Climate science
Guterres confronts China over coal boom, urging a green recovery
China’s provinces have overseen a coal plant building spree in the first half of the year, in a bid to revive the Covid pandemic-hit economy
‘Nature doesn’t trust us any more’: Arctic heatwave stokes permafrost thaw
Record permafrost temperatures are transforming the Arctic, especially for indigenous peoples, whose hunting livelihoods are at risk as ground melts
Coronavirus delays work to protect the world’s poor from climate shocks
Travel restrictions and patchy internet access are slowing down efforts to improve resilience to weather extremes like cyclones Amphan and Nisarga
Now is the time to climate-and-pandemic-proof our food systems
Social safety nets and shorter supply chains are essential to protect smallholder farmers facing spiralling debt and bankruptcy
EU plans to protect 30% of land and seas by 2030 for biodiversity
The European Commission set out a strategy to overhaul farming and strictly protect carbon-rich forests and wetlands, to benefit wildlife
Coronavirus lockdown cut energy-related CO2 emissions 17%, study finds
Early estimates show deep cuts to emissions from air and road travel as a result of public health measures, but scientists warn these are only temporary
Watchdog: Germany must reach net zero emissions by 2038
An independent advisory body on environmental policy warned Germany risks exhausting its carbon budget by 2029 without robust climate action
Next UN climate science report to consider lessons from coronavirus
UN climate science reports due in 2021 will examine the links between pandemics and human pressures on the natural world to guide policymakers
Greenpeace takes Arctic oil lawsuit to Norway’s supreme court
After losing at two lower courts, campaigners are taking the fight to ban new oil exploration licences to the top, where it will be heard by all 19 justices
Coronavirus: plane-free skies spur research into warming impact of aviation
As the Covid-19 pandemic response hits air traffic, scientists seize the opportunity to study how planes’ contrails trap heat in the atmosphere
Coronavirus lockdown gives a boost to citizen science projects
From counting penguins to mapping solar panels, people staying at home during the pandemic can contribute to climate change research
One crisis at a time, please – Climate Weekly
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Postponing major environmental summits is the right thing to do
China and the UK must ensure all nations are involved in planning the delayed summits to protect biodiversity and to raise climate action
Coronavirus pandemic threatens climate monitoring, WMO warns
Data for weather forecasts and climate monitoring provided by in-flight sensors and manual observations have decreased significantly since the Covid-19 outbreak
Japan sticks to 2030 climate goals, accused of a ‘disappointing’ lack of ambition
Japan has reaffirmed its 2015 goal to cuts emissions by 26% by 2030 despite UN plea for far tougher action this year to tackle the climate crisis
Malawi’s farmers grow crops with ‘magic liquid’ fertiliser
‘Bionitrate’ made from urine is starting to help yields for farmers in Malawi who face high costs fertilising maize and other crops amid shifting weather patterns
Coronavirus: in Hawaii’s air, scientists seek signs of economic shock on CO2 levels
Ralph Keeling estimates that global fossil fuel use would have to decline by 10% for a full year to clearly impact CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere
From summits to stimulus: Nature-based solutions can help
Nature-based solutions deserve much deeper consideration as governments decide how to design their economic responses to the coronavirus
Coronavirus: China’s economic slowdown curbs deadly air pollution
Premature deaths from air pollution in China could fall by 50,000-100,000 if economic downturn lasts a year, study estimates
Coronavirus: UN delays talks on global ocean biodiversity treaty
Observers say additional time could help countries agree on rules to create marine protected areas in parts of the ocean that lie beyond national jurisdiction