As new areas become suitable for planting, researchers predict that vast swaths of biodiversity will be at risk, particularly in northern regions and the tropics. Climate change has the potential to restructure the world’s agricultural landscapes, making it possible to plant crops in places where they have never been viable historically. Within the next 40...
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Ants may be the first known insects ensnared in plastic pollution
Some Canary Island ants have picked up an unwelcome stowaway — plastic waste. Plastic entanglement is commonly associated with aquatic and ocean life. Finding plastic-wrapped ants suggests that humankind’s pernicious polymer pollution affects a wider range of wildlife than previously thought, researchers report September 18 in Ecological Entomology. Scientists noticed the tangled insects while studying 113 ants they’d...
Fossil producer UAE to host COP28: what are Gulf states doing to decarbonise?
OP28 in November is being hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a major oil and gas producer. The COP President will be Sultan Al Jaber, the CEO of ADNOC, one of the world’s biggest oil companies. It’s attracted heavy criticism from many quarters. Robin Mills at the Center on Global Energy Policy reviews the contradictions inherent...
Air Pollution and Breast Cancer Risk: Residential and Workplace Exposure
Women living and working in places with higher levels of fine particle air pollution are more likely to get breast cancer than those living and working in less polluted areas. Results of a study looking at the effects of both residential and workplace exposure to air pollution on breast cancer risk will be presented by...
Flame retardant pollution threatens wildlife on all continents, research finds
More than 100 species, from frogs to killer whales, contaminated with long-lasting chemicals with serious health effects. More than a hundred species of wildlife found across every continent are contaminated with highly toxic flame retardants, and the pollution is probably responsible for population declines in some species, a new analysis of published research shows. The dangerous chemicals...
Eight crops endangered by climate change
From staple crops like potatoes and maize, to cash crops for wealthier customers like cocoa and coffee, climate change is having a widespread impact on global agricultural production. Read more: foodnavigator.com Photo: foodnavigator.com
Migrant workers toil in perilous heat to prepare for Cop28 climate talks in UAE
Migrant workers in Dubai have been working in dangerously hot temperatures to get conference facilities ready for world leaders attending this year’s international Cop28 climate talks, according to a new investigation. FairSquare, a human rights research and advocacy group, obtained evidence of more than a dozen migrant workers from Africa and Asia labouring outside at three Cop28...
Canada to launch new satellites to monitor climate change, gather military data
Canada aims to add more satellites to its flagship Earth observation program “as soon as possible” thanks to a fresh funding infusion, a senior space official said in an exclusive interview. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will receive substantial new government funding to extend the long-standing Radarsat satellite series, a keystone of the country’s climate change strategy and international disaster response,...
AB: The Connection Between Climate Change and Modern Slavery
Climate change is traditionally regarded as an environmental issue. But climate change also threatens human rights, with material implications for investors. Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, but it’s often seen as strictly an environmental cause. We believe that needs to change. That’s because climate change is also a...
African scientists school up to adapt agriculture to climate change
Climate change is making it harder to grow enough nutritious food to adequately feed our planet’s population. Temperature increases, rainfall pattern shifts, reduced water availability and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are all impacting agricultural productivity. Across Africa, this challenge is particularly acute. Whilst the continent is responsible for less than 4 percent of...