Shortages and supply issues caused by events including the pandemic and war in Ukraine have been felt through food price inflation for some while now. But for some foods, the impact of climate change is also making itself felt, through record high temperatures and extreme weather. It’s entirely usual for food prices to fluctuate alongside...
Category: Environment
Atlantic Ocean circulation nearing ‘devastating’ tipping point, study finds
Collapse in system of currents that helps regulate global climate would be at such speed that adaptation would be impossible. The circulation of the Atlantic Ocean is heading towards a tipping point that is “bad news for the climate system and humanity”, a study has found. The scientists behind the research said they were shocked...
Climate change a looming threat to antiquities
Rising temperatures, extended heatwaves and drought are making the impact of climate change felt all over the world. Now, the first study in Greece examining the effect of climate change on the future microclimate of historical monuments and artifacts shows us how extreme weather events will also impact the country’s cultural heritage. “Just like the...
Air pollution a factor in spiking cancer cases, report says
New estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) predict a 77% increase in cancer cases globally by 2050. The report points to air pollution as one of the factors driving the expected increase in cancer rates, even though it does not have the same effect on everyone. As a global health watchdog, the WHO rarely has good...
As Glaciers Subside, Salmon Face a New Threat: Mining Companies
As human-caused climate change points a giant hair dryer at Western North America’s glaciers, melting them ever more rapidly, potential Pacific salmon habitat is opening up. New river systems are starting to flow, and rain and snowmelt will keep many running even after the ice disappears. In some, salmon are appearing for the first time. But mining...
Climate Change Behind Africa Cholera Surge, Top Health Officials Say
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent’s chief health advisory body, has tied the worst outbreak of cholera in three years to climate change, saying adverse weather is raising the risk of this disease faster than in the rest of the world. That’s as floods in Democratic Republic of Congo — and across...
Asleep at the Wheel
The car industry is fulfilling Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 2014 ambition to transform the country into “an automobile power.” Domestic and foreign manufacturers in China produced and exported more cars than any other country in the world in 2023. Chinese companies also produce and export billions of dollars of parts used by global carmakers, from...
‘Smoking gun proof’: fossil fuel industry knew of climate danger as early as 1954, documents show
Documents show industry-backed Air Pollution Foundation uncovered the severe harm climate change would wreak. The fossil fuel industry funded some of the world’s most foundational climate science as early as 1954, newly unearthed documents have shown, including the early research of Charles Keeling, famous for the so-called “Keeling curve” that has charted the upward march...
COP29’S HOST IS RAISING EYEBROWS. HERE’S WHY
Can petrostates lead the world in the transition away from fossil fuels? The all-male committee panel for this year’s 29th summit of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan has included 12 women in response to international criticisms, which some perceive as a sign of the inexperienced climate leadership in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s success in...
Aggressive expansion of carbon offset deals in Africa, island states raises crucial questions
Projects covering 10% of Zambia & Liberia’s land have been signed with a UAE-based company. Over the last year, the carbon offset industry has faced a barrage of investigations on instances of abuse and attracted disapproval from multiple quarters. The spotlight now is on the development of United Nations-based markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and new...