps are three times more energy-efficient than boilers. Virrage Images/Shutterstock The UK’s housing stock is old, energy inefficient and heavily reliant on fossil fuel heating systems – mainly gas boilers. With heating responsible for 17% of the …
Why the impacts of climate change may make us less likely to reduce emissions: The wildfires raging across Canada’s south-eastern province of Quebec are unprecedented. A warm, dry spring allowed the tinder to accumulate and lightning storms in early June lit the match, dramatically escalating 2023’s fire season. As the smoke spread south it spawned …
I’m one of the UK’s official climate change advisers – our new report says the country is no longer a world leader: Anne Coatesy / shutterstock The UK’s Climate Change Committee – the official independent advisory body of which I am interim chair – has spent the past three months poring over thousands of pages …
Climate conferences have a huge trust deficit: how to make COP28 deliver: The world has the opportunity to addresses over 14 years of unmet climate change promises GettyImages As countries prepare for COP28 summit scheduled for the end of the year in Dubai, the world has the opportunity to map a transition pathway that addresses …
Climate change journalism in South Africa misses the mark by ignoring people’s daily experiences: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the 2022 COP27 meeting in Egypt. Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty Images South Africa’s media houses rely too heavily on events like conferences, climate disasters and the release of scientific papers in their reporting on climate …