The International Energy Agency (IEA) said global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions hit a record high last year, driven partly by increased fossil fuel use in countries where droughts hampered hydropower production.
Steep cuts in CO2 emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels, will be needed in the coming years if targets to limit a global rise in temperatures and prevent runaway climate change are to be met, scientists have said.
The IEA mentions in its report that “far from falling rapidly—as is required to meet the global climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement—CO2 emissions reached a new record high.”
Global emissions from energy rose by 410 million tonnes, or 1.1%, in 2023 to 37.4 billion tonnes, the IEA analysis showed. Read More
According to an unpublished UN analysis seen by the Guardian, the global extraction of raw materials is expected to increase by 60% by 2060, with calamitous consequences for the climate and the environment.
Natural resource extraction has soared by almost 400% since 1970 due to industrialisation, urbanisation and population growth, according to a presentation of the five-yearly UN Global Resource Outlook made to EU ministers.
The stripping of Earth’s natural materials is already responsible for 60% of global heating impacts, including land use change, 40% of air pollution impact, and more than 90% of global water stress and land-related biodiversity loss. Read More
Women in rural areas suffer substantially greater economic losses from the impacts of climate breakdown than men in developing countries, research has shown, and the gap is likely to widen further.
According to data released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), households headed by women in rural areas lost about 8% more of their income to heat stress than male-headed households, and their reduction in income when floods struck was about 3% greater than the loss to men.
The difference, taken across the world’s low, and middle-income countries, adds up to about an extra $37bn lost to women from heat stress and $16bn from floods each year. Read More
The torrents of water coming from the sky are having ripple effects on the cliffs that hold up some of California’s most expensive real estate. In the first two months of the year, nearly 18 inches of rain has fallen in the southern California area, about 8 inches above normal to date, and more is on the way in the weeks ahead.
In wealthy coastal cities such as San Clemente and Dana Point, homeowners watch hour by hour as multi-million-dollar houses on cliffs dangle above landslides brought on by the storms.
The Los Angeles Times estimates that $150bn in California property might be affected by coastal flooding and erosion by 2100 – meaning a hefty price tag that the state will likely protect through stabilizing insurance premiums and paying for the cost of rebuilding following disasters. Read More
California was hit by a powerful blizzard at the weekend that affected the Sierra Nevada mountain range. A blizzard is a combination of dry, powdery snow alongside strong winds; it can also contain lightning. Under its most intense bursts, the blizzard that struck California produced up to 152mm (6in) of snow an hour and 190mph (306km/h) gusts.
Warnings for extreme avalanches were put in place across the greater Tahoe region until that afternoon, and people were advised to remain indoors. Read More
In the serene landscapes of Mortara, nestled within the expansive Po valley, Luigi Ferraris, a seasoned 58-year-old rice farmer, faced an unprecedented challenge in 2022. The region, known for its fertile floodplains crucial to Italy’s rice production, encountered a severe drought that drastically reduced rainfall by 40% in the first half of the year. The Alps, typically reliable for their snowmelt feeding the Po River, contributed to an alarming 88% decrease in water flow, leading to historically low levels in the river and its canals.
Despite these dire conditions, Ferraris remained optimistic, hoping for a swift return to normalcy. He, like many in the Pianura Padana, was accustomed to battling excess water, not scarcity. This area, once a marshland rife with malaria, was transformed over centuries through meticulous drainage and land levelling. Local farmers, including Ferraris, had historically worked to repel water, making the sudden lack of it a new and daunting obstacle.
Alberto Lasagna, director of Confagricoltura Pavia, reflects on this irony. For generations, the struggle in the Po Valley was to manage and mitigate the abundant water to make the land suitable for agriculture. Now, the community finds itself in an unfamiliar predicament, grappling with the urgent need for water to sustain their crops and continue their way of life.
This shift marks a significant turning point for the region’s agricultural practices. It poses a poignant question about the future of farming in areas once defined by their battle against water. Read More
The Great Barrier Reef, the planet’s largest coral reef system, is under scrutiny as the management authority gears up for comprehensive aerial surveys. The decision is followed by helicopter observations that have revealed widespread coral bleaching, particularly in the reef’s southern regions. Reports from The Guardian highlight bleaching occurrences stretching over 1,100 kilometres, from Lizard Island in the north to the Keppel Islands in the south, stoking fears of a potential seventh mass bleaching event.
Recent helicopter surveys covering both inshore and offshore reefs off Queensland’s coast have shown bleaching to be both extensive and uniformly distributed across the 48 reefs examined. According to Dr Mark Read, the authority’s director for reef health, the majority of corals are exhibiting signs of heat stress, manifesting as either a whitening or a fluorescent response, a defence mechanism against temperature increases. Bleaching, a result of corals enduring prolonged exposure to hot waters, poses significant risks to coral health, including increased susceptibility to disease and impaired reproductive abilities. However, recovery is possible under milder conditions and with a subsequent drop in water temperatures.
The surveys, focusing on areas like the Keppel Islands, Gladstone, and the Capricorn Bunkers, have already noted limited bleaching in regions north of Mackay and the Whitsunday Islands as well. Dr Neal Cantin, a senior research scientist from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, reported clear visibility of bleached corals from the air, even at depth. As the southern section shows the most significant impact, reports from other reef areas confirm that no region is immune, underscoring the urgent need for action to protect this marine biodiversity hotspot from escalating climate challenges. Read More
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will hear from people on the frontline of the climate emergency in Mexico, Honduras, the Bahamas and Colombia as part of a special hearing sought by human rights groups in Latin America, the US and the Caribbean.
Communities under imminent threat from rising sea levels, floods and other extreme weather will testify in Washington as the region’s foremost human rights body holds a first-of-its-kind hearing on how climate catastrophe is driving forced migration across the Americas. Read More
Joseph Kuzma’s childhood memories of ice fishing and driving across the frozen Lake Erie starkly contrast with today’s reality in Port Clinton, Ohio, where the sound of waves replaces the once familiar crunch of ice. The dramatic decrease in ice cover on Lake Erie and across the Great Lakes reflects a broader trend of warming winters attributed to climate change. With ice levels hitting historic lows—this year’s ice cover was around 4% compared to the historical average of 40%—and cities like Grand Forks, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis-St Paul experiencing their warmest winters on record, the effects of human-made climate change are becoming increasingly evident. The decline in ice not only disrupts traditional winter activities but also signals significant environmental shifts that are expected to persist and intensify. Read More
A recent study conducted by Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, has revealed a significant link between traffic-related air pollution and severe forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, even among individuals without genetic predispositions.
The research focused on the impact of exposure to delicate particulate matter (PM2.5), which is prevalent in urban areas and originates primarily from vehicle emissions. PM2.5 particles, being extremely small, can penetrate deep tissues and cross the blood-brain barrier, potentially leading to the accumulation of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s.
The study examined brain tissues from 224 individuals, most diagnosed with dementia, who had lived in areas with high levels of traffic-related PM2.5. It found a clear correlation between higher exposure to this pollution and increased Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology. This adds to the growing body of evidence that air pollution from traffic not only contributes to respiratory diseases and climate change but may also be a critical factor in the development of dementia. The findings underscore the urgent need for measures to reduce traffic pollution, particularly in densely populated urban environments. Read More
