Since September, close to 3,000 firefighters have been out every day in New South Wales battling blazes the size of small European countries. More than 90% of those people on the the ground are unpaid volunteers.
Homo erectus evolved around two million years ago, and was the first known human species to walk fully upright. New dating evidence shows that it survived until just over 100,000 years ago on Java — long after it had vanished elsewhere.
A pioneering irrigation project in Sudan is bringing people together. The seasonal river that runs by the capital of North Darfur state has been transformed by community-built weirs — not just promising a more bountiful future, but a more peaceful one.
The message from climate activists was passionate, the warning from the scientific community and countries already experiencing the effects of climate change, urgent. The action from world powers has been excruciatingly slow and inadequate.
Though this morning’s test flight of an all-electric commercial float plane justifiably lifted the spirits of all who support real-world climate solutions, it did not herald a green new era for commercial aircraft emissions, experts cautioned.
Oxygen in the oceans is being lost at an unprecedented rate as a result of the climate emergency and intensive farming. Sharks, tuna, marlin, and other large fish species are at particular risk, with many vital ecosystems in danger of collapse.
The first tranche of data offers clues to long-standing mysteries, including why the sun’s atmosphere, known as the corona, is hundreds of times hotter than its surface, as well as the precise origins of the solar wind.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described as “utterly inadequate” efforts to stop climate change. He noted that the world has the scientific knowledge and technical means to limit global warming but political will is lacking.
Granted personhood by New Zealand’s parliament, the Whanganui is the first river to be recognised as an indivisible, living being. But what happens when the river encounters development, farming, forestry, and run-off that challenge its health and ecology?
Evidence is mounting that tipping points in the Earth system — such as the loss of the Amazon rainforest or the West Antarctic ice sheet — could be more likely than was thought, potentially committing the world to widespread, long-term irreversible changes.
Levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached a new high, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Global emissions are not estimated to peak by 2030, let alone by 2020, if current climate policies and ambition levels are maintained.
Cities are their own climates, often hotter than their surroundings due to the way surfaces like asphalt trap heat even as cars and buildings exude it. Part of the reason for Louisville’s temperature extremes is geography. But a lot of it comes down to trees.
Forging new alliances with young activists from Europe, the forest’s traditional guardians hope the connections will lead to more international support and greater overseas prominence for their long struggle to defend their land against invasion.
Venice has been engulfed by 1.87m (6ft) high water levels, flooding its historic basilica and cutting power to homes. More than 80% of the city, a UNESCO world heritage site, was under water when tides were at their highest.
Climategate marks its 10th anniversary this month – an opportune moment to reflect on just how serious was its impact on efforts to stop Earth from being ravaged by rising seas, spreading deserts, disappearing coral reefs, and suffocating heat.
