Ecology
‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ Sprawling with More Debris than Thought
An enormous area of rubbish floating in the Pacific Ocean is teeming with far more debris than previously thought, heightening alarm that the world’s oceans are being increasingly choked by trillions of pieces of plastic. The sprawling patch of detritus…
Plastic Free and Carbon neutral: Manchester Maps Out Bold Green Vision
Mayor Andy Burnham used the city’s first Green Manchester Summit yesterday to unveil a raft of new environmental goals, which could cement the region’s position as one of the world’s leading green business and clean tech hubs. Under the broad…
Methane Meltdown: Thawing Permafrost Could Release More Potent Greenhouse Gas Than Expected
A study published in Nature Climate Change Monday shows that thawing permafrost in the Arctic might produce more methane than previously thought. Methane has 28 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of carbon dioxide, so the findings indicate scientists might…
Flooding and Heavy Rains Rise 50 Per Cent Worldwide in a Decade, Figures Show
Global floods and extreme rainfall events have surged by more than 50 per cent this decade, and are now occurring at a rate four times higher than in 1980, according to a new report. Other extreme climatological events such as…
McDonald’s to Take Major Bite Out of Carbon Footprint with New Science-Based Targets
McDonald’s has become the first global restaurant company to set greenhouse gas targets in line with global climate science, it claimed today as it launched a raft of new green commitments. The fast food giant has pledged to reduce emissions…
Anchovies and Chips: WWF Warns of Climate Threat to Iconic Dishes
Many of the UK’s most popular dishes could become much more expensive, or even disappear altogether, over the coming decades as a result of climate impacts. That is the stark warning contained in a report today from NGO WWF ahead…
Climate Change Threatens Easter Island
Easter Island has long served as a reminder of what happens to a civilization when the environment it depends upon collapses. Now, the iconic remains of that civilization are under threat from a new environmental challenge: global climate change. Easter…