Was Earth already heating up, or did global warming reverse a long-term cooling trend?

Evidence in Earth’s natural archives, from tree rings to seafloor sediments, points to one trend. Some climate models suggest another. Here’s why are important.

Darrell Kaufman, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Northern Arizona University • conversation
Feb. 15, 2023 • ~7 min

Global inequality must fall to maintain a safe climate and achieve a decent standard of living for all – it's a huge challenge

Energy inequality will have to reduce substantially by 2050 to maintain a safe climate and decent living standards for all.

Yannick Oswald, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Leeds • conversation
Feb. 14, 2023 • ~7 min

Big Oil's trade group allies outspent clean energy groups by a whopping 27x, with billions in ads and lobbying to keep fossil fuels flowing

Researchers looked at a decade of political spending by the oil and gas industry and others engaged in climate policy. If money talks, one side had a giant megaphone.

Robert Brulle, Professor of Sociology, Brown University • conversation
Feb. 13, 2023 • ~8 min

Bahamas songbird is under threat of extinction -- but preserving old pine forests will help save it

The Bahama warbler favours large pine trees and palms, fieldwork shows.

Nigel Collar, Honorary Professor of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia • conversation
Feb. 10, 2023 • ~6 min

Loopholes wide enough to 'drive a diesel truck through' -- how to tell if a business is really net zero

We’re rarely aware of a company’s full environmental footprint.

Ian Thomson, Director of the Centre for Responsible Business, University of Birmingham • conversation
Feb. 7, 2023 • ~7 min

Atmospheric rivers are hitting the Arctic more often, and increasingly melting its sea ice

Atmospheric rivers can melt fragile new sea ice. When these storms arrive in waves, the sea ice doesn’t have a chance to recover.

Pengfei Zhang, Assistant Research Professor of Atmospheric Science, Penn State • conversation
Feb. 6, 2023 • ~7 min

The future of flight in a net-zero-carbon world: 9 scenarios, lots of sustainable biofuel

Airlines are promising net-zero emissions by 2050. To get there, they’re experimenting with used cooking oil, ag waste and corn ethanol in their fuel tanks. But that alone won’t be enough.

Steve Davis, Professor of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine • conversation
Feb. 6, 2023 • ~9 min

Primates colonised the Arctic during a period of ancient global warming -- their fate offers a lesson as climate change speeds up

Close relatives of primates adapted to life in the High Arctic 52 million years ago – this may offer insight into future changes in the Arctic.

Jason Gilchrist, Ecologist, Edinburgh Napier University • conversation
Jan. 30, 2023 • ~8 min

Cornwall space launch: why the environmental cost of rocket launches is large even when they fail

The UK space launch failed but it succeeded in releasing hazardous pollutants to multiple layers of the atmosphere.

Eloise Marais, Associate Professor in Physical Geography, UCL • conversation
Jan. 20, 2023 • ~6 min

1.5°C: where the target came from – and why we're losing sight of its importance

There is no safe limit to global warming – there is only what people deem to be acceptable damage.

Piers Forster, Professor of Physical Climate Change; Director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds • conversation
Dec. 14, 2022 • ~8 min

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