Climate science
Insurance firms press governments on climate adaptation
Industry think tank warns “quasi-irreversible” shift in ocean temperatures will end business as usual and calls for more adaptation investment
Brazil at climate change crossroads – Carbon Tracker
Government faces tough decisions over whether to back expanding renewable energy sector or increase investment in its huge deep-water oil reserves
Climate adaptation goes mobile in Brazil
As extreme weather events become more common, the mobile phone is being recognised as an important tool for warnings that can save lives
Skiers face dilemma as California snows recede
“Clear and compelling evidence” shows that winter snows vital for tourism and agriculture are in rapid decline in Southern California
Climate adaptation planning ‘could have prevented’ Uttarakhand deaths
Local expert tells RTCC lives could have been saved if government had enforced rules banning construction of buildings on flood plans
Indonesian government blamed for Singapore smog
Greenpeace South Asia says with half the forest clearance fires inside a protected area, responsibility lies at the feet of government
Costa Rica sacks climate advisor for criticising China oil loan
Government asked Monica Araya to leave climate change team after publicly criticising a $1bn deal with China to finance a new oil refinery, a move Araya says could lead to oil exploration in Costa Rica
Coral reefs can survive ocean acidity – report
Coral reefs may be able to survive ocean acidity, but can they survive other issues like pollution and overfishing?
Climate change a factor in UK’s unusual weather – Met Office
Workshop concludes with unusual seasons pinned on newly discovered cycle in ocean temperatures, climate change and a number of other factors
Lake Chad’s receding waters linked to European air pollution
After decades of blaming locals, scientists say pollution from Europe and North America responsible for shrinking lake
Trade fears blocking progress on REDD+ at UN climate talks
Global Canopy Programme’s Christina MacFarquhar and Matt Leggett argue climate and trade negotiators must work together to ensure rainforest protection
UN drought chief: ‘famine dehumanizes us, but it is not a fate’
Writing for RTCC on Desertification Day 2013, UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja says it’s time to address this increasingly serious issue
Climate change threatens future of ‘safe species’ – IUCN
Work by 100 scientists over five years reveal that more than half the species studied are in danger because of a warming planet
Scientists warn earth cooling proposals are no climate “silver bullet”
Geoengineering the world out of dangerous climate change without cutting carbon emissions sounds an attractive idea – but will it work?
Global warming set to approach 4C by 2100
Current emissions and mitigation policies have left the world on a trajectory to warm by 4C by 2100, a new report by Climate Action Tracker warns
Climate change could mean once a century floods every 10 years
New study finds some parts of the world will face frequent catastrophic floods by 2100 while other regions could get less hazardous
EU must switch flood tactics to cope in climate change era
Current focus on flood defence instead of prevention is inadequate according to flood resilience expert
Canada tar sands threatening biodiversity of Arctic circle wilderness
Mackenzie River Basin at great risk from climate change and a catastrophic oil spill according to a panel of nine Canadian, American and British scientists
Arctic warming linked to spread of diseases
Arctic compared to ‘Heathrow airport’ in terms of bird, seal and other migration patterns and linked to ways that disease is spread
Corals can take decades to recover from climate impacts – report
Coral can recover from periodic warming of the oceans, but the bad news is it might take too long