Climate science
Food production could increase 40% with better water use
NEWS: Careful irrigation can go half way to close the ‘hunger gap’ by mid-century, study finds, feeding the world’s growing population
Climate scientists face tight deadline to deliver 1.5C research
NEWS: Researchers will have 18-21 months to flesh out understanding of tough global warming limit if – as expected – IPCC accepts call to produce a special report
Shallow fracking wells contaminate drinking water, warns US scientist
NEWS: Stronger safeguards are needed to prevent poorly built wells leaking gas into aquifers, says Stanford researcher
Study flags concerns CO2 underground stores could leak
NEWS: Carbon dioxide pumped into old oil wells could react with salt water and erode ‘host rocks’ and cement, researchers find
Warmer oceans speed up Antarctic ice loss
NEWS: Studies show a thinning ice shelf is accelerating the flow of glaciers into the Southern Ocean, raising sea levels
UN: Weather and climate dominate 2015 disaster trends
NEWS: Hottest year on record linked to soaring levels of drought, heatwaves and rising seas, but better warning systems mean fewer deaths
Zimbabwe: Lessons in how not to prepare for climate change
ANALYSIS: Robert Mugabe blames global warming for drought and crop failures, but failures to invest in irrigation, forecasting and more resilient seeds have exacerbated crisis
‘Confused’ US teachers spread climate denial – study
NEWS: Educators lack awareness of the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming, researchers find, leading to mixed messages in classrooms
Land water storage slowed sea level rise – study
NEWS: Extra rain falling on continents partly offset the effect of melting ice caps last decade, data shows, with implications for coastal communities
Met Office fears Brexit would damage its climate models
NEWS: UK weather agency’s chief scientist warns funding cuts on leaving EU would affect the quality of its long-term forecasts
Climate torture: UN’s IPCC science panel must deliver clearer message
ANALYSIS: At an Oslo meeting this week, communications experts challenged the IPCC to make its reports easier to understand
BP admits it has repeatedly underestimated renewables
ANALYSIS: Oil major revises up forecast for solar, wind and hydro power by its biggest margin yet in 2016 annual energy outlook
An illustrated history of Arctic oil exploration
INFOGRAPHIC: Shell’s recent aborted venture grabbed headlines, but it wasn’t the first foray into the polar region and may not be the last
Climate-linked bushfire warning as Tasmania’s ancient forests blaze
NEWS: Global warming is raising the fire threat across southern Australia, says Climate Institute, as 1,000-year old trees burn
Is climate change driving the spread of zika virus?
NEWS: Record temperatures could be creating the conditions for a spike in the number of disease-carrying mosquitoes, scientists say
Outrage as Australia’s CSIRO cuts climate science jobs
NEWS: Climate question ‘has been answered’ says chief executive of top science agency, expressing high hopes for coal-to-diesel technology
A climate scientist speaks: ‘It’s a bit complicated’
INTERVIEW: Leading UK climate modeller Richard Betts talks uncertainty, the warming ‘hiatus’ and why he engages with sceptics
Tax high carbon food, sugar for climate and health gains – study
NEWS: A carbon levy would cut consumption of meat and cheese, find researchers – and coupled with a sugar tax, it could save lives
Scientists warned: Don’t be ‘naively drawn’ into 1.5C research
NEWS: The UN climate science panel could struggle to provide ‘meaningful answer’ on Paris deal’s aspirational target, argues UK academic
Africa needs digital revolution to handle climate change – World Bank
NEWS: Governments, local communities and farmers need better weather data, says top funder as part of drive to get planet connected to internet by 2020