2021’s climate disasters revealed an east-west weather divide, with one side of the country too wet, the other dangerously dry

US disasters in 2021 told a tale of two climate extremes. A climate scientist explains why wet areas are getting wetter and dry areas drier.

Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton • conversation
Dec. 21, 2021 ~8 min

UK net zero strategies are overlooking something vital: how to cool buildings amid rising temperatures

As the UK warms, the government needs to pay more attention to sustainably and efficiently cooling buildings.

Jesus Lizana, Fellow in Energy and Power, University of Oxford • conversation
Dec. 16, 2021 ~7 min


Smoke, heat and stress: A snapshot from Southern California of life in an altered climate

Southern California is on the front line of climate change, and recent survey data shows that residents are feeling its effects in many ways.

Kyla Thomas, Sociologist, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences • conversation
Dec. 14, 2021 ~7 min

Why people in some parts of England pay far more than others to heat their homes

People in some areas are paying hundreds of pounds more to heat their homes every year.

Ruchi Choudhary, Professor of Architectural Engineering, University of Cambridge • conversation
Nov. 29, 2021 ~7 min

To decontaminate your mask, pop it in the oven

Want to decontaminate your disposable mask? Researchers report that all you have to do is heat it to 160 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven for five minutes.

Mike Williams-Rice • futurity
Nov. 15, 2021 ~7 min

Comet’s intense heat turned sand to glass 12,000 years ago

Heat from a comet exploding just above the ground in what is now the Atacama Desert in Chile fused sandy soil into patches of glass around 12,000 yeas ago.

Kevin Stacey-Brown • futurity
Nov. 5, 2021 ~7 min

COP26: here's how much progress the UK has made on three key net zero pledges

Electric vehicle sales are booming and coal power is dwindling, but structural obstacles to net zero remain.

Ljubomir Jankovic, Professor of Advanced Building Design, University of Hertfordshire • conversation
Nov. 1, 2021 ~11 min

Electric boilers: a green alternative to heat pumps that no one is talking about

Electric boilers can be a green heating alternative, an expert says.

Jovana Radulovic, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, University of Portsmouth • conversation
Oct. 28, 2021 ~7 min


Violence and mental health are likely to get worse in a warming world

Research shows how heat can have negative effects on emotional states, mental health conditions and aggressive behaviours.

Vikki Thompson, Senior Research Associate in Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol • conversation
Oct. 27, 2021 ~6 min

Evacuations ordered as a powerful storm heads for California's wildfire burn scars, raising risk of mudslides – this is what cascading climate disasters look like

Studies show climate change is raising the risk of cascading hazards that alone might not be extreme but add up to human disasters. Communities and government agencies aren’t prepared.

Amir AghaKouchak, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine • conversation
Oct. 21, 2021 ~9 min

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