Ukraine invasion: European Union plans new energy strategy

About 40 per cent of Europe’s gas comes from Russia, but the European Union is expected to release a new energy strategy to reduce its reliance on Russian imports Technology 28 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline EyePress News/Shutterstock The European Union is expected to unveil a new energy strategy … Read more

Photosynthesis: Global rate is increasing due to rising CO2 levels

An analysis of plants at 68 sites around the world finds evidence that rates of photosynthesis have risen since the year 2000 Environment 28 February 2022 By Chen Ly Photosynthetic rates have risen in recent years Ryhor Bruyeu/Alamy Stock Photo Since the early 2000s, the growing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has led … Read more

Rising seas could submerge Rio and Jakarta by 2100 – what can we do?

Smart engineering solutions such as “sand motors” and artificial reefs will defend our coasts for a while. But in many places, conversations are already turning to a managed retreat inland Environment 23 February 2022 By Simon Usborne Shutterstock/Chxli A MINATH SHAUNA grew up on the Addu Atoll, a small group of islands in the Maldives … Read more

Climate change: UK advisers urge tighter curbs on new oil and gas projects

It is naive and wrong to think increasing domestic oil and gas production is the answer to the UK energy crisis, says Chris Stark of the Climate Change Committee Environment 24 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan Oil rigs at Cromarty Firth in Invergordon, UK James Jones Jr/Shutterstock Ending new UK oil and gas production is … Read more

After deadly floods, can Germany adapt to its climate future?

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change prepares to release a major report on adapting to climate change, Adam Vaughan visits the site of 2021’s deadly floods in Ahr, Germany, to discover how locals are rebuilding Environment 23 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan A message for volunteers in Rech near the Ahr river, Germany David … Read more

Mike Cannon-Brookes: Can a tech billionaire squash Australia’s coal industry by buying it?

Frustrated with the Australian government’s inaction on climate change, software king Mike Cannon-Brookes is trying to buy several big coal plants so he can shut them down in favour of renewables Environment | Analysis 22 February 2022 By Alice Klein Open-cast coal mining in Hunter Valley, Australia PETER HARRISON/Getty Images Mike Cannon-Brookes, the third-richest person … Read more

Climate change: Most schemes to capture and reuse carbon actually increase emissions

Carbon capture and utilisation technologies, which aim to pull carbon dioxide from the air and use it for emissions-lowering processes, emit more carbon than they remove Environment 18 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins A carbon capture facility at the Hawiyah Natural Gas Liquids Recovery Plant in Saudi Arabia Maya Siddiqui/Bloomberg via Getty Images Most carbon … Read more

Most carbon capture technologies create more emissions than they save

Carbon capture and utilisation technologies, which aim to pull carbon dioxide from the air and use it for emissions-lowering processes, emit more carbon than they remove Environment 18 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins A carbon capture facility at the Hawiyah Natural Gas Liquids Recovery Plant in Saudi Arabia Maya Siddiqui/Bloomberg via Getty Images Most carbon … Read more

Oil giants accused of greenwashing for failure over energy transition

An analysis of BP, Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil finds a mismatch between their rhetoric on low-carbon energy and their actions and spending Environment 16 February 2022 By Adam Vaughan Oil rigs at Cromarty Firth in Invergordon, UK Shutterstock / James Jones Jr Four of the world’s biggest oil companies have been accused of greenwashing for … Read more

Flower growth in Antarctica is accelerating due to warming climate

There are only two flowering plants native to Antarctica and both have seen an explosion in their numbers in the decade from 2009 to 2019 Environment 14 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins Deschampsia antarctica is one of two flowering plants native to Antarctica Nature/Getty Images Plants in Antarctica are growing more quickly due to climate … Read more