Climate science
Carbon dioxide levels now 61% higher than 1990
The world’s emissions of the main greenhouse gas produced by human activities, carbon dioxide, in 2013 are expected to be nearly two-thirds higher than in 1990
Warming winters send Florida’s mangroves north
Mangroves are colonising new areas in northern Florida, moving up the coast because the frequency of very frosty days is falling
Drought will be 20% more frequent by end of century say scientists
Research team says many more people will go short of water as the world warms, but who and where, remains uncertain
Amazon forest loss threatens Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Ecudaor
Water, food supplies and energy production are all in jeopardy as the Amazon forest is felled for profit, campaigners say
Scientists dismiss solar link to medieval ‘Little Ice Age’
Solar activity unlikely to have caused historic climate change, say University of Edinburgh scientists, who pin changes on volcanic activity instead
Climate change could crush East Africa’s agricultural economy – report
Periods of prolonged drought will mean there will be less food for Africa’s rapidly expanding population, says a new report
West Antarctic ice loss has accelerated over past four years
Rate of ice loss from West Antarctic has accelerated sharply, European scientists say, causing global sea levels to rise by 15% more than previously thought
Will REDD+ be the saviour of the world’s rainforests?
RTCC speaks to five REDD+ experts to see what the rainforest preservation scheme has achieved, and where it goes from here
Arctic melt likely to affect citizens in EU and USA
Weather extremes in temperate countries may be down to melting of Arctic snow and ice, according to Chinese and American scientists
Russian Parliament grants Greenpeace Arctic 30 ‘amnesty’
Campaigners set to return home to families for Christmas, although fate of four Russian colleagues still unclear
Norway commits $100m to World Bank forest protection scheme
Funds will allow Congo Basin countries to start developing national strategies to reduce rainforest destruction
Italian alpine melt confirmed by ice core find
Evidence from high in the Italian Alps confirms that they are warming at twice the global rate, with the region’s glaciers in retreat everywhere
ESA Cryosat reports Arctic sea ice volumes have increased
Scientists say ice thickness has increased, but warn data is not a sign that long-term warming trend has been reversed
Thirsty third of world report water scarcity concerns
Singapore and Western Sahara face toughest competition for water resources, while China and US are equally pushed
Exhausted civil society ‘silent’ on climate change – report
British group says people’s interest in global warming has dwindled and new communication strategies need to be developed
Antarctic fjord life puzzles scientists
To the surprise of researchers, the warming waters of the fjords of the Antarctic Peninsula have an abundant and diverse population of marine life
Warming temperatures spell trouble for hungry bats
Climate change is likely to damage populations of bats which hunt their insect prey with high-frequency ultrasonic squeaks
Greener Arctic ‘warming rapidly’ says US agency
Ice melt declined in 2013 due to cooler temperatures, but NOAA says North Pole continues to heat leading to changes on land and sea
Panama rainforest tribes settle UN REDD dispute
Bitter dispute over indigenous people’s forest rights resolved, paving the way for implementation of forest protection scheme
Thousands dying from coal pollution in China – study
The Guardian: Hundreds of thousands of children still at risk from dangerous levels of air pollution as poisonous smog fills cities, study says