Ecology
World Could Warm 8 Degrees Celsius If All Fosil Fuel Reserves Burned
As nations meet in Bonn, Germany this week to hash out how to achieve the 2-degree Celsius goal they set in Paris, new research is providing policymakers a glimpse of what would happen if the world does nothing to curb…
Biodegradable plastic ‘false solution’ for ocean waste problem
Biodegradable plastic water bottles and shopping bags are a false solution to the ubiquitous problem of litter in the oceans, the UN’s top environmental scientist has warned. Most plastic is extremely durable, leading to large plastic debris and “microplastics” to…
Air pollution: Benefits of cycling and walking outweigh harms – study
The health benefits of cycling and walking outweigh the harmful effects of air pollution, a study has suggested. Air pollution contributes to 40,000 early deaths each year in the UK and we gulp in more of it when we exercise. …
Paris Agreement signing ceremony in New York – the EU calls for swift ratification
The signing ceremony, convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, follows the adoption of the world’s first universal climate change agreement by 195 countries in Paris on 12 December 2015. The European Union was the first major economy to table its…
Paris Agreement Signing on 22 April in New York – Over 130 Countries Confirm Attendance
The Paris Climate Change Agreement opens for signature on 22 April 2016 during a high-level ceremony convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York, marking an important international push on the way to the agreement’s timely entry into force.…
Carbon emissions highest in 66 million years, since dinosaur age
The rate of carbon emissions is higher than at any time in fossil records stretching back 66 million years to the age of the dinosaurs, according to a study on Monday that sounds an alarm about risks to nature from…
2016 Arctic Sea Ice Wintertime Extent Hits Another Record Low
Arctic sea ice appears to have reached a record low wintertime maximum extent for the second year in a row, according to scientists at the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and NASA. Every year, the cap of…