International community must prioritize researching and developing an overshoot risk management plan or risk irreversible catastrophic damage to the biophysical and physiochemical systems that support human civilization, argues Graeme Taylor.
The UN’s climate conference in Egypt limped over the finish line Sunday morning with a commitment to launch a fund to compensate poor countries suffering from catastrophic climate-change events. The breakthrough spared the COP27 event from total collapse.
This week, the world’s population ticks over a historic milestone. But in the next century, society will be reshaped dramatically — and soon we’ll hit a decline we’ll never reverse.
There are just two actions needed to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown: leave fossil fuels in the ground and stop farming animals. But, thanks to the power of the two industries, both aims are officially unmentionable.
Under Brazil’s President Bolsonaro, deforestation accelerated, threatening not only wildlife and Indigenous communities but also the global climate. Newly elected President Lula has promised to give the forest a second chance. Will it be enough?
The UN environment agency’s report finds there is “no credible pathway to 1.5C in place” and that “woefully inadequate” progress on cutting carbon emissions means the only way to limit the worst impacts is a “rapid transformation of societies”.
Sisi’s Egypt is making a big show of solar panels and biodegradable straws ahead of next month’s climate summit – but in reality the regime imprisons activists and bans research. The climate movement should not play along.
Kenya’s president Ruto writes: Africa is the continent most affected by climate change and yet the least responsible for it. Despite this, Africa has the opportunity to lead the world and show that we do not need to destroy the climate to prosper.
Methane leaking from pipelines on the floor of the Baltic Sea are only the tip of the iceberg: Scientists have reported that methane emissions from the oil and gas industry are far worse than previously thought.
Speaking to animals has long been a fantasy. But now a dizzyingly ambitious project is harnessing all the power of modern science in an attempt to understand what whales say – and then hold conversations with them.
Towards the end of 2022, the human population on Earth is expected to reach eight billion. To mark the occasion, BBC Future takes a look at one of the most controversial issues of our time. Are there too many of us? Or is this the wrong question?
Unlike other extreme events such as wildfires and floods, droughts often creep up slowly, causing immense damage by stealth. So what qualifies as a drought? And what can we do to safeguard against it?
