The storm raged over California for more than five days. As the powerful atmospheric river landed, furious winds and torrential downpours ripped trees from their roots, turned streets into rivers and sent mud cascading into homes.
Along with chaos, the storm brought opportunity. On land and in-flight, scientists were ready to deploy instruments that measure atmospheric rivers like this one. They released tools from planes equipped with small parachutes or floated them up from the ground attached to balloons directly into the storm’s path.
These small but mighty devices provide critical intelligence to help improve weather forecasts, as the climate crisis already makes powerful storms more dangerous. Read More
According to the first UN expert assessment, more than a fifth of migratory species under international protection are threatened with extinction, including nearly all nomadic fish.
From humpback whales to Dalmatian pelicans, billions of animals journey with the seasons over oceans, on land and in the skies each year. But a new report by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has found that many migratory species are at risk of disappearing, threatened by human pollution, the spread of invasive species and the climate crisis.
The assessment of migratory animals under protection from the treaty found that 22% of the 1,189 CMS-listed species are threatened with extinction, and nearly half, 44%, are showing population declines, with many under unsustainable pressure from habitat loss and overexploitation. As much as 97% of sharks, rays and sturgeons on the list face a high risk of extinction, with populations declining by 90% since the 1970s. Read More
The government must increase fines on utility companies that dig up pavements for roadworks and then pour in concrete rather than fixing the mess. Read More
The journey towards a greener future is well underway, with unprecedented investments in clean energy marking the dawn of a new era in global power generation. The International Energy Agency heralds solar energy as the cheapest electricity source in history, a testament to the transformative potential of renewables. Rhodium’s analysis further illuminates this shift, projecting a significant decline in the world’s reliance on fossil fuels by 2050, thanks to the surge in solar investments and the retreat from coal-powered generation.
Parallel to the renewable energy revolution is the rapid growth of the electric vehicle (EV) market, which is set to redefine transportation. The forecast suggests a dramatic decrease in global oil consumption for on-road vehicles, anticipating a 50% reduction over the next three decades. This shift signifies a monumental step forward in reducing emissions from one of the most prolific sources of fossil fuel demand.
However, this promising progress towards decarbonization faces substantial challenges in completely phasing out carbon emissions by the mid-century. Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, a target scientists deem crucial to averting the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, remains a formidable task. Heatwaves, floods, droughts, and other climate-related disasters continue to threaten our world, underscoring the urgency of addressing emissions comprehensively.
A significant hurdle in this endeavour is the persistent carbon pollution from three critical sectors: aviation, shipping, and industry. The absence of widespread alternatives to jet fuel and ship diesel constrains efforts to decarbonize these areas, with fossil fuel use expected to remain steady or even increase as economies in developing countries expand. Furthermore, specific industrial processes, including cement production and plastics manufacturing, present additional challenges in reducing reliance on carbon-intensive fuels. Read More
Australia’s land surface has warmed by 1.5C since 1910, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s long-term record of temperatures.
The figure is revealed in the bureau’s annual climate statement, which found that 2023 was Australia’s joint-eighth warmest year on record, with the national temperature 0.98C above the average between 1961 and 1990.
Countries worldwide have agreed to “pursue efforts” to keep global heating to 1.5C. Still, this temperature goal is widely accepted as relative to a pre-industrial period from 1850 to 1900 and combines land and ocean temperatures across the globe. Read more
Tens of thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo live in temporary accommodation and wait for government help after the country experienced its worst flooding in six decades.
More than 300 people have died, and 280,000 households in more than half the country have been forced to leave their homes since heavy rains started at the end of November. Over 1,500 schools, 267 health centres, 211 markets and 146 roads have been damaged. Read More
The World Health Organization has set guidelines for how many tiny particles and how much toxic gas can dirty the air but stresses that no pollution level is safe to breathe. Doctors writing in the International Journal of Public Health want the limits met by the decade’s end. Still, the European Parliament wants to wait till 2035, the European Commission intends to set weaker limits for 2030 without setting a date to align with the WHO, and the European Council wants to let poorer countries wait till 2040.
However, the proposed delay to EU air pollution limits will mean hundreds of thousands more people dying early and “widen the inequality gap” between Eastern and Western Europe, a group of public health experts have said, as EU negotiators thrash out key rules to clean up the air. Read More
A comprehensive investigation spanning ten months, from 2021 to 2022, has unearthed alarming evidence that 17 landfills across England are discharging a highly toxic liquid. This hazardous substance is replete with banned and potentially carcinogenic compounds known as “forever chemicals,” with some concentrations found to be 260 times above the safety threshold for drinking water. Despite the gravity of these findings, the government has admitted to a lack of precise information regarding the locations of these contaminated sites.
The study, commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency, aimed to assess the chemical composition of leachate in both operational and closed landfills. Established from the 1960s to the present, these sites were scrutinized to garner a comprehensive overview of the pollutants they harbour, revealing a significant threat to public health and environmental safety. Read More
After more than 1,000 days of drought, the Catalan government has formally announced a state of emergency, extending water restrictions to Barcelona and the surrounding region.
It is estimated that 500mm of rain will be needed in Catalonia to make up the deficit. Water reserves have fallen below 16%, low enough to trigger the emergency declaration.
Measures already in place in the north of the region, including a 20% reduction in agricultural irrigation and a ban on watering public parks, will be extended to Barcelona. Read more
The daily atmospheric carbon dioxide from Mauna Loa in Hawaii is the acid test of how the world is succeeding in combatting climate change. Just before the 28th annual United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention meeting opens in oil-rich Dubai, it is a depressing reading.
The atmospheric carbon dioxide has been 422.36 parts per million, 5.06ppm more than the same day in 2022. The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide in the last 12 months is probably the largest ever recorded – more than double the previous decade’s annual average.
Adding to the perspective, the concentration was nearly 395.64 ppm a decade ago. Read More
