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Climate scientists are warning that we may soon hit the point of no return where climate change becomes irreversible no matter what actions we take
We can still prevent irreversible climate change, but the window of opportunity is rapidly closing
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We provide information and resources to help people and organisation quickly and easily measure their carbon footprint.
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Helping people with information on the most cost- effective certified projects from different regions around the world.
The first step in becoming carbon neutral is to calculate your carbon footprint which is the amount of greenhouse gases that you, or your organisation, produces in daily life.
The next step is to reduce your emissions which for people may involve changing some consumption habits and lifestyle choices, and for companies establishing a robust emission reduction program.
The final step is to compensate for the emissions you cannot entirely eliminate with carbon offset certificates which finance certified projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere in other parts of the world.
Citizen Scientists Capture Brilliant Photos of the Aurora
A Winter Wanderer in the Weddell Sea
NASA Analysis Finds Strong El Niño Could Bring Extra Floods This Winter
Confronting Florida’s Coral Collapse
NASA-ISRO Radar Mission to Provide Dynamic View of Forests, Wetlands
Tracking Elephants Across Namibia
NASA-Led Study Pinpoints Areas of New York City Sinking, Rising
Keeping Tabs on North Cascades Glaciers
Temperature rise may soon accelerate even more
Social Media Network
- ‘It’s shameful and I won’t pay it’: flood-hit Italians rage against insurance call
The destruction in northern Italy has ignited debate in a country where just 6% of homes are insured against natural disasterIt was 2am when the parish priest, Giovanni Samorì, was woken by a phone call from the mayor of Traversara ordering him to start ringing the church bells. The traditional […]
- Global water crisis leaves half of world food production at risk in next 25 years
Landmark review says urgent action needed to conserve resources and save ecosystems that supply fresh waterMore than half the world’s food production will be at risk of failure within the next 25 years as a rapidly accelerating water crisis grips the planet, unless urgent action is taken to […]
- US supreme court declines to pause new federal power plant emissions rule
Emergency requests by 27 states to pause rule requiring fossil fuel-powered plants to reduce emissions were deniedThe US supreme court declined on Wednesday to put on hold a new federal rule targeting carbon pollution from coal- and gas-fired power plants at the request of numerous states and […]
- Wyoming rangers stop blowing up dead horses due to wildfire risk
Shoshone national forest officials pause gruesome policy of exploding carcasses to minimize hazard during dry spellRangers in Wyoming’s Shoshone national forest believe they have figured out how to mitigate an elevated risk of wildfires: they are no longer using explosives to blow up dead […]
- How the ‘climate voter’ might matter in a down-to-the-wire US election
The devastation wrought by Helene and Milton could shake up priorities and bring the climate crisis more to the foreDespite its enormous implications, the climate crisis has so far mostly been a dormant issue in the US presidential election. Some hope the devastation wrought in quick succession by […]
A Deluge for the Sahara
An extratropical storm system dropped torrential rains on parts of Morocco and Algeria. Read More…
‘Even the breeze was hot’: how incarcerated people survive extreme heat in prison
The Marshall Project and the Prison Journalism Project asked incarcerated reporters to document the impact of extreme heat on their facilities. Their stories reveal the brutal realityAfter a summer of record-breaking temperatures, scientists predict that 2024 could end up being the hottest year on record. For people in US prisons and jails – who often lack access to even the most basic cooling measures – conditions…
Technology helping solar farms counter growing hailstone threat
With storms becoming more frequent due to the climate crisis, insurers are forcing operators to respondOne of the least considered hazards of climate change is the increasing frequency of hailstorms and the size and the impact of the pieces of ice they produce. This, in turn, threatens one of the most promising solutions to the climate crisis: solar farms.In the last year, the number of hailstorms…
Tracking toward mass extinction
by Andrew GliksonWhere “Two plus two equals five if the party says so” (George Orwell)and when drilling methane wells reduces global warming Having turned a blind eye to climate science, ignoring the evidence that extreme atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) rise and ocean acidification have led to mass extinctions of species through time, humanity allows an exponential growth of carbon emissions to track toward a global…
Climate Tipping Points Are Closer Than We Think, Scientists Warn
From melting ice caps to dying forests and thawing permafrost, the risk of ‘abrupt and irreversible changes’ is much higher than thought just a few years ago. Humans are playing Russian roulette with Earth’s climate by ignoring the growing risk of tipping points that, if passed, could jolt the climate system into “a new, less habitable ‘hothouse’ climate state,” scientists are warning ahead of the annual…
April Puzzler
Update on May 21, 2024: This image shows a phytoplankton bloom in the Gulf of Oman. It was acquired on March 17, 2024, less than two months after the launch of NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite. Congratulations to Dan Taylor for being the first to correctly identify the bloom and its location. Special mention goes to Robert Taylor for providing a detailed answer, and to…
Tragedy set to unfold in Tropics (update)
The temperature in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) reached a new record high on March 13, 2024. The image below shows the situation over the years through March 13, 2024, when the average daily surface air temperature was 26.9°C and 1.4°C above 1979-2000 (black line is 2024).The previous record high temperature was reached on April 24, 2016, when it was 26.8°C, and 1°C above 1979-2000 (grey line…
June Puzzler
Update on July 23, 2024: This false-color image shows a plume—likely an orographic cloud—streaming from near the summit of Antarctica’s Mount Siple. Colors in this image represent brightness temperature, which is useful for distinguishing the relative warmth (orange and pink) or coolness (purple and blue) of various features. Congratulations to Ivan Kordač for being the first to correctly identify the the image’s polar location. Read more about the…
Video: Our Local AFL footballers push for climate action.
Aug 18, 2022 OUR LOCAL presented by AFL Players For Climate Action, reconnects past & present AFL players with their junior clubs to talk about the importance of local footy and how renewable energy can help protect its future.AFL fans will be happy to see the massive percentage of AFL footballers pushing for greater climate action. See what they have done at their local clubs. CLICK HERE…
Flood in Oman due to severe rains. Flooding in Arabian Peninsula …
YouTube”Both Oman and the UAE, which hosted last year’s COP28 UN climate talks, have previously warned that global warming is likely to lead to more flooding.Friederike Otto, a leader in the field of assessing the role of climate change on specific extreme weather events, said it was likely that global warming played a part in this week’s rain.”It is highly likely that the deadly and destructive…
Bloomberg Is a Climate Leader. So Why Aren’t Activists Excited About a Run for President?
Michael Bloomberg has poured his time and hundreds of millions of dollars into projects aimed at getting the world ‘beyond carbon,’ but can he win the presidency? One of the Trump administration’s favorite environmental talking points is that the United States has reduced carbon emissions more than any other country. It’s not an achievement that Trump can take any credit for. But his latest potential challenger,…
Coalition’s nuclear plan will lead to ‘massive’ electricity shortages and risk blackouts, new analysis warns
Energy minister Chris Bowen says Peter Dutton must explain what happens to national grid over next decade if opposition stops building renewablesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Coalition’s proposal to cap large-scale renewable energy and eventually build nuclear power plants would lead to “massive” electricity supply shortages risking blackouts, according to analysis released…
California fire agency engineer arrested on suspicion of starting five wildfires
Cal Fire says Robert Hernandez ignited blazes while off duty in forest land in north of stateA California department of forestry and fire protection employee was arrested on Friday on suspicion of starting five brush fires in northern California in recent weeks, officials said.Robert Hernandez, 38, was arrested at the Howard forest fire station in Healdsburg, California, on suspicion of arson to forest land, the state…
Australia is a mess. Cop31 is a chance to redefine ourselves from climate laggard to global leader | Anna Cerneaz
Hosting the conference would help us overcome our colonial mentality and the fossil fuel lobby, both of which have held us back from tackling climate changeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAs the world grapples with the climate crisis, Australia stands at a crossroads. Our bid to co-host the UN’s climate conference, Cop31, with Pacific nations is not just a diplomatic event;…
Michael Mann Wins $1 Million Verdict In Defamation Trial
“Michael Mann Wins $1 Million Verdict In Defamation Trial Victory over climate deniers sends a strong message in defense of climate science and scientists. By Diane Bernard and Adam M. LowensteinonFeb 8, 2024 @ 14:04 PST Professor Michael E. Mann’s lawyer called attacks on the scientist “vile.” Credit: Julian Meehan/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) “In a victory for climate scientists, jurors in Michael Mann’s defamation case against Rand Simberg…
The week around the world in 20 pictures
The Middle East crisis, wildfires in Portugal, floods in Poland and London fashion week: the last seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Continue reading…
Mount Taranaki’s Ring of Forest
The precise geometry of the protected area encompassing an iconic New Zealand volcano is unmistakable from space. Read More…
Atlantic ocean heat threatens to unleash methane eruptions
The image below shows that the monthly Atlantic surface temperature anomaly in February 2024 was 1.176°C when compared to a 1951-1980 base.[ click on images to enlarge ] The image below shows that the monthly Atlantic surface temperature anomaly in February 2024 was 1.435°C when compared to a 1901-2000 base. The difference illustrates the importance of selecting a base to calculate anomalies from. The anomaly indicates how much…
‘We empower ourselves’: the women cleaning up Bolivia’s Lake Uru Uru
Once clean enough to drink, the Andean lake was poisoned by mining pollution and urban waste. But now Indigenous women are using giant reeds to revive the vital ecosystem • Photographs by Claudia Morales for the GuardianLooking out over Lake Uru Uru in the Bolivian highlands, it is hard to imagine that it once supported thousands of people, and was a sanctuary for wildlife, including 76…
Arctic Sea Ice Alert
[ click on images to enlarge ]Temperatures remain high, as illustrated by the above image, adapted from Copernicus. Meanwhile, El Niño is no longer prevalent. Instead, La Niña conditions are expected to be dominant soon, as illustrated by the NOAA ENSO update on the right. There are fears that self-amplifying feedbacks have taken over as the dominant drivers of the temperature rise, as discussed in earlier posts such…
UN report: Pollution From Planned Fossil Fuel Production Would Overshoot Paris Climate Goals
To protect the climate, most coal, oil, and natural gas must be left in the ground, a recent study reported. In the 2015 international Paris Climate Agreement, nearly every country agreed to try and limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and preferably closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures. Achieving these goals will require dramatic…
May Puzzler
Update on June 4, 2024: This image shows greenhouses in eastern China. Congratulations to James Varghese for being the first to correctly identify the feature and its location. Read more about the area in “A Greenhouse Boom in China.” How to answer. You can use a few words or several paragraphs. You might simply tell us the location, or you can dig deeper and offer details about what satellite and…
February Puzzler
Update on March 11, 2024: This image shows Spirit Lake, located in south-central Washington, on April 26, 2023. Congratulations to Ivan Kordač for being the first to correctly identify the lake. Special mention goes to David Sherrod, who pointed out the lake’s floating log raft and mentioned a recent debris flow in the region (which occurred several weeks after this image was acquired). Read more about…
How hot will it get?
Currently, the temperature in the Northern Hemisphere is higher than it was last year at this time of year, as illustrated by the image below, created with University of Maine content. The image shows that a temperature of 21.1°C was reached in the Northern Hemisphere on June 17, 2024. The question is: Will temperatures over the next few months exceed the high temperatures reached last year? El Niño…
Temperature rise may soon accelerate even more
The April 2024 temperature was 1.32°C higher than 1951-1980, as illustrated by the above image, created with NASA content. Local anomalies are as high as 6.2°C. The April 2024 temperature was 1.62°C higher than 1900-1930, as illustrated by the above image, created with NASA content. The red line highlights acceleration of the temperature rise (Lowess Smoothing). The image below, created with NOAA content, uses a LOESS filter (green line) to…
No more sticking-plaster solutions: Britain’s green agenda is on solid ground | Joss Garman
Showing climate delivery can be done effectively and fairly would be an extraordinary climate legacy for Keir StarmerA well-intentioned but badly designed and poorly communicated energy policy from the German government, and more recent protests by farmers in France and the Netherlands, have knocked the confidence of European political leaders that environmental progress can be delivered in a way that works for people and enjoys democratic…
Wildfires ravaging northern Portugal – in pictures
Since last week, wildfires have been raging in central and northern Portugal. At least seven people have died and 50 have been injured. More than 5,000 firefighters have been mobilised to battle the blazes Continue reading…
Climate Choir Melbourne supporting Extinction Rebellion
Climate Choir Melbourne supporting Extinction Rebellion protestors at their sit down on the busiest intersection in Melbourne City, Australia. The police were very restrained. Are they in agreement with the protestors? They do have family of their own.
Despite dilution, officials say new nature law can restore EU carbon sinks
A razor-thin vote in favour of the EU’s nature restoration law on Monday has salvaged the bloc’s ability to restore its carbon sinks and reach its net zero goal, top officials told Climate Home. The regulation, which tasks the EU’s 27 member states with reviving their land and water habitats and planting billions of trees, was narrowly passed by EU environment ministers. The controversial law only…
Wednesday 27
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Shrimp Farms of the Guayas Estuary
Large numbers of rectangular holding ponds lie amid mangrove forests in southern Ecuador. Read More…
‘It’s guerrilla warfare’: Brazil fire teams fight Amazon blazes – and the arsonists who start them
Firefighters and police in Rondônia battle fires intensified by both the climate crisis and a criminal assault on the rainforestThe occupants of the vinyl-coated military tents at this remote jungle camp in Brazil’s wild west compare the hellscape surrounding them to catastrophes old and new: the extinction of the dinosaurs, the bombardment of Gaza, the obliteration of Hiroshima during the second world war.“It’s as if a…
CO2 rise is accelerating
On March 15, 2024, the daily average carbon dioxide (CO₂) at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, was 427.93 parts per million (ppm), as illustrated by the image below, adapted from NOAA. This is the highest daily in situ average in the NOAA record at Mauna Loa, which is the more remarkable since the annual CO₂ maximum is typically reached in May, so even higher values are likely to…
Confronting Florida’s Coral Collapse
After a brutally hot summer in 2023 that caused widespread bleaching and coral death, summer 2024 was more favorable for the state’s vulnerable reefs. Read More…
Temperatures in the Tropics
The image below shows that temperatures in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) were very high during the second half of April 2024, and these very high temperatures were sustained during the first part of May 2024. The temperature was 26.9°C (or 80.42°F) on May 11, 2024, an anomaly of 1.1°C (or 1.98°F) from 1979-2000. The image below shows the average monthly temperature anomaly over the past few years through April…
NASA Flights Link Methane Plumes to Tundra Fires in Western Alaska
In Brief: Methane ‘hot spots’ in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta are more likely to be found where recent wildfires burned into the tundra, altering carbon emissions from the land. In Alaska’s largest river delta, tundra that has been scorched by wildfire is emitting more methane than the rest of the landscape long after the flames died, scientists have found. The potent greenhouse gas can originate from decomposing…
Friday 29
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Create ‘positive tipping points’ with climate mandates, governments urged
Requiring key sectors to switch to clean energy by specific times could trigger benevolent cascades, report claimsIn the terminology of the climate and ecological crises the phrase “tipping point” is loaded with dreadful implications.It evokes a climate breakdown supercharged by the mass escape of methane locked in Siberian permafrost, or the great currents of the oceans smothered by freshwater melting from the Greenland ice sheet, or…
NASA Analysis Finds Strong El Niño Could Bring Extra Floods This Winter
In Brief: Such high-tide flooding that inundates roads and buildings along the west coast of the Americas tends to be uncommon outside of El Niño years, but that could change by the 2030s. An analysis by NASA’s sea level change science team finds that if a strong El Niño develops this winter, cities along the western coasts of the Americas could see an increase in the…
Wood Pellet Giant Drax Targets California Forests: Excerpt
“Plans for two industrial pellet plants would increase carbon emissions and hurt the health of rural communities, campaigners warn. By Phoebe CookeonMar 4, 2024 @ 10:56 PST Series: Drax: The UK’s ‘Carbon Neutral’ Biomass Power Plant The wood pellets Drax produces are treated as “carbon neutral” under international accounting rules, based on an assumption that new-growth trees will capture the carbon lost by wood burnt for…
Well done humans!!!!
Congratulations humanity! For the first time in recorded history we have breached 2C above preindustrial levels! (Glacecakes Tumblr)
New Report Finds Costs of Climate Change Impacts Often Underestimated
Climate economics researchers have often underestimated – sometimes badly underestimated – the costs of damages resulting from climate change. Those underestimates occur particularly in scenarios where Earth’s temperature warms beyond the Paris climate target of 1.5 to 2 degrees C (2.7 to 3.6 degrees F). That’s the conclusion of a new report written by a team of climate and Earth scientists and economists from the Earth…
I’ve studied geopolitics all my life: climate breakdown is a bigger threat than China and Russia | Anatol Lieven
‘Risk’ analyses largely ignore the dangers of the climate crisis. Unless we wake up to them, they will soon outweigh all others The Irish sea captain who in 1751 discovered the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc) – closely connected with, though not identical to, the Gulf Stream – found a practical use for it: he used the frigid deeper water to cool his wine.That may seem…
March Puzzler
Update on April 23, 2024: This image shows Sortebræ, a large surge-type glacier in eastern Greenland, on September 6, 1986. Congratulations to Steward Redwood for being the first to correctly identify the glacier. Read more about the glacier and see how it has retreated in recent decades in our Image of the Day story. Every month on Earth Matters, we offer a puzzling satellite image. The March 2024…
Untold Suffering Lies Ahead in Hotter World
Global heating could bring “untold suffering” for humans. It could also mean less fresh water and less rice, though tasting more of arsenic. In an unprecedented step, more than 11,000 scientists from 153 nations have united to warn the world that, without deep and lasting change, the climate emergency promises humankind unavoidable “untold suffering”. And as if to underline that message, a US research group has…
Did the climate experience a Regime Change in 2023?
The astonishing recent rise in temperatures makes one wonder whether a Regime Change did take place in 2023. The February 2024 temperature was 1.76°C above 1885-1915, potentially 2.75°C above pre-industrial (bright yellow inset right). The image was created by Sam Carana for Arctic-news.blogspot.com with an April 2024 data.giss.nasa.gov screenshot. The red line (6 months Lowess smoothing) highlights the Regime Change that may have occurred in 2023.Meanwhile, NASA…
Oppenheimer’s legacy – Portents of a nuclear war on a burning planet
The MADNESS of NUCLEAR and CLIMATE HORRORby Andrew GliksonThe 24-hour media news cycle clouds the minds of people, perpetrators and hapless victims alike, to the future dimension, whether that of future generations or of the natural world itself.During the 20-21ˢᵗ centuries, as mean global temperature keeps rising toward 4°C, a failed brain neuron or a damaged computer chip can trigger a nuclear catastrophe, while the 24-hour media…
July Puzzler
Update: This Landsat 8 image shows ship wakes and wind turbines in the Atlantic Ocean near Block Island, which flanks southern New England. Congratulations to Rafael and Jim Steinert for being the first to identify these features and the image’s location. Read more about the area in “A Piece of Rhode Island in the Atlantic.” Every month on Earth Matters, we offer a puzzling satellite image. The July…
Santiago at Night
Lights in Chile’s central city display an array of colors and densities, reflecting various land uses and differences between the region’s communes. Read More…
More floods are coming to Britain, but you ought to know this: the system that should protect us is a scandal | George Monbiot
A network of public bodies are supposed to safeguard us from flooding. But, like old boys’ clubs, they are bastions of self-interestLabour’s first stage of government resembles a vast forensic excavation. As it works through the Conservatives’ midden of horrors, it discovers an ever greater legacy of underinvestment, neglect and corruption. However disappointing the new government’s compromises might be, we shouldn’t forget how overwhelming this task…
- Flood in Oman due to severe rains. Flooding in Arabian Peninsula …
YouTube”Both Oman and the UAE, which hosted last year’s COP28 UN climate talks, have previously warned that global warming is likely to lead to more flooding.Friederike Otto, a leader in the field of assessing the role of climate change on specific extreme weather events, said it was likely […]
- Carbon credit whistleblower says system still ‘failing’: RN Breakfast
Andrew Macintosh(ABC News: Alex McDonald) “The academic who blew the whistle on Australia’s carbon credit scheme – sparking an independent review – has released new research showing “damning results”. Professor Andrew Macintosh says the research confirms the scheme isn’t removing more […]
- Wood Pellet Giant Drax Targets California Forests: Excerpt
“Plans for two industrial pellet plants would increase carbon emissions and hurt the health of rural communities, campaigners warn. By Phoebe CookeonMar 4, 2024 @ 10:56 PST […]
- Michael Mann Wins $1 Million Verdict In Defamation Trial
“Michael Mann Wins $1 Million Verdict In Defamation Trial Victory over climate deniers sends a strong message in defense of climate science and scientists. By Diane Bernard and Adam M. LowensteinonFeb 8, […]
- Climate Choir Melbourne supporting Extinction Rebellion
Climate Choir Melbourne supporting Extinction Rebellion protestors at their sit down on the busiest intersection in Melbourne City, Australia. The police were very restrained. Are they in agreement with the protestors? They do have family of their own.
Eclipse Challenge: Clouds and Our Solar-Powered Earth
Energy from the Sun warms our planet, and changes in sunlight can also cause changes in temperature, clouds, and wind. Clouds are ever changing and give you clues and information on what is happening in the atmosphere. Clouds can tell you if air is moving vertically (or upward) when you see cumulus type clouds growing in the distance. Clouds can also tell you which direction the…
February Puzzler
Update on March 11, 2024: This image shows Spirit Lake, located in south-central Washington, on April 26, 2023. Congratulations to Ivan Kordač for being the first to correctly identify the lake. Special mention goes to David Sherrod, who pointed out the lake’s floating log raft and mentioned a recent debris flow in the region (which occurred several weeks after this image was acquired). Read more about…
Despite dilution, officials say new nature law can restore EU carbon sinks
A razor-thin vote in favour of the EU’s nature restoration law on Monday has salvaged the bloc’s ability to restore its carbon sinks and reach its net zero goal, top officials told Climate Home. The regulation, which tasks the EU’s 27 member states with reviving their land and water habitats and planting billions of trees, was narrowly passed by EU environment ministers. The controversial law only…
Create ‘positive tipping points’ with climate mandates, governments urged
Requiring key sectors to switch to clean energy by specific times could trigger benevolent cascades, report claimsIn the terminology of the climate and ecological crises the phrase “tipping point” is loaded with dreadful implications.It evokes a climate breakdown supercharged by the mass escape of methane locked in Siberian permafrost, or the great currents of the oceans smothered by freshwater melting from the Greenland ice sheet, or…
Have feedbacks taken over?
For about one year now, global temperature anomalies have been extremely high, as illustrated by the image below, created with a screenshot from Copernicus, showing an anomaly from 1991-2020 of 0.86°C on June 1, 2024. What could be behind these persistently high temperatures? Many causes such as El Niño and sunspots have been discussed in earlier posts. How much do emissions contribute to these high temperatures?Despite pledges…
Friday 29
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Keeping Tabs on North Cascades Glaciers
Scientists use satellites in orbit and boots on the ice to monitor glacial changes on the flanks of Mount Baker and elsewhere in Washington state. Read More…
Well done humans!!!!
Congratulations humanity! For the first time in recorded history we have breached 2C above preindustrial levels! (Glacecakes Tumblr)
Temperature rise in the Tropics (update 5)
The temperature in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) reached a new record high on April 24, 2024 of 27°C (or 80.6°F). The image below shows the monthly temperature anomaly over the past few years through March 2024, when the anomaly reached a record high of 1.448°C (or 2.606°F). Note that the anomaly in the top image is calculated from 1979-2000 as a base, while anomalies in the above image…
Tracking Elephants Across Namibia
Satellite imagery and local data helped researchers assess how landscape features, such as watering holes and vegetation, influence elephant movement. Read More…
Temperature rise in the Tropics (update 3)
The temperature in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) reached a new record high on April 20, 2024 of 26.913°C (or 80.44°F). The image below shows the monthly temperature anomaly over the past few years through March 2024, when the anomaly reached a record high of 1.448°C (or 2.606°F). Note that anomalies in the above image are calculated from 1951-1980 as a base. When calculated from a pre-industrial base, anomalies will…
UN climate chief warns of “steep mountain to climb” for COP29 after Bonn blame-game
UN climate talks in Bonn ended in finger-pointing over their failure to move forward on a key programme to reduce planet-heating emissions, with the UN climate chief warning of “a very steep mountain to climb to achieve ambitious outcomes” at COP29 in Baku. In the closing session of the two-week talks on Thursday evening, many countries expressed their disappointment and frustration at the lack of any…
Mount Taranaki’s Ring of Forest
The precise geometry of the protected area encompassing an iconic New Zealand volcano is unmistakable from space. Read More…
Arctic Sea Ice Alert
[ click on images to enlarge ]Temperatures remain high, as illustrated by the above image, adapted from Copernicus. Meanwhile, El Niño is no longer prevalent. Instead, La Niña conditions are expected to be dominant soon, as illustrated by the NOAA ENSO update on the right. There are fears that self-amplifying feedbacks have taken over as the dominant drivers of the temperature rise, as discussed in earlier posts such…
Confronting Florida’s Coral Collapse
After a brutally hot summer in 2023 that caused widespread bleaching and coral death, summer 2024 was more favorable for the state’s vulnerable reefs. Read More…
Santiago at Night
Lights in Chile’s central city display an array of colors and densities, reflecting various land uses and differences between the region’s communes. Read More…
A Deluge for the Sahara
An extratropical storm system dropped torrential rains on parts of Morocco and Algeria. Read More…
Is CMIP6 SSP585 the worst-case scenario?
The image below, adapted from Climate Reanalyzer, shows the temperature in the year 2100, in a CMIP6 SSP585 scenario. The image shows how much the temperature will have risen in 2100, at 2 meters above the surface and compared to the period 1979-2000. The image below shows a progressive temperature rise reaching 4.589°C in 2100 compared to the same period, i.e. 1979-2000 and in a CMIP6…
The Korean Peninsula at Night
Images of nighttime lights reveal patterns in population and urban development. Read More…
NASA Analysis Finds Strong El Niño Could Bring Extra Floods This Winter
In Brief: Such high-tide flooding that inundates roads and buildings along the west coast of the Americas tends to be uncommon outside of El Niño years, but that could change by the 2030s. An analysis by NASA’s sea level change science team finds that if a strong El Niño develops this winter, cities along the western coasts of the Americas could see an increase in the…
Tragedy set to unfold in Tropics (update)
The temperature in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) reached a new record high on March 13, 2024. The image below shows the situation over the years through March 13, 2024, when the average daily surface air temperature was 26.9°C and 1.4°C above 1979-2000 (black line is 2024).The previous record high temperature was reached on April 24, 2016, when it was 26.8°C, and 1°C above 1979-2000 (grey line…
Wildfires ravaging northern Portugal – in pictures
Since last week, wildfires have been raging in central and northern Portugal. At least seven people have died and 50 have been injured. More than 5,000 firefighters have been mobilised to battle the blazes Continue reading…
Michael Mann Wins $1 Million Verdict In Defamation Trial
“Michael Mann Wins $1 Million Verdict In Defamation Trial Victory over climate deniers sends a strong message in defense of climate science and scientists. By Diane Bernard and Adam M. LowensteinonFeb 8, 2024 @ 14:04 PST Professor Michael E. Mann’s lawyer called attacks on the scientist “vile.” Credit: Julian Meehan/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) “In a victory for climate scientists, jurors in Michael Mann’s defamation case against Rand Simberg…
In Rural and Urban Communities Alike, Energy Costs Burden Low-Income Families
Weatherization programs can help. As the leaves turn and the temperature drops, many people worry about the cost of home heating. Ariel Drehobl of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy says that for low-income families, it can cause stress around figuring out how to pay your bills and a tradeoff between keeping your heat on and being able to afford other necessities like food,…
May Puzzler
Update on June 4, 2024: This image shows greenhouses in eastern China. Congratulations to James Varghese for being the first to correctly identify the feature and its location. Read more about the area in “A Greenhouse Boom in China.” How to answer. You can use a few words or several paragraphs. You might simply tell us the location, or you can dig deeper and offer details about what satellite and…
Technology helping solar farms counter growing hailstone threat
With storms becoming more frequent due to the climate crisis, insurers are forcing operators to respondOne of the least considered hazards of climate change is the increasing frequency of hailstorms and the size and the impact of the pieces of ice they produce. This, in turn, threatens one of the most promising solutions to the climate crisis: solar farms.In the last year, the number of hailstorms…
‘Even the breeze was hot’: how incarcerated people survive extreme heat in prison
The Marshall Project and the Prison Journalism Project asked incarcerated reporters to document the impact of extreme heat on their facilities. Their stories reveal the brutal realityAfter a summer of record-breaking temperatures, scientists predict that 2024 could end up being the hottest year on record. For people in US prisons and jails – who often lack access to even the most basic cooling measures – conditions…
More floods are coming to Britain, but you ought to know this: the system that should protect us is a scandal | George Monbiot
A network of public bodies are supposed to safeguard us from flooding. But, like old boys’ clubs, they are bastions of self-interestLabour’s first stage of government resembles a vast forensic excavation. As it works through the Conservatives’ midden of horrors, it discovers an ever greater legacy of underinvestment, neglect and corruption. However disappointing the new government’s compromises might be, we shouldn’t forget how overwhelming this task…
Jane Fonda rallies disaffected young US voters: ‘Do not sit this election out’
The Hollywood actor and activist backs Harris for president as she warns of climate emergency and talks Taylor SwiftYoung people’s understandable unhappiness with the Biden administration’s record on oil and gas drilling and the war in Gaza should not deter them from voting to block Donald Trump from again becoming president of the United States, the Hollywood actor and activist Jane Fonda has warned.“I understand why…
People must understand: we in Malawi are paying for the climate crisis with our lives | Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda
From flooding to drought, extreme weather is devastating our communities. It is time for the world’s heaviest emitters to help mitigate the impacts of climatic breakdown on the countries most affectedMillions of people in my country, Malawi, face unprecedented existential crises driven by climate breakdown. The frequency of extreme weather events and the massive impact they have on communities have left government officials like me with…
July Puzzler
Update: This Landsat 8 image shows ship wakes and wind turbines in the Atlantic Ocean near Block Island, which flanks southern New England. Congratulations to Rafael and Jim Steinert for being the first to identify these features and the image’s location. Read more about the area in “A Piece of Rhode Island in the Atlantic.” Every month on Earth Matters, we offer a puzzling satellite image. The July…
Saturday 23
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Temperatures in the Tropics
The image below shows that temperatures in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) were very high during the second half of April 2024, and these very high temperatures were sustained during the first part of May 2024. The temperature was 26.9°C (or 80.42°F) on May 11, 2024, an anomaly of 1.1°C (or 1.98°F) from 1979-2000. The image below shows the average monthly temperature anomaly over the past few years through April…
California fire agency engineer arrested on suspicion of starting five wildfires
Cal Fire says Robert Hernandez ignited blazes while off duty in forest land in north of stateA California department of forestry and fire protection employee was arrested on Friday on suspicion of starting five brush fires in northern California in recent weeks, officials said.Robert Hernandez, 38, was arrested at the Howard forest fire station in Healdsburg, California, on suspicion of arson to forest land, the state…
Delaware’s Tidal Wetlands
Water inundates the marshes along Delaware Bay, which provide protection against flooding and erosion, as well as habitat for migrating birds. Read More…
Retired priest speaks of ‘painful’ treatment by church over her climate protests
The Rev Sue Parfitt has lost right to conduct religious ceremonies after her arrest at a Just Stop Oil demonstrationAn 82-year-old retired priest has spoken of her pain at losing her right to conduct religious ceremonies because of her participation in Just Stop Oil protests.The Rev Sue Parfitt was arrested in May after allegedly causing damage to the glass around Magna Carta at the British Library…
‘We empower ourselves’: the women cleaning up Bolivia’s Lake Uru Uru
Once clean enough to drink, the Andean lake was poisoned by mining pollution and urban waste. But now Indigenous women are using giant reeds to revive the vital ecosystem • Photographs by Claudia Morales for the GuardianLooking out over Lake Uru Uru in the Bolivian highlands, it is hard to imagine that it once supported thousands of people, and was a sanctuary for wildlife, including 76…
No more sticking-plaster solutions: Britain’s green agenda is on solid ground | Joss Garman
Showing climate delivery can be done effectively and fairly would be an extraordinary climate legacy for Keir StarmerA well-intentioned but badly designed and poorly communicated energy policy from the German government, and more recent protests by farmers in France and the Netherlands, have knocked the confidence of European political leaders that environmental progress can be delivered in a way that works for people and enjoys democratic…
Coalition’s nuclear plan will lead to ‘massive’ electricity shortages and risk blackouts, new analysis warns
Energy minister Chris Bowen says Peter Dutton must explain what happens to national grid over next decade if opposition stops building renewablesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Coalition’s proposal to cap large-scale renewable energy and eventually build nuclear power plants would lead to “massive” electricity supply shortages risking blackouts, according to analysis released…
Atlantic ocean heat threatens to unleash methane eruptions
The image below shows that the monthly Atlantic surface temperature anomaly in February 2024 was 1.176°C when compared to a 1951-1980 base.[ click on images to enlarge ] The image below shows that the monthly Atlantic surface temperature anomaly in February 2024 was 1.435°C when compared to a 1901-2000 base. The difference illustrates the importance of selecting a base to calculate anomalies from. The anomaly indicates how much…
Wednesday 27
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Climate Choir Melbourne supporting Extinction Rebellion
Climate Choir Melbourne supporting Extinction Rebellion protestors at their sit down on the busiest intersection in Melbourne City, Australia. The police were very restrained. Are they in agreement with the protestors? They do have family of their own.
Untold Suffering Lies Ahead in Hotter World
Global heating could bring “untold suffering” for humans. It could also mean less fresh water and less rice, though tasting more of arsenic. In an unprecedented step, more than 11,000 scientists from 153 nations have united to warn the world that, without deep and lasting change, the climate emergency promises humankind unavoidable “untold suffering”. And as if to underline that message, a US research group has…
NASA-ISRO Radar Mission to Provide Dynamic View of Forests, Wetlands
In Brief: NISAR will help researchers explore how changes in Earth’s forest and wetland ecosystems are affecting the global carbon cycle and influencing climate change. Once it launches in early 2024, the NISAR radar satellite mission will offer detailed insights into two types of ecosystems – forests and wetlands – vital to naturally regulating the greenhouses gases in the atmosphere that are driving global climate change….
Flood in Oman due to severe rains. Flooding in Arabian Peninsula …
YouTube”Both Oman and the UAE, which hosted last year’s COP28 UN climate talks, have previously warned that global warming is likely to lead to more flooding.Friederike Otto, a leader in the field of assessing the role of climate change on specific extreme weather events, said it was likely that global warming played a part in this week’s rain.”It is highly likely that the deadly and destructive…
UN report: Pollution From Planned Fossil Fuel Production Would Overshoot Paris Climate Goals
To protect the climate, most coal, oil, and natural gas must be left in the ground, a recent study reported. In the 2015 international Paris Climate Agreement, nearly every country agreed to try and limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and preferably closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures. Achieving these goals will require dramatic…
North Atlantic heating up
Sea surface temperature at record high The image below, created with Climate Reanalyzer screenshots, shows that the sea surface temperature (SST 60°S – 60°N mean) was 21.2°C on April 24, 2024, reaching yet another record high. These record high sea surface temperatures are reached as long-term sea surface temperatures are falling and as El Niño is predicted to weaken, which is fueling fears that feedbacks are…
A Winter Wanderer in the Weddell Sea
Under the cloak of darkness, Iceberg A-83 wiggled away from glue-like sea ice and drifted farther from the Brunt Ice Shelf—but not without sustaining some damage. Read More…
Bloomberg Is a Climate Leader. So Why Aren’t Activists Excited About a Run for President?
Michael Bloomberg has poured his time and hundreds of millions of dollars into projects aimed at getting the world ‘beyond carbon,’ but can he win the presidency? One of the Trump administration’s favorite environmental talking points is that the United States has reduced carbon emissions more than any other country. It’s not an achievement that Trump can take any credit for. But his latest potential challenger,…
Citizen Scientists Capture Brilliant Photos of the Aurora
On May 11, 2024, the day-night band of VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite spotted the aurora borealis over the United States during the strongest geomagnetic storm in over two decades. That same night, observers on the ground captured spectacular photographs of the dazzling light. The following photos represent just a handful of those shot by citizen scientists as part of NASA’s Aurorasaurus…
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Celebrates 75 Years of Geosciences
Take a look back at historic discoveries from the past seven-and-a-half decades at Lamont.
- Navigating Nonprofits: A Summer Internship on Capitol Hill
Working at a DC-based environmental nonprofit convinced this student to pursue a career in environmental policy.
- Amplifying Youth Voices in Sustainable Planning
In this pre-college workshop, students explore the critical role that sustainable development, planning and design play in building community resilience.
- Mountaineering, Death and Climate Risk in the Patagonian Andes
Patagonian mountaineers confront increased risk due to climate change as they seek to limit fatalities.
- Remembering Richard Deckelbaum
Jessica Fanzo and Shauna Downs remember their friend and pioneering global heath researcher, Richard Deckelbaum.
- Come Visit Us at Lamont Open House
In light of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s 75th anniversary, this year’s Open House will feature new exhibits, art and lectures.
The week around the world in 20 pictures
The Middle East crisis, wildfires in Portugal, floods in Poland and London fashion week: the last seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Continue reading…
Shrimp Farms of the Guayas Estuary
Large numbers of rectangular holding ponds lie amid mangrove forests in southern Ecuador. Read More…
The Orwellian rules-based Climate
By Andrew Glikson “History is a nightmare from which I am trying to wake” (James Joyce) Figure 1. Extinctions CC from: The five mass extinctions in Earth History. The rate of the current rise of greenhouse gas levels and thereby temperatures is higher by more than an order of magnitude than that of previous mass extinctions. (Figures 11.2, 11.5). Glikson. A.Y., 2023 The Trials of Gaia.War ─…
Did the climate experience a Regime Change in 2023?
The astonishing recent rise in temperatures makes one wonder whether a Regime Change did take place in 2023. The February 2024 temperature was 1.76°C above 1885-1915, potentially 2.75°C above pre-industrial (bright yellow inset right). The image was created by Sam Carana for Arctic-news.blogspot.com with an April 2024 data.giss.nasa.gov screenshot. The red line (6 months Lowess smoothing) highlights the Regime Change that may have occurred in 2023.Meanwhile, NASA…
The Korean Peninsula at Night
Images of nighttime lights reveal patterns in population and urban development. Read More…
‘We empower ourselves’: the women cleaning up Bolivia’s Lake Uru Uru
Once clean enough to drink, the Andean lake was poisoned by mining pollution and urban waste. But now Indigenous women are using giant reeds to revive the vital ecosystem • Photographs by Claudia Morales for the GuardianLooking out over Lake Uru Uru in the Bolivian highlands, it is hard to imagine that it once supported thousands of people, and was a sanctuary for wildlife, including 76…
The Stakes: how JD Vance’s home town has won millions in climate investment that he calls a ‘green scam’
Locals called it a ‘miracle’ when the steel plant in JD Vance’s home town got $500m for an upgrade. But Trump’s running mate calls shifting the US to cleaner energy a ‘green scam’A hulking steel plant in Middletown, Ohio, is the city’s economic heartbeat as well as a keystone origin story of JD Vance, the hometown senator now running to be Donald Trump’s vice-president.Its future, however,…
Keeping Tabs on North Cascades Glaciers
Scientists use satellites in orbit and boots on the ice to monitor glacial changes on the flanks of Mount Baker and elsewhere in Washington state. Read More…
Temperature rise in the Tropics (update 5)
The temperature in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) reached a new record high on April 24, 2024 of 27°C (or 80.6°F). The image below shows the monthly temperature anomaly over the past few years through March 2024, when the anomaly reached a record high of 1.448°C (or 2.606°F). Note that the anomaly in the top image is calculated from 1979-2000 as a base, while anomalies in the above image…
‘It’s guerrilla warfare’: Brazil fire teams fight Amazon blazes – and the arsonists who start them
Firefighters and police in Rondônia battle fires intensified by both the climate crisis and a criminal assault on the rainforestThe occupants of the vinyl-coated military tents at this remote jungle camp in Brazil’s wild west compare the hellscape surrounding them to catastrophes old and new: the extinction of the dinosaurs, the bombardment of Gaza, the obliteration of Hiroshima during the second world war.“It’s as if a…
How hot will it get?
Currently, the temperature in the Northern Hemisphere is higher than it was last year at this time of year, as illustrated by the image below, created with University of Maine content. The image shows that a temperature of 21.1°C was reached in the Northern Hemisphere on June 17, 2024. The question is: Will temperatures over the next few months exceed the high temperatures reached last year? El Niño…
North Atlantic heating up
Sea surface temperature at record high The image below, created with Climate Reanalyzer screenshots, shows that the sea surface temperature (SST 60°S – 60°N mean) was 21.2°C on April 24, 2024, reaching yet another record high. These record high sea surface temperatures are reached as long-term sea surface temperatures are falling and as El Niño is predicted to weaken, which is fueling fears that feedbacks are…
Michael Mann Wins $1 Million Verdict In Defamation Trial
“Michael Mann Wins $1 Million Verdict In Defamation Trial Victory over climate deniers sends a strong message in defense of climate science and scientists. By Diane Bernard and Adam M. LowensteinonFeb 8, 2024 @ 14:04 PST Professor Michael E. Mann’s lawyer called attacks on the scientist “vile.” Credit: Julian Meehan/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) “In a victory for climate scientists, jurors in Michael Mann’s defamation case against Rand Simberg…
February Puzzler
Update on March 11, 2024: This image shows Spirit Lake, located in south-central Washington, on April 26, 2023. Congratulations to Ivan Kordač for being the first to correctly identify the lake. Special mention goes to David Sherrod, who pointed out the lake’s floating log raft and mentioned a recent debris flow in the region (which occurred several weeks after this image was acquired). Read more about…
Tracking toward mass extinction
by Andrew GliksonWhere “Two plus two equals five if the party says so” (George Orwell)and when drilling methane wells reduces global warming Having turned a blind eye to climate science, ignoring the evidence that extreme atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) rise and ocean acidification have led to mass extinctions of species through time, humanity allows an exponential growth of carbon emissions to track toward a global…
Climate Choir Melbourne supporting Extinction Rebellion
Climate Choir Melbourne supporting Extinction Rebellion protestors at their sit down on the busiest intersection in Melbourne City, Australia. The police were very restrained. Are they in agreement with the protestors? They do have family of their own.
‘Even the breeze was hot’: how incarcerated people survive extreme heat in prison
The Marshall Project and the Prison Journalism Project asked incarcerated reporters to document the impact of extreme heat on their facilities. Their stories reveal the brutal realityAfter a summer of record-breaking temperatures, scientists predict that 2024 could end up being the hottest year on record. For people in US prisons and jails – who often lack access to even the most basic cooling measures – conditions…
Citizen Scientists Capture Brilliant Photos of the Aurora
On May 11, 2024, the day-night band of VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite spotted the aurora borealis over the United States during the strongest geomagnetic storm in over two decades. That same night, observers on the ground captured spectacular photographs of the dazzling light. The following photos represent just a handful of those shot by citizen scientists as part of NASA’s Aurorasaurus…
May Puzzler
Update on June 4, 2024: This image shows greenhouses in eastern China. Congratulations to James Varghese for being the first to correctly identify the feature and its location. Read more about the area in “A Greenhouse Boom in China.” How to answer. You can use a few words or several paragraphs. You might simply tell us the location, or you can dig deeper and offer details about what satellite and…
Temperature rise may soon accelerate even more
The April 2024 temperature was 1.32°C higher than 1951-1980, as illustrated by the above image, created with NASA content. Local anomalies are as high as 6.2°C. The April 2024 temperature was 1.62°C higher than 1900-1930, as illustrated by the above image, created with NASA content. The red line highlights acceleration of the temperature rise (Lowess Smoothing). The image below, created with NOAA content, uses a LOESS filter (green line) to…
UN climate chief warns of “steep mountain to climb” for COP29 after Bonn blame-game
UN climate talks in Bonn ended in finger-pointing over their failure to move forward on a key programme to reduce planet-heating emissions, with the UN climate chief warning of “a very steep mountain to climb to achieve ambitious outcomes” at COP29 in Baku. In the closing session of the two-week talks on Thursday evening, many countries expressed their disappointment and frustration at the lack of any…
Wood Pellet Giant Drax Targets California Forests: Excerpt
“Plans for two industrial pellet plants would increase carbon emissions and hurt the health of rural communities, campaigners warn. By Phoebe CookeonMar 4, 2024 @ 10:56 PST Series: Drax: The UK’s ‘Carbon Neutral’ Biomass Power Plant The wood pellets Drax produces are treated as “carbon neutral” under international accounting rules, based on an assumption that new-growth trees will capture the carbon lost by wood burnt for…
Very high temperatures in Tropics
Temperatures in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) have been very high in 2024 (see black line, image below), much higher than they were at this time of year in 2023 (orange line). The above image shows that on May 24, 2024, the temperature was 26.7°C (or 80.06°F), an anomaly of 1°C (or 1.8°F) compared to 1979-2000. The image below shows the average monthly temperature anomaly over the past few years through…
Well done humans!!!!
Congratulations humanity! For the first time in recorded history we have breached 2C above preindustrial levels! (Glacecakes Tumblr)
Coalition’s nuclear plan will lead to ‘massive’ electricity shortages and risk blackouts, new analysis warns
Energy minister Chris Bowen says Peter Dutton must explain what happens to national grid over next decade if opposition stops building renewablesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Coalition’s proposal to cap large-scale renewable energy and eventually build nuclear power plants would lead to “massive” electricity supply shortages risking blackouts, according to analysis released…
People rescued from rooftops as flooding hits northern Italy – video
Firefighters have been rescuing people stranded on their balconies and rooftops after Storm Boris triggered flooding and landslides in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Two people were reported missing in Traversara, a hamlet in Ravenna province, and about 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Storm Boris has battered parts of Italy after causing havoc in eastern and central EuropeTwo missing and 1,000 evacuated…
April Puzzler
Update on May 21, 2024: This image shows a phytoplankton bloom in the Gulf of Oman. It was acquired on March 17, 2024, less than two months after the launch of NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite. Congratulations to Dan Taylor for being the first to correctly identify the bloom and its location. Special mention goes to Robert Taylor for providing a detailed answer, and to…
California fire agency engineer arrested on suspicion of starting five wildfires
Cal Fire says Robert Hernandez ignited blazes while off duty in forest land in north of stateA California department of forestry and fire protection employee was arrested on Friday on suspicion of starting five brush fires in northern California in recent weeks, officials said.Robert Hernandez, 38, was arrested at the Howard forest fire station in Healdsburg, California, on suspicion of arson to forest land, the state…
Delaware’s Tidal Wetlands
Water inundates the marshes along Delaware Bay, which provide protection against flooding and erosion, as well as habitat for migrating birds. Read More…
No more sticking-plaster solutions: Britain’s green agenda is on solid ground | Joss Garman
Showing climate delivery can be done effectively and fairly would be an extraordinary climate legacy for Keir StarmerA well-intentioned but badly designed and poorly communicated energy policy from the German government, and more recent protests by farmers in France and the Netherlands, have knocked the confidence of European political leaders that environmental progress can be delivered in a way that works for people and enjoys democratic…
Retired priest speaks of ‘painful’ treatment by church over her climate protests
The Rev Sue Parfitt has lost right to conduct religious ceremonies after her arrest at a Just Stop Oil demonstrationAn 82-year-old retired priest has spoken of her pain at losing her right to conduct religious ceremonies because of her participation in Just Stop Oil protests.The Rev Sue Parfitt was arrested in May after allegedly causing damage to the glass around Magna Carta at the British Library…
March Puzzler
Update on April 23, 2024: This image shows Sortebræ, a large surge-type glacier in eastern Greenland, on September 6, 1986. Congratulations to Steward Redwood for being the first to correctly identify the glacier. Read more about the glacier and see how it has retreated in recent decades in our Image of the Day story. Every month on Earth Matters, we offer a puzzling satellite image. The March 2024…
Climate Tipping Points Are Closer Than We Think, Scientists Warn
From melting ice caps to dying forests and thawing permafrost, the risk of ‘abrupt and irreversible changes’ is much higher than thought just a few years ago. Humans are playing Russian roulette with Earth’s climate by ignoring the growing risk of tipping points that, if passed, could jolt the climate system into “a new, less habitable ‘hothouse’ climate state,” scientists are warning ahead of the annual…
Technology helping solar farms counter growing hailstone threat
With storms becoming more frequent due to the climate crisis, insurers are forcing operators to respondOne of the least considered hazards of climate change is the increasing frequency of hailstorms and the size and the impact of the pieces of ice they produce. This, in turn, threatens one of the most promising solutions to the climate crisis: solar farms.In the last year, the number of hailstorms…
CO2 rise is accelerating
On March 15, 2024, the daily average carbon dioxide (CO₂) at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, was 427.93 parts per million (ppm), as illustrated by the image below, adapted from NOAA. This is the highest daily in situ average in the NOAA record at Mauna Loa, which is the more remarkable since the annual CO₂ maximum is typically reached in May, so even higher values are likely to…
Create ‘positive tipping points’ with climate mandates, governments urged
Requiring key sectors to switch to clean energy by specific times could trigger benevolent cascades, report claimsIn the terminology of the climate and ecological crises the phrase “tipping point” is loaded with dreadful implications.It evokes a climate breakdown supercharged by the mass escape of methane locked in Siberian permafrost, or the great currents of the oceans smothered by freshwater melting from the Greenland ice sheet, or…
IEA calls for next national climate plans to target coal phase-down
Governments should promise in their next round of climate plans, due by early next year, not to build any new coal-fired power stations and to shut down existing ones early, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said. Speaking on Monday at an old London coal power plant-turned-shopping centre, IEA head Fatih Birol said he would be “very happy” to see new NDCs (Nationally…
Atlantic ocean heat threatens to unleash methane eruptions
The image below shows that the monthly Atlantic surface temperature anomaly in February 2024 was 1.176°C when compared to a 1951-1980 base.[ click on images to enlarge ] The image below shows that the monthly Atlantic surface temperature anomaly in February 2024 was 1.435°C when compared to a 1901-2000 base. The difference illustrates the importance of selecting a base to calculate anomalies from. The anomaly indicates how much…
September Puzzler
Every month on Earth Matters, we offer a puzzling satellite image. The September 2024 puzzler is shown above. Your challenge is to use the comments section to tell us where it is, what we are looking at, and why it is interesting.How to answer. You can use a few words or several paragraphs. You might simply tell us the location, or you can dig deeper and offer details about…
Race is on to produce a super-coral to survive world’s warming seas
Widespread bleaching of reefs is devastating delicate ecosystemsIt is one of the least understood processes in nature. How do two very different species learn to live with each other and create a bond, known as symbiosis, which can give them a powerful evolutionary advantage?Coral reefs are the most spectacular manifestations of symbiosis – and understanding the mechanics of this mutual endeavour has become an urgent task…
June Puzzler
Update on July 23, 2024: This false-color image shows a plume—likely an orographic cloud—streaming from near the summit of Antarctica’s Mount Siple. Colors in this image represent brightness temperature, which is useful for distinguishing the relative warmth (orange and pink) or coolness (purple and blue) of various features. Congratulations to Ivan Kordač for being the first to correctly identify the the image’s polar location. Read more about the…
Tragedy set to unfold in Tropics (update)
The temperature in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) reached a new record high on March 13, 2024. The image below shows the situation over the years through March 13, 2024, when the average daily surface air temperature was 26.9°C and 1.4°C above 1979-2000 (black line is 2024).The previous record high temperature was reached on April 24, 2016, when it was 26.8°C, and 1°C above 1979-2000 (grey line…
Have feedbacks taken over?
For about one year now, global temperature anomalies have been extremely high, as illustrated by the image below, created with a screenshot from Copernicus, showing an anomaly from 1991-2020 of 0.86°C on June 1, 2024. What could be behind these persistently high temperatures? Many causes such as El Niño and sunspots have been discussed in earlier posts. How much do emissions contribute to these high temperatures?Despite pledges…
UN report: Pollution From Planned Fossil Fuel Production Would Overshoot Paris Climate Goals
To protect the climate, most coal, oil, and natural gas must be left in the ground, a recent study reported. In the 2015 international Paris Climate Agreement, nearly every country agreed to try and limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and preferably closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures. Achieving these goals will require dramatic…
A Winter Wanderer in the Weddell Sea
Under the cloak of darkness, Iceberg A-83 wiggled away from glue-like sea ice and drifted farther from the Brunt Ice Shelf—but not without sustaining some damage. Read More…
Eclipse Challenge: Clouds and Our Solar-Powered Earth
Energy from the Sun warms our planet, and changes in sunlight can also cause changes in temperature, clouds, and wind. Clouds are ever changing and give you clues and information on what is happening in the atmosphere. Clouds can tell you if air is moving vertically (or upward) when you see cumulus type clouds growing in the distance. Clouds can also tell you which direction the…
Temperatures in the Tropics
The image below shows that temperatures in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) were very high during the second half of April 2024, and these very high temperatures were sustained during the first part of May 2024. The temperature was 26.9°C (or 80.42°F) on May 11, 2024, an anomaly of 1.1°C (or 1.98°F) from 1979-2000. The image below shows the average monthly temperature anomaly over the past few years through April…
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I’ve studied geopolitics all my life: climate breakdown is a bigger threat than China and Russia | Anatol Lieven
‘Risk’ analyses largely ignore the dangers of the climate crisis. Unless we wake up to them, they will soon outweigh all others The Irish sea captain who in 1751 discovered the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc) – closely connected with, though not identical to, the Gulf Stream – found a practical use for it: he used the frigid deeper water to cool his wine.That may seem…
Temperature rise in the Tropics (update 3)
The temperature in the Tropics (23.5°S-23.5°N, 0-360°E) reached a new record high on April 20, 2024 of 26.913°C (or 80.44°F). The image below shows the monthly temperature anomaly over the past few years through March 2024, when the anomaly reached a record high of 1.448°C (or 2.606°F). Note that anomalies in the above image are calculated from 1951-1980 as a base. When calculated from a pre-industrial base, anomalies will…
What is Climate Change?
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our planet today. It refers to significant changes in global temperatures and weather patterns over time. While climate change is a natural phenomenon, scientific evidence shows that human activities are currently driving an unprecedented rate of change.
Causes of Climate Change
The primary cause of recent climate change is the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities. Key contributors include:
- Burning of Fossil Fuels: Coal, oil, and natural gas combustion for energy and transportation releases large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases.
- Deforestation: Trees absorb CO2, and cutting them down reduces the Earth’s capacity to sequester carbon.
- Agricultural Practices: Methane emissions from livestock and rice paddies, along with nitrous oxide from fertilizers, contribute to the greenhouse effect.
- Industrial Processes: Certain industrial activities release various greenhouse gases, including CO2, methane, and fluorinated gases.
Effects of Climate Change
The impacts of climate change are widespread and varied, affecting ecosystems, weather patterns, sea levels, and human societies. Key effects include:
- Rising Temperatures: Global temperatures have been steadily increasing, leading to more frequent and severe heatwaves.
- Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels: Polar ice caps and glaciers are melting, contributing to rising sea levels, which threaten coastal communities.
- Extreme Weather Events: Increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes, droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events.
- Biodiversity Loss: Many species are struggling to adapt to changing conditions, leading to shifts in ecosystems and potential extinctions.
- Human Health Risks: Increased heat can lead to heat-related illnesses, while changing weather patterns can affect food and water supply, leading to malnutrition and waterborne diseases.
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies
Addressing climate change requires both mitigation and adaptation strategies:
- Mitigation: Efforts to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases, including:
- Transitioning to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power.
- Enhancing energy efficiency in buildings, transportation, and industries.
- Promoting reforestation and sustainable land use practices.
- Adaptation: Adjusting to the changes that are already occurring, including:
- Developing resilient infrastructure to withstand extreme weather.
- Implementing water management practices to cope with variable water supplies.
- Protecting and restoring natural ecosystems to enhance their resilience.
Climate change is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires global cooperation and immediate action. By understanding its causes, effects, and the strategies available to address it, we can work towards a sustainable future for our planet. It is imperative for governments, businesses, and individuals to take proactive steps to mitigate climate change and adapt to its inevitable impacts.