Our mission is to:
- Provide Free Resources for Individuals and Organizations to Measure and Lower their Emissions
- Give Access to Most Cost-Effective Carbon Offset Projects to go Carbon Neutral Now


You can also utilize the EPA spreadsheets to obtain a more precise estimate of your carbon footprint.


The Emission Reduction Program for small businesses gives customisable templates which are easy to use.


Offset Certificates finance verified projects that help to slow down the rate of global warming.
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.


Measure
We provide information and resources to help people and organisation quickly and easily measure their carbon footprint.

Reduce
Giving people and companies information on the choices they can make to reduce their emissions and lower their carbon footprint

Offset
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.
Social Media Network

High Quality Carbon Offsets at the Best Market Prices
Go Carbon Neutral without paying large fees and commissions Carbon Offset Sales a division of the Climate Change Institute Each Carbon Offset Certificate is for One Tonne of Carbon removed from the atmosphere. Enough to fill 500 fire extinguishers or 8 swimming pools, with the same weight as 400 bricks. Verra & Gold Standard Highest Certification Standards Carbon offset certificates finance projects that slow down the…
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,…
Wednesday 27
<
How to win Trump’s Trade War: Build a greener, more resilient future
Donald Trump’s trade war is on hold – for now. It’s not a fight we wanted or sought out, but given Trump’s desire to bludgeon us into becoming the 51st state we need to be prepared. There is a way that we can come out of this stronger. In moments of disruption, great things can happen. We need to demand a response that takes care of…
Berrima Cement Works upgrades with sustainable tech
Boral has unveiled new carbon-reducing technology at its Berrima Cement Works, with Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen officially opening the upgraded facility on 4 December. Located in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Berrima Cement Works supplies 40% of cement in NSW and the Australian Capital Territory. The site is strategically important both for the company and Australia’s manufacturing capability. The…
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,…
Well done humans!!!!
Congratulations humanity! For the first time in recorded history we have breached 2C above preindustrial levels! (Glacecakes Tumblr)
Still We Rise: A Reflection on Resistance, Racism, and the Politics of “Woke”
There are moments in history when we are called to pause, to reflect, and to ask ourselves: What does it mean to resist? What does it mean to rise? Maya Angelou’s poem Still I Rise has long been a source of inspiration for those of us who refuse to be broken by oppression. It is more than just a poem—it is a declaration, a shield, and…
New sustainability expo to help Australia transition to net zero
A newly launched sustainability trade show and multi-stream conference, named NET ZERO EXPO, has been designed to showcase tools and solutions for businesses, councils, property developers and households to cut emissions, reduce energy costs, prepare climate reports and meet evolving customer expectations. The event will run twice in Australia in 2025: first in Sydney on 27–28 August, then in Melbourne on 16–17 September. “We want the…
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.
AI-controlled apes with apps at seconds to Midnight
by Andrew Glikson What further evidence do the inhabitants of planet Earth need to have to convince them the liveable climate, the lungs of the Earth, is sharply deteriorating, species are dying, the mere failure of a computer chip or of a human neuron are capable of terminating civilization, that the powers that be are leading to one of the greatest mass extinction in the history…
How COP16 2.0 can unlock business investment to properly fund nature
Steve Edwards is head of biodiversity at South Pole. The 16th United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Colombia late last year underscored an urgent truth: global efforts to halt biodiversity loss remain inadequate. While many hoped the event would catalyse clear and enforceable pathways for nature protection, the outcomes fell short, marked by vague targets and limited accountability. This presents a critical challenge…
Cairo’s Colorful Nightscape
The older and newer cities of the Greater Cairo region look very different at night when viewed from above. Read More…
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…
Carbon dioxide growing rapidly
The image below shows NOAA monthly mean concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) recorded at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, from 2020 through July 2024. The inset shows that CO₂ was 425.55 parts per million (ppm) in July 2024, an increase of 3.72 ppm from July 2023, when CO₂ was 421.83 ppm. This 3.72 ppm growth is higher than the 3.36 ppm annual growth in 2023, the highest annual…
China’s carbon peak yet to come
By Liu Lican China’s first Biennial Transparency Report on Climate Change was released last week, and the country confirmed it has yet to peak its carbon emissions. The report, submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), discloses China’s greenhouse gas inventory in 2020 and 2021. It showed that total greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, including that from land use,…
Mechanisms behind a steep rise in temperature
The image below shows the temperature rise from end 2022 through February 27, 2025, with trends added. The shading in the above image reflects the presence of El Niño conditions (pink shading) that push up temperatures, La Niña conditions (blue shading) that suppress temperatures, or neutral conditions (gray shading). Such short-term variables are smoothed out in the black linear trend that shows a steady rise of about 0.5°C…
Friday 29
<
Boxing Out the Competition: How Green Packaging Helps Businesses
As more and more consumers are pushing businesses to become environmentally sustainable, many are looking at packaging as a way to reduce waste and emissions. Plastic packaging has been the norm for many decades due to it being inexpensive, hygienic, and easily accessible. However, with 34.5 million tons of plastic generated each year, the adverse effects of plastic packaging far outweigh its uses, and it’s time…
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…
What is happening in Los Angeles is our future | Francine Prose
The news from California is clear, but we don’t want to see it. It’s too confounding, big, complex. But we can sense the dangerWhen I send anxious texts to friends in Los Angeles – friends who have been evacuated or who are waiting to leave , friends escaping a fire zone, wondering if their life’s work has been destroyed, worrying about the smoke’s effect on an…
‘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…
After US retreat, countries clash over who should make up Green Climate Fund shortfall
At the first board meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) since President Donald Trump cancelled $4 billion in US pledges to it, countries sparred this week over who should plug the gap. Board members representing Germany and Sweden encouraged governments outside the GCF’s existing contributor base – such as high-income developing nations – to open their wallets. But oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which would be included…
Models downplay wrath of what they sow
Models that analyze what is driving up the temperature all too often omit specific sources, or when included, models all too often downplay their contribution. Accordingly, policies that are promoted based on such models are all too often ineffective or even counter-productive. Methane is all too often referred to as ‘natural gas’ originating from wetlands, swamps, cows and pigs, as if calling methane ‘natural’ implied that human…
Did Curiosity Kill The Cat?
The title intrigued me – Did curiosity kill the cat or is it a vital skill to have in our ever-changing world? The first speaker, Dawn Austwick (Chief Executive, National Lottery Community Fund) delved into where the phrase came from, that plagued many of us as children when asking too many questions of parents and teachers. Dawn suggested that rather than being a vice, curiosity is the very…
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…
In a major reversal, the World Bank is backing mega dams
This story was originally published by Yale Environment 360. After a decade of declining to finance large hydroelectric dams, the World Bank is getting back into the business in a big way. Throughout the last half of the 20th century, the bank was the world’s leading supporter of big hydro. But over the last two decades, it followed a zigzag pattern as dam supporters and critics inside the institution took turns determining…
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…
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…
UK aid budget cuts threaten climate finance pledge to vulnerable nations, experts warn
The UK said it will cut its overseas aid budget in a new blow to vulnerable nations. The move will make it more difficult for the government to deliver on a promise to increase climate finance to developing countries, analysts have warned. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to slash the UK aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of national income in order to…
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…
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…
Climate ‘whiplash’ events increasing exponentially around world
Global heating means atmosphere can drive both extreme droughts and floods with rapid switchesClimate “whiplash” between extremely wet and dry conditions, which spurred catastrophic fires in Los Angeles, is increasing exponentially around the world because of global heating, analysis has found.Climate whiplash is a rapid swing between very wet or dry conditions and can cause far more harm to people than individual extreme events alone. In…
2024 Thought Leaders: Cuong Vo
What growth opportunities do you predict for your industry in 2025? As industries evolve, there will be a growing demand for effective and highly customisable automation solutions. Manufacturers will seek solutions tailored to their unique operational needs, allowing them to quickly adapt to changing consumer demands. This trend will drive modular automation solutions, where systems can easily be reconfigured or expanded. We are also seeing the…
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…
Venkat Srinivasan: ‘Batteries are largely bipartisan’
Which battery technologies are you focusing on at Argonne? We work on everything. We work on lead-acid batteries, a technology that’s 100 years old, because the research community is saying, “If only we could solve this problem with cycle life in lead-acid batteries, we could use them for energy storage to add resilience to the electrical grid.” That’s an attractive prospect because lead-acid batteries are extremely…
How Companies Can Plan to Mitigate Climate Risk
Climate change is considered the greatest single threat to humankind, and while individuals are working to minimize their carbon footprints, the overwhelming majority of climate change is caused by businesses. Through emissions, resource consumption, and waste, companies are responsible for over 80% of climate change. As the threats of climate change rapidly increase, companies in every sector and industry must take responsibility for their sustainability efforts…
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…
Constructive Hope and Human connections
Reflections after reading Sarah Milburn’s article on ‘Young People and Hope’ and Russell Brown’s article on LinkedIn – ‘Trust – building (and rebuilding)’. Although many young people think climate change is an important societal issue, studies indicate that pessimism, anxiety and fear is common. How do we communicate with young people around these issues? How do we find ways to instil hope? Will doom-and-gloom messages scare…
Ghana’s Declining Forest Reserves
Logging, farming, and fires have contributed to the loss and degradation of forest reserves in the West African country. Read More…
AGL acquires EV software platform
AGL has recently acquired Everty, an Australian-owned EV software platform that delivers comprehensive charging and energy management solutions for electric vehicles. The Everty platform connects to EV charging stations and will be available to commercial customers such as large property groups, fleet owners, public parking and landlords. It allows customers to monitor EV charging usage and maintenance, as well as to identify optimal load and lead…
Cloudy with a chance of warming: how physicists are studying the dynamical impact of clouds on climate change
For all of us concerned about climate change, 2023 was a grim year. According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), it was the warmest year documented so far, with records broken – and in some cases smashed – for ocean heat, sea-level rise, Antarctic sea-ice loss and glacier retreat. Capping off the warmest 10-year period on record, global average near-surface temperature hit 1.45 °C above pre-industrial…
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…
Free Emission Reduction Program
Emission Reduction ProgramTo facilitate the implementation of the policies and procedures by an organisation to reduce their emissions. To see the full program: click here (password required) As a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, businesses have a vital role to play in mitigating climate change. By developing a comprehensive emissions reduction program, companies can make a positive impact on the environment and help reduce their carbon…
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…
Science is not value free
An interesting commentary addressing a rather odd prior commentary makes some very correct points. Back a few months there was a poorly argued and rather confusing commenary by Ulf Büntgen (Buntgen, 2024) that started: I am concerned by climate scientists becoming climate activists, because scholars should not have a priori interests in the outcome of their studies. Likewise, I am worried about activists who pretend to…
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…
A man still holding a garden hose. A woman who stayed with her pets. Details emerge about the LA fire victims
Death toll rises to at least 24 as first identifications emerge of Los Angeles residents killed in firesCalifornians: have you been affected by the wildfires?At least 24 people have died in the wildfires surging across the Los Angeles area, the largest of which are burning about 25 miles west and north of downtown, plunging the second-largest city in the US into shock and fear.On Friday, officials…
Record-hot 2024 shows world must adapt to extremes, says EU climate service
Europe’s climate service said on Friday that 2024 was the hottest calendar year on record and the first in which average temperatures exceeded the key limit of 1.5C above pre-industrial times, raising the importance of efforts to protect people from dangerous impacts. The confirmation – widely trailed before the announcement – came as wildfires made worse by drought conditions rampaged across Los Angeles, causing at least…
Storing CO2 in construction materials
New research out of the University of California, Davis and Stanford University has found that storing carbon dioxide in building materials could hugely reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The study, conducted by civil engineers and earth systems scientists, has been published in the journal Science. “The potential is pretty large,” said Elisabeth Van Roijen, who led the study as a graduate student at UC Davis. Van…

- Sea Level Rise is not a joke.
USNEWS.COM
- Corte Internacional de Justicia impone responsabilidad jurídica a países que no tomen medidas para frenar el cambio climático 2025/08/24
https://ecosentido.wordpress.com/2025/08/24/corte-internacional-de-justicia-impone-responsabilidad-juridica-a-paises-que-no-tomen-medidas-para-frenar-el-cambio-climatico/ La Corte Internacional de Justicia emitió la Opinión Consultiva OC-32-2025, que reconoce el cambio climático como un riesgo […]
- Q&A: Tech Billionaires’ AI Space Empire Fantasies Are ‘An Insidious Form of Climate Denial’
“Science journalist Adam Becker speaks with DeSmog about how Silicon Valley tech billionaires have invented new forms of greenwashing and climate denial in their quest for ever-more fantastic technology. […]
- When Cities Burn: Could the Los Angeles fires happen here?
Excerpt: “In January 2025, in the middle of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, Los Angeles was overrun by a firestorm that killed 31 people, destroyed more than 16,000 structures, and left one of the world’s best-resourced firefighting teams overwhelmed. This prompted an immediate, and […]
- At least 11 dead as Europe bakes in unprecedented heatwave
Excerpt: “In short:London has recorded a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, breaking the record for the hottest day in May on record.Europe is sweltering through an unusually early heatwave that scientists say are becoming more frequent and occurring at abnormal times due […]
As Extreme Weather Intensifies, FEMA Needs Competent Leadership and Funding
On January 10, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their annual analysis finding that 2024 was the hottest year on record globally and that global average temperatures likely surpassed an increase of 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels. On the same day, NOAA released its US Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters analysis for 2024 and found that last year an estimated 568 people…
Cold extremes do in fact decrease under global warming
The title of this post might seem like a truism, but for about a decade some people have claimed the opposite, and many people have spent much time and effort trying to understand why. Much of that effort was wasted. A decade ago, Nature Geoscience published Cohen et al (2014), a review paper on potential connections between the Arctic warming and extreme events (which has been…
What is climate change? What Canadians need to know
You may have noticed that the weather where you live is getting warmer and wilder over time, and you may know this is a part of climate change. But after that, you’re a little unclear on the details. If you’re feeling guilty about not knowing everything there is to know, let’s get real. Sometimes the news about climate change seems overwhelming. Learning more about a problem…
Congestion Pricing in New York
Since January 5, 2025, vehicles are being tolled to enter the Congestion Relief Zone in Manhattan South, New York, under the Congestion Pricing Program of the City of New York.On February 19, 2025, the federal government, through the Department of Transportation, stated its disapproval of the program. A WhiteHouse social media post shows a TIME magazine-style cover featuring Trump wearing a crown with the text ‘Congestion pricing is…
Analysis: The Southern California wildfires bear the hallmarks of extreme heating; still, the climate crisis is barely mentioned
San Fernando, one of the affected areas pictured on the 7th of January 2025. Image credit: By P. Rivas – CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia. By Anders Lorenzen The Southern California wildfires, burning on their sixth day since emerging on the 7th of January and have devastated large parts of Greater Los Angeles (LA), are set to be the state’s largest and most extreme weather event…
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…
Cairo’s Colorful Nightscape
The older and newer cities of the Greater Cairo region look very different at night when viewed from above. Read More…
Imaging reveals how microplastics may harm the brain
Pollution from microplastics – small plastic particles less than 5 mm in size – poses an ongoing threat to human health. Independent studies have found microplastics in human tissues and within the bloodstream. And as blood circulates throughout the body and through vital organs, these microplastics reach can critical regions and lead to tissue dysfunction and disease. Microplastics can also cause functional irregularities in the brain,…
Global warming to blame for low temperatures in North America
A temperature of -40°C (-39.9°F) was recorded at the circle on February 19, 2025 14:00 UTC, as illustrated by the above image.What made this possible? Temperature anomalies were very high in January 2025 in the Arctic, as illustrated by the image on the right. Arctic sea ice extent is currently at a record low for the time of year. Temperatures of the water in the Arctic Ocean…
Double Blue Ocean Event 2025?
A double Blue Ocean Event could occur in 2025. Both Antarctic sea ice and Arctic sea ice could virtually disappear in 2025. A Blue Ocean Event (BOE) occurs when sea ice extent falls to 1 million km² or less, which could occur early 2025 for Antarctic sea ice and in Summer 2025 in the Northern Hemisphere for Arctic sea ice. Arctic sea ice volume In September…
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…
Should people be told?
The image below, made with a screenshot from Berkeley Earth, shows an annual average temperature rise of 3°C or more in 2050 in China for each of the three scenarios looked at. China is important, it has a large well-educated population and a large part of global emissions is released in China. Some countries face even more dire prospects. Have people been told how dire the…
I’m a climate scientist and my house in LA burned down. My work has never been more real
I feel like I am safe in saying that we are not thriving on our changing planet – and we will not in the coming decadesMy house in Altadena burned down in the wildfires on Wednesday. It all happened quickly. On Tuesday around 7pm, my wife and daughters went to a hotel as a precaution. I left the house with the dogs when the mandatory evacuation…
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…
Carbon dioxide reaches record high
The daily average carbon dioxide (CO₂) at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, was 428.60 parts per million (ppm) on February 6, 2025, the highest daily average on record. The previous record high was 428.59 ppm on April 26, 2024. To find higher levels, one needs to go back millions of years (see inset). CO₂ typically reaches its annual maximum in May, so even higher levels can be expected…
LA fires show human cost of climate-driven ‘whiplash’ between wet and dry extremes
Doug Specht is a reader in cultural geography and communication at the University of Westminster. October to April is normally considered to be the wet season in California, yet this January, the region is experiencing some of the most devastating fires it’s ever seen. As of January 14, five major fires in and around Los Angeles have burned over 40,000 acres, leading to the evacuation of…
Breaking: Shell backs down in its lawsuit against Greenpeace
Just over a year ago, Shell sued Greenpeace UK, Greenpeace International and nine individuals for millions over a completely peaceful protest. We showed them their bully tactics won’t intimidate us – and now they’ve backed down and settled out of court. And we’ve made sure not a penny of our supporters’ money will go to Shell. Here’s what you need to know. Why did Shell sue Greenpeace? Last…
How to win Trump’s Trade War: Build a greener, more resilient future
Donald Trump’s trade war is on hold – for now. It’s not a fight we wanted or sought out, but given Trump’s desire to bludgeon us into becoming the 51st state we need to be prepared. There is a way that we can come out of this stronger. In moments of disruption, great things can happen. We need to demand a response that takes care of…
Funding boost to cut cotton industry’s emissions
A project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cotton production systems has received $1,985,000 from the federal government’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Program Partnerships and Innovation Grants Round, and $800,000 from the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC). Called ‘Climate Smart Cotton — reducing nitrous oxide emissions with enhanced efficiency fertilisers’, the project hopes to help Australia to become the preferred international supplier of low-emissions fibre. The primary…
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…
New sustainability expo to help Australia transition to net zero
A newly launched sustainability trade show and multi-stream conference, named NET ZERO EXPO, has been designed to showcase tools and solutions for businesses, councils, property developers and households to cut emissions, reduce energy costs, prepare climate reports and meet evolving customer expectations. The event will run twice in Australia in 2025: first in Sydney on 27–28 August, then in Melbourne on 16–17 September. “We want the…
Sea ice loss
Global sea ice area was 13.00 million km² on February 9, 2025, a deviation (1981-2000 base) of -5.75 σ and the lowest area on record, as illustrated by the image below, adapted from seaice.visuals.earth.What is the difference between sea ice area and extent? Extent is the total region with at least 15% sea ice cover. Extent can include holes or cracks in the sea ice and…
Oxfam: Super-rich have already burned more than their fair share of carbon for 2025
The world’s richest people are likely to have already used their fair share of the annual global carbon budget, according to research by international NGO Oxfam. Based on data from 2019, the anti-poverty charity has estimated that the 77 million “super-rich” people in the global top 1% of earners – whose average income is $310,000 per year – use 2.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide each in…
How the climate crisis fuels devastating wildfires: ‘We have tweaked nature and pissed it off’
John Vaillant, the author of Fire Weather, explains why fires such as those in Los Angeles are different from those beforeWhen writing about the hot, dry Santa Ana winds and how they affect the behavior and imaginations of southern Californians, Joan Didion once said: “The winds show us how close to the edge we are.”I’ve lived here my entire life. I evacuated my family’s hillside home…
GHG Accounting Made Easy
Accurately measure and record a company’s carbon footprint This will assist in measuring the emissions of an organisation using internationally recognised GHG Accounting Standards To see the full program: click here (password required) These tutorials and resources are provided to enable organisations to conduct a GHG emission survey and carbon footprint calculation. It can be done by the company’s own staff without the delay involved in engaging…
Can a different approach to risk accelerate the energy transition in the Global South?
Neshwin Rodrigues and Duttatreya Das are energy analysts at Ember High cost of capital is a major barrier to the rollout of renewable energy across the Global South. The Alliance of Small Island States has highlighted this repeatedly, and last year the International Energy Agency (IEA) concluded that across a range of developing and emerging economies, raising capital to build utility-scale solar projects costs twice as…
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;…
A man still holding a garden hose. A woman who stayed with her pets. Details emerge about the LA fire victims
Death toll rises to at least 24 as first identifications emerge of Los Angeles residents killed in firesCalifornians: have you been affected by the wildfires?At least 24 people have died in the wildfires surging across the Los Angeles area, the largest of which are burning about 25 miles west and north of downtown, plunging the second-largest city in the US into shock and fear.On Friday, officials…
Do fossil fuels cause climate change?
We’ve all been there. You’re talking to someone who says that fossil fuels aren’t causing climate change. Or that climate change is happening naturally, and not because of anything that humans do. Maybe you know these things aren’t right, but you don’t speak up. You’re worried that you don’t know enough. If you’d like to have more confident conversations about how fossil fuels drive climate change,…
Ethical oil startup wins $100K prize
An ethical oil startup has taken out KPMG’s $100,000 Nature Positive Prize — part of an annual Challenge run by KPMG to boost inventive environmental problem-solving. The successful startup, NSW-based Levur, is dedicated to finding innovative ways to replace unsustainable animal and plant oils for a variety of consumer products. The company was formed in reaction to the devastation wrought by the palm oil industry on…
Friday 29
<
Aust breakthrough could transform solar PV
UNSW Sydney researchers have made an important breakthrough that could transform photovoltaic technology, making solar cells more environmentally friendly, cost-effective and efficient. The scientists, from UNSW’s School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, managed to achieve a best-ever efficiency of 13.2% for high bandgap kesterite solar cells. While kesterite is a naturally occurring mineral, it can also be artificially created at low cost by combining copper,…
Nickel mining for electric vehicles is destroying lives in Indonesia
Perrine Fournier is a trade and forests campaigner at the forests and rights NGO Fern The view from the highest vantage point in Kabaena island is awe-inspiring. Mountain peaks coated with thin clouds rise over a thick blanket of vegetation. But the natural beauty of this tropical island in Indonesia’s Southeast Sulawesi province, belies the human and environmental damage that’s unfolding below – and which is…
Ghana’s Declining Forest Reserves
Logging, farming, and fires have contributed to the loss and degradation of forest reserves in the West African country. Read More…
Cataclysmic Alignment threatens Climate Catastrophe
Sunspots In a cataclysmic alignment, the next El Niño threatens to develop while sunspots are higher than expected. Sunspots are expected to reach a peak in the current cycle in July 2025.The image below (top part), adapted from NOAA, shows the observed values for the number of sunspots for cycle 25, through August 2024, as well as the values predicted by NOAA (red line). [ click…
After Baku setback, activists call for ‘just transition’ to be front and centre at COP30
Trade unionists and campaigners seeking a fair deal for workers whose jobs will be affected by the transition away from planet-heating fossil fuels are placing their hopes in next year’s UN climate summit in Brazil following a disappointing outcome at COP29 in Azerbaijan. From coal mines and oil refineries to car factories and construction, the global shift to cleaner sources of energy will alter the nature…
What Trump’s second term means for climate action in the US and beyond
With Donald Trump, a notorious climate change sceptic, poised to enter the White House for a second term, the climate world – from officials to campaigners and business executives – is bracing for the impact of his presidency. Trump, a Republican business mogul who has called climate change a “scam”, has made no secret about his intentions. From plans to withdraw the US from the Paris…
Storing CO2 in construction materials
New research out of the University of California, Davis and Stanford University has found that storing carbon dioxide in building materials could hugely reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The study, conducted by civil engineers and earth systems scientists, has been published in the journal Science. “The potential is pretty large,” said Elisabeth Van Roijen, who led the study as a graduate student at UC Davis. Van…
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…
Another Puff from Whakaari
The perpetually restless and occasionally explosive volcano in New Zealand has been emitting steam, volcanic gases, and a bit of ash. Read More…
Sustainable organic batteries for future energy storage
A team of scientists at UNSW Chemistry has developed an organic material that is able to store protons, which is being used to create a rechargeable proton battery in the lab. By using hydrogen ions (protons) instead of traditional lithium, the batteries hold promise for addressing some of the critical challenges in modern energy storage, including resource scarcity, environmental impact, safety and cost. The team’s latest findings, published…
CEFC invests $100 million in affordable, greener housing
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has invested $100 million in a new affordable build-to-rent (BTR) strategy managed by AXA IM Alts, which aims to bring the benefits of clean energy technologies to sustainable, affordable homes across Australia’s largest cities. In its initial stages, the strategy is targeting as many as 3000 apartments in key worker employment hubs, with at least 50% offered at a discounted rate…
Analysis: Biden’s climate legacy
The policy framework, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), was engineered and passed through Congress by the Biden Administration with cross-party support. It has been hailed as the biggest and most significant policy framework ever approved in the US political system. As a result, when looking at outgoing President Biden’s climate legacy, this policy alone means that the 46th president’s overall score is high. But the test…
How Shell greenwashed gas with sham Chinese carbon credits
Since 2022, Shell has sold more than 20 cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as “carbon neutral” under a new industry-led standard. Climate Home News and Dialogue Earth can now reveal that this scheme has relied in part on “phantom” carbon credits that failed to cut emissions as claimed. The energy giant shipped the fossil fuel to buyers in East Asia and beyond, some of whom…
Zimbabwe plans to expand coal use to address drought-induced blackouts
Zimbabwe is planning to ramp up its use of coal and gas to meet its energy needs after the worst drought in decades dried out the water supply to the hydropower plant, which powers the country. As a result, the Southern African nation is failing to meet its power demand, the government wrote in a new climate plan to cut emissions by 2035 submitted to the…
Repression of climate and environmental protest is intensifying across the world
Oscar Berglund is a senior lecturer in international public and social policy at the University of Bristol and Tie Franco Brotto is a PhD candidate at the University of Bristol’s School for Policy Studies. Climate and environmental protest is being criminalised and repressed around the world. The criminalisation of such protest has received a lot of attention in certain countries, including the UK and Australia. But…
Vertical axis wind turbine design set to reduce operating costs
A pioneer wind turbine tower design is set to be put on trial south of Adelaide in a novel research collaboration between Flinders University and startup company VAWT-X Energy. Supported by state and federal funding, the research team constructed and tested a 6 KW vertical wind turbine prototype to install at a field site on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The low-maintenance two-bladed helical vertical axis wind turbine design comprises a rotor with…
After US retreat, countries clash over who should make up Green Climate Fund shortfall
At the first board meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) since President Donald Trump cancelled $4 billion in US pledges to it, countries sparred this week over who should plug the gap. Board members representing Germany and Sweden encouraged governments outside the GCF’s existing contributor base – such as high-income developing nations – to open their wallets. But oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which would be included…
Well done humans!!!!
Congratulations humanity! For the first time in recorded history we have breached 2C above preindustrial levels! (Glacecakes Tumblr)
Boxing Out the Competition: How Green Packaging Helps Businesses
As more and more consumers are pushing businesses to become environmentally sustainable, many are looking at packaging as a way to reduce waste and emissions. Plastic packaging has been the norm for many decades due to it being inexpensive, hygienic, and easily accessible. However, with 34.5 million tons of plastic generated each year, the adverse effects of plastic packaging far outweigh its uses, and it’s time…

- Columbia Climate School Welcomes Inaugural Cohort of Climate, Earth and Society Distinguished Fellows
The new initiative is bringing five renowned experts and changemakers to campus this year. Their work spans climate science, public service, finance, entrepreneurship and the arts.
- Climate School Students Analyze Extreme Heat Risk and Mitigation Efforts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
A Columbia Climate School student team examined extreme heat, poor air quality and emergency management at MetLife Stadium during the FIFA World Cup in New York/New Jersey.
- You Asked: Is There a Community Prepared To Withstand a Wildfire?
A Palisades resident lost her home. Now she wants to know what model she and her neighbors should follow as they rebuild to be more climate resilient.
- Columbia Climate School Welcomes Environmental Social Scientist Garrett Albistegui Adler
Albistegui Adler is an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist whose research examines the political and social impacts of climate change and climate variability.
- When Knowledge Travels: Translating Climate Awareness Into Action
A global partnership between the Columbia Climate School and UNICEF leaders is building climate knowledge and capacity to protect more than a billion children worldwide.
- How Ethiopia Can Make COP32 the Summit That Actually Delivers
Lisa Sachs believes Ethiopia and the African Union can make the 2027 COP more effective by focusing on scalable plans for energy systems, finance reform, food security and nature restoration.
I’m a climate scientist and my house in LA burned down. My work has never been more real
I feel like I am safe in saying that we are not thriving on our changing planet – and we will not in the coming decadesMy house in Altadena burned down in the wildfires on Wednesday. It all happened quickly. On Tuesday around 7pm, my wife and daughters went to a hotel as a precaution. I left the house with the dogs when the mandatory evacuation…
Rheo-electric measurements to predict battery performance from slurry processing
The market for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is expected to grow ~30x to almost 9 TWh produced annually in 2040 driven by demand from electric vehicles and grid scale storage. Production of these batteries requires high-yield coating processes using slurries of active material, conductive carbon, and polymer binder applied to metal foil current collectors. To better understand the connections between slurry formulation, coating conditions, and composite electrode…
Breaking: Shell backs down in its lawsuit against Greenpeace
Just over a year ago, Shell sued Greenpeace UK, Greenpeace International and nine individuals for millions over a completely peaceful protest. We showed them their bully tactics won’t intimidate us – and now they’ve backed down and settled out of court. And we’ve made sure not a penny of our supporters’ money will go to Shell. Here’s what you need to know. Why did Shell sue Greenpeace? Last…
Heat flux forecast to enter Arctic early February 2025
[ high temperatures forecast over the North Pole, click on images to enlarge ] The above image shows a temperature forecast for February 2, 2025 18z, run January 30, 2025 12Z. The green color indicates temperatures above freezing point. The image below shows the temperature anomaly compared to 1979-2000, with the light pink color over the Arctic indicating a 30°C anomaly. [ temperature anomaly vs 1979-2000,…
Pele’s hair-raising physics: glassy gifts from a volcano goddess
A sensible crew cut, a chic bob, an outrageous mullet. You can infer a lot about a person by how they choose to style their hair. But it might surprise you to know that it is possible to learn more about some objects in the natural world from their “hair” – be it the “quantum hair” that can reveal the deepest darkest secrets of what happens…
What Trump’s second term means for climate action in the US and beyond
With Donald Trump, a notorious climate change sceptic, poised to enter the White House for a second term, the climate world – from officials to campaigners and business executives – is bracing for the impact of his presidency. Trump, a Republican business mogul who has called climate change a “scam”, has made no secret about his intentions. From plans to withdraw the US from the Paris…
Friday 29
<
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…
Operando NMR methods for redox flow batteries and ammonia synthesis
Magnetic resonance methods, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), are non-invasive, atom-specific, quantitative, and capable of probing liquid and solid-state samples. These features make magnetic resonance ideal tools for operando measurement of an electrochemical device, and for establishing structure-function relationships under realistic condition. The first part of the talk presents how coupled inline NMR and EPR methods were developed and applied to…
What are Verified Carbon Removal Projects?
UN endorsed projects that slow down the rate of global warmingBuying time for the world to make the transition to low-emission economies. Projects have different standards, such as Verra and Gold Standard, and are subject to a rigorous certification and verification process, and must submit regular updates and reports. To be certified, projects must have verifiable attributes. AdditionalityThe project is justified and the the carbon emission…
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…
Record-hot 2024 shows world must adapt to extremes, says EU climate service
Europe’s climate service said on Friday that 2024 was the hottest calendar year on record and the first in which average temperatures exceeded the key limit of 1.5C above pre-industrial times, raising the importance of efforts to protect people from dangerous impacts. The confirmation – widely trailed before the announcement – came as wildfires made worse by drought conditions rampaged across Los Angeles, causing at least…
How Shell greenwashed gas with sham Chinese carbon credits
Since 2022, Shell has sold more than 20 cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as “carbon neutral” under a new industry-led standard. Climate Home News and Dialogue Earth can now reveal that this scheme has relied in part on “phantom” carbon credits that failed to cut emissions as claimed. The energy giant shipped the fossil fuel to buyers in East Asia and beyond, some of whom…
President Biden sets US emissions goal for 2035 in the shadow of Trump
President Joe Biden has announced a US target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 61-66% below 2005 levels by 2035, with White House officials saying the new goal can be achieved even if climate-change sceptic Donald Trump tries to roll back the country’s climate-action agenda. With just a month to go until President-elect Trump takes office, the outgoing administration called its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)…
Paris Agreement thresholds crossed
High temperatures persist The image below, created with NASA data while using a 1903-1924 custom base, illustrates that the temperature anomaly through July 2024 has been more than 1.5°C above this base for each of the past consecutive 13 months, and even more when compared to a pre-industrial base. The red line shows the trend (one-year Lowess Smoothing) associated with the rapid recent rise. On August 19, 2024,…
Thickest sea ice breaking away from Greenland
Large pieces of sea ice are breaking away from the northern tip of Greenland, to be carried by ocean currents to the Fram Strait east of Greenland. On their way they will melt away, illustrating how ocean heat can make even the thickest parts of the sea ice disappear in a matter of days. The thick sea ice north of Greenland is breaking away due to…
2024: The Hottest Year on Record as Los Angeles Burns
The year 2024 has officially been declared the warmest year globally, with average temperatures surpassing 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. This historic announcement was made by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union’s Earth observation program, on Friday. The declaration comes amid raging wildfires in Los Angeles, California—an escalating disaster exacerbated by climate change. The unprecedented heat of 2024 was largely driven…
High temperatures despite La Niña?
[ click on images to enlarge ]Temperatures remain extremely high, even though La Niña conditions may already be present, as illustrated by the above image, showing sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) versus 1981-2011. The image on the right shows the Northern Hemisphere (-90°,90°) with SSTA as high as 24.8°F (13.8°C) in Hudson Bay (green circle) on Sep. 22, 2024. There are only very few cold spots,…
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…
Global North countries must step up on protecting their own forests
Sikeade Egbuwalo is the biodiversity lead at Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Environment. Here in Nigeria, we are suffering badly from forest loss and degradation. We are losing our unique wild animals and plants and suffering from encroaching deserts, failing rainy seasons, declining wetlands and diminishing food supplies. Our Indigenous communities are struggling to survive on the land where they have sustainably lived for millennia. To tackle…
Sustainability spotlight: PFAS unveiled
So-called “forever chemicals”, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are widely used in consumer, commercial and industrial products, and have subsequently made their way into humans, animals, water, air and soil. Despite this ubiquity, there are still many unknowns regarding the potential human health and environmental risks that PFAS pose. Join us for an in-depth exploration of PFAS with four leading experts who will shed light…
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…
Victorian utility recognised at Asian Water Awards
Following its win in October at the Australian Water Association (AWA) Victorian Water Awards, Victorian utility South East Water has netted two more awards at this year’s Asian Water Awards, held in late 2024. The utility’s Hydrotrak Geofencing technology received the Water Technology Excellence (Research and Development) – Australia award, as well as the Water Technology Excellence (Water Resource Management) – Australia award, at the Asian Water Awards. Developed by…
Stepping up to mandatory Scope 3 emissions reporting: a smooth transition
As Australia ushers in a new era of climate-related financial disclosure, many organisations are gearing up for a significant shift in their reporting practices. Since 1 January 2025, the disclosure of Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions transitioned from voluntary to mandatory, marking a crucial step in the country’s commitment to addressing climate change. Scope 3 emissions, which encompass indirect GHG emissions occurring in an entity’s…
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…
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…
Shrimp Farms of the Guayas Estuary
Large numbers of rectangular holding ponds lie amid mangrove forests in southern Ecuador. 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…
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…
Cairo’s Colorful Nightscape
The older and newer cities of the Greater Cairo region look very different at night when viewed from above. Read More…
Circular Economy: The Best Business Model
In my 20 years of work experience, I have never felt so passionate and committed to promoting sustainable development. I started my professional career under the premise of making things more sustainable and more profitable. As a businessman, this business model has allowed me to understand that doing the right thing generates even more profitability for a company. And as a citizen, contributing to the benefit…
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…
Nickel mining for electric vehicles is destroying lives in Indonesia
Perrine Fournier is a trade and forests campaigner at the forests and rights NGO Fern The view from the highest vantage point in Kabaena island is awe-inspiring. Mountain peaks coated with thin clouds rise over a thick blanket of vegetation. But the natural beauty of this tropical island in Indonesia’s Southeast Sulawesi province, belies the human and environmental damage that’s unfolding below – and which is…
Go Carbon Neutral with the Climate Change Institute
Our mission is to: Provide Free Resources for Individuals and Organizations to Measure and Lower their Emissions Give Access to Most Cost-Effective Carbon Offset Projects to go Carbon Neutral Now Offset By Tonne Household Offsets Subscriptions Vehicle Offsets Home/Office Flight Offsets Measure your Carbon Footprint Measure your emissions with the Free Carbon Calculator and take the first step to becoming carbon neutral.Learn More You can also…
Still We Rise: A Reflection on Resistance, Racism, and the Politics of “Woke”
There are moments in history when we are called to pause, to reflect, and to ask ourselves: What does it mean to resist? What does it mean to rise? Maya Angelou’s poem Still I Rise has long been a source of inspiration for those of us who refuse to be broken by oppression. It is more than just a poem—it is a declaration, a shield, and…
LA braces for more fire evacuations as experts warn of new ‘dangerous weather situation’
Region faces ‘extreme fire risk’ warnings and ‘significant risk of rapid fire spread’ as official death toll expected to riseAs forecasters warn of another “particularly dangerous weather situation” across northern Los Angeles, residents braced for new wildfire evacuation orders, even as the official death toll from last week’s fires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades was expected to rise.Los Angeles, and parts of Ventura county to…
Extreme weather ran amok in 2024, report
A report produced by World Weather Attribution (WWA) and Climate Central finds that 2024 was quite a year for extreme weather events fuelled by climate change. Several trends manifested and strengthened throughout the year, with extreme weather dominating from the beginning to the end, which scientists say is the warmest ever recorded. The impacts are pretty staggering, with the analysis finding that the climate crisis contributed…
August Puzzler
Update on August 23, 2024: This Landsat 8 image shows several golf courses north of Chicago. Congratulations to Jeff Pettett for being the first reader to identify the location and spot the golf courses. Read more about the area in “Golfing in Illinois.” Every month on Earth Matters, we offer a puzzling satellite image. The August 2024 puzzler is shown above. Your challenge is to use the comments…
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…
Reclaiming Wokeness and Wokeism: Confronting Political Attacks on Justice and Equity in Canada
In Canada, we are witnessing the deliberate weaponization of the term “woke” by political figures like Pierre Poilievre and other right-wing leaders, who use it as a blanket label to dismiss calls for justice, equity, and truth. What began as a term rooted in activism—particularly within Black and Indigenous communities—has been distorted into a derogatory buzzword, often used to discredit legitimate movements for social change. A…
Global warming to blame for low temperatures in North America
A temperature of -40°C (-39.9°F) was recorded at the circle on February 19, 2025 14:00 UTC, as illustrated by the above image.What made this possible? Temperature anomalies were very high in January 2025 in the Arctic, as illustrated by the image on the right. Arctic sea ice extent is currently at a record low for the time of year. Temperatures of the water in the Arctic Ocean…
‘A break from the heat’: Americans most affected by climate crisis head midwest
Unbearable heat and worsening storms prompt residents of states such as Florida to move elsewhereAs a Rust belt town of 65,000 people in eastern Indiana, Muncie may not be the most exciting place in the world. It doesn’t have beaches, year-round warm weather or much in the way of cosmopolitanism.But for Laura Rivas, a cybersecurity engineer formerly of North Miami Beach, Florida, Muncie is perfect. Continue…
AI-controlled apes with apps at seconds to Midnight
by Andrew Glikson What further evidence do the inhabitants of planet Earth need to have to convince them the liveable climate, the lungs of the Earth, is sharply deteriorating, species are dying, the mere failure of a computer chip or of a human neuron are capable of terminating civilization, that the powers that be are leading to one of the greatest mass extinction in the history…
What is climate change? What Canadians need to know
You may have noticed that the weather where you live is getting warmer and wilder over time, and you may know this is a part of climate change. But after that, you’re a little unclear on the details. If you’re feeling guilty about not knowing everything there is to know, let’s get real. Sometimes the news about climate change seems overwhelming. Learning more about a problem…
Congestion Pricing in New York
Since January 5, 2025, vehicles are being tolled to enter the Congestion Relief Zone in Manhattan South, New York, under the Congestion Pricing Program of the City of New York.On February 19, 2025, the federal government, through the Department of Transportation, stated its disapproval of the program. A WhiteHouse social media post shows a TIME magazine-style cover featuring Trump wearing a crown with the text ‘Congestion pricing is…
Boxing Out the Competition: How Green Packaging Helps Businesses
As more and more consumers are pushing businesses to become environmentally sustainable, many are looking at packaging as a way to reduce waste and emissions. Plastic packaging has been the norm for many decades due to it being inexpensive, hygienic, and easily accessible. However, with 34.5 million tons of plastic generated each year, the adverse effects of plastic packaging far outweigh its uses, and it’s time…
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…
LA fires show human cost of climate-driven ‘whiplash’ between wet and dry extremes
Doug Specht is a reader in cultural geography and communication at the University of Westminster. October to April is normally considered to be the wet season in California, yet this January, the region is experiencing some of the most devastating fires it’s ever seen. As of January 14, five major fires in and around Los Angeles have burned over 40,000 acres, leading to the evacuation of…
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…
UK aid budget cuts threaten climate finance pledge to vulnerable nations, experts warn
The UK said it will cut its overseas aid budget in a new blow to vulnerable nations. The move will make it more difficult for the government to deliver on a promise to increase climate finance to developing countries, analysts have warned. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to slash the UK aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of national income in order to…

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. 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. Efforts to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases include:
- 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.
- 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.














