Humanity Just Produced The Biggest Increase in Global CO2 Emissions Ever Recorded

Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose by 6 percent in 2021 to a record 36.3 billion metric tons, their highest ever level, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.   “The increase in global CO2 emissions of over 2 billion metric tons was the largest in history in absolute terms, more than offsetting the previous year’s … Read more

Amazon Rainforest Nearing Tipping Point Faster Than Predicted, Scientists Warn

Hammered by climate change and relentless deforestation, the Amazon rainforest is losing its capacity to recover and could irretrievably transition into savannah, with dire consequences for the region and the world, according to a study published Monday.   Researchers warned that the results mean the Amazon could be approaching a so-called “tipping point” faster than … Read more

New ways to suck up methane can buy us vital time in the climate fight

Remove a billion tonnes of methane from the air and we could cool Earth by 0.2°C, extending the window of opportunity to remove carbon dioxide before it is too late Technology 2 March 2022 By Katharine Sanderson Graham Carter The warming of our planet is usually blamed on carbon dioxide, but there is another major … 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

Newly Invented Catalyst Dramatically Increases The Efficiency of Turning CO2 Into Fuel

It took nature decades of photosynthesis, followed by eons of intense heat and pressure from geological activity to bake atmospheric carbon dioxide into the long chains of hydrocarbon that make up fossil fuels.   We don’t have the luxury of millions of years to mop up the excess carbon from our atmosphere, but advances in … Read more

Ventilation in schools: Teachers are unsure of the best way to open windows in cold weather

As school absences soar in England because of covid-19 – and classroom mask-wearing guidelines are lifted – many teachers aren’t sure how best to improve ventilation amid winter temperatures Health | Analysis 26 January 2022 By Jason Arunn Murugesu A primary school in England Chris Bull / Alamy S More than 350,000 carbon dioxide monitors … Read more

UK Net Zero Strategy: Government still won’t say how much CO2 its plan will save

For the third time, the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has refused a request to release key details about its Net Zero Strategy Environment 21 January 2022 By Adam Vaughan Climate protesters in Glasgow, UK, in November 2021 Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images The UK government has declined for a third time to … Read more

Even Drastic CO2 Cuts Won’t Bring Back The Climate We’ve Lost

We’re so far down the road of climate change, that even making drastic cuts to atmospheric carbon dioxide levels won’t be enough for the world’s weather systems to fall back into their previous patterns, according to a new study.   But the research also suggests we still can have a huge impact on how severe … Read more

Methane is much worse than CO2 – here’s what we should do about it

Methane is an underappreciated but potent greenhouse gas. How we deal with it will have a massive impact on averting the worst consequences of climate change Environment 1 December 2021 By Graham Lawton The biggest source of methane is agriculture, mainly from livestock Jo-Anne McArthur on Unsplash After a year of weather extremes, there can … Read more

Moving CO2 from Air to Oceans May Be Necessary to Slow Warming

Climbing concentrations of carbon dioxide make it likely that humans will have to move some gases from the atmosphere into the oceans to prevent crippling effects of climate change, the National Academies said in a major report released yesterday. It came after months of deliberation among top U.S. scientists who concluded that global efforts to … Read more