Climate science
Following the science means slashing emissions 7% per year – starting now
Governments and businesses have set laudable net zero targets, but few have committed to the annual CO2 cuts this decade the planet needs
IPCC report a ‘call to arms’ for climate science in courts, legal experts say
Youth, climate disaster victims and vulnerable countries could use the latest UN science report as evidence to sue polluters for damages or remedial action
IPCC report prompts calls to tackle methane emissions at Cop26
Only 13 countries have methane emission targets in their climate plans, despite evidence of the gas’s potent role in global heating
Five takeaways from the IPCC’s 2021 climate science report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has published its first update on the physical science of climate change since 2013. Here are the key messages
Science is on time; action is late – Climate Weekly
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Timeline: How the science linking climate change to extreme weather took off
Attribution science, which quantifies the influence of human activity on specific heatwaves, droughts and floods, has developed rapidly in the past decade
China, India miss UN’s extended deadline for climate pledges
110 parties to the Paris Agreement have submitted updated 2030 climate targets to be counted by UN Climate Change before Cop26, but some major emitters’ are still missing
Ethiopia to shift from beef to chicken production under updated climate plan
The government is promoting smaller livestock to limit the rise of methane emissions, in a plan that is 80% dependent on international finance
South Africa proposes global goal for adaptation at pre-Cop26 ministerial
Environment minister Barbara Creecy called for quantifiable improvements in resilience to climate impacts, to give the adaptation agenda the same weight as emissions cuts
Europe’s floods hit my childhood home, sweeping away my parents’ sense of safety
As a researcher, I want to bridge the gap between weather forecasts and warning systems so people can take protective action
Fatal floods expose gaps in Germany’s disaster preparedness
While heavy rain was forecast, infrastructure was overwhelmed and many residents did not get the message about the dangers
Chileans look to new constitution to return water to communities
Rural communities hope the drafting of a new constitution will dismantle water privatisation in Chile and recognise the right to access water
UN draft accord sets out new biodiversity goals but delivery plan is lacking
Experts welcomed the proposed targets to protect and restore nature, but said without funding and national accountability they would achieve little
North American heatwave broke records – and the climate models
Climate scientists were shocked by the recent lethal heatwaves in western Canada and northwestern US, which exceeded all global heating predictions
Ocean fire exposes weak regulation of Mexico’s oil and gas sector
After ‘eye of fire’ footage goes viral, Pemex denies its ruptured gas pipe caused environmental damage and campaigners demand an investigation
Row erupts at Green Climate Fund over who defines climate adaptation
Two adaptation projects didn’t make it pass the UN’s flagship fund’s technical panel, while board members decide to partner with a fossil fuel backing Japanese bank
An outbreak of ‘sea snot’ is killing Turkey’s fishing industry
Fishing in the Marmara Sea has become impossible as marine mucilage blankets the water, blamed on rising sea temperatures and pollution
Norway eyes expansion of oil and gas industry under policy proposal
The government wants to hand out more exploration licences – ignoring modelling that shows fossil fuel expansion must end now to meet global climate goals
Biodiversity talks are running out of time for robust deal, says top diplomat
Pandemic delays and gruelling online talks threaten the ambition of a Kunming global pact to protect nature due to be finalised in October
NASA launches mission to better predict climate impacts
Using advanced satellite technology, the programme aims to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery by better monitoring storms and ice sheet melts