climate change

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>

Scientists Followed 20 Polar Bears. Their Findings Are Grim

The creatures are starving as climate change causes ice melt and they can't access main prey

(Newser) - Imagine being a nursing mom who can't produce milk because you're starving, or trying to swim more than 100 miles after not eating for days. Those are just a couple of the scenarios Time notes are now plaguing polar bears in the Arctic as sea ice continues to...

Greenland Is Getting Taller
Greenland Is Getting Taller
NEW STUDY
Feb 11, 2024 2:45 PM CST

Greenland Is Getting Taller

Melting ice is a big factor, study says

(Newser) - As the world's ice sheets melt, Greenland is getting taller in a process known as glacial isostatic rebound. Live Science describes this gradual rise of the country's landmass as something like a "decompressing mattress." While the weight of the ice sheet lessens over time (much like...

Climate Scientist: Defamation Verdict Is a 'Victory for Science'

Conservative writers compared Michael Mann to child molester Jerry Sandusky

(Newser) - Climate scientist Michael Mann has scored a big win against two conservative writers who compared him to child molester Jerry Sandusky. A jury in Washington, DC, awarded him more than $1 million Thursday in his defamation lawsuit against blogger Rand Simberg and National Review contributor Mark Steyn, the New York ...

In Latest Climate Report, a 'Warning to Humanity'

Earth hit threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius over an entire year, with hottest January on record

(Newser) - World leaders walked away from the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference with the aim to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. We've now hit that threshold over a yearlong period, European climate monitors announced Thursday. February...

Category 6 Hurricanes? Scientists Suggest It's Time

'Climate change is making the worst storms worse,' says study author

(Newser) - A handful of super powerful tropical storms in the last decade and the prospect of more to come has a couple of experts proposing a new category of whopper hurricanes: Category 6. Studies have shown that the strongest tropical storms are getting more intense. Thus, the five-category Saffir-Simpson scale, developed...

Scientists Envision a Massive Space Umbrella

Idea is to protect us from the sun's solar radiation

(Newser) - Sometimes, proposals to keep the Earth cool are too complicated for non-scientists to understand. And sometimes, they're like this one: "the equivalent of a giant beach umbrella, floating in outer space." That's from the New York Times in its coverage of a proposal being floated by...

Alaska Has a Rock Shortage
Alaska Has a
Rock Shortage
Feb 4, 2024 6:50 AM CST

Alaska Has a Rock Shortage

Infrastructure projects are on hold in its northern reaches as the state struggles to find gravel

(Newser) - Alaska has a gravel problem, and it's affecting development in a region that needs it most. Per High Country News , long-term infrastructure projects in remote North Slope, the northernmost borough along the Arctic Ocean, are experiencing delays as the state struggles to find usable rock in the area. "...

John Podesta to Take Over Climate Role

To avoid a confirmation fight, the title 'special envoy' will leave with Kerry

(Newser) - White House senior adviser John Podesta will add climate policy to his job responsibilities, replacing John Kerry as the top US official on international climate issues, the White House said Wednesday. Kerry announced in mid-January that he would step down as special climate envoy to work on President Biden's...

Citing Climate, Biden Pauses New LNG Export Terminals

Decision is a victory for Russia, industry groups say

(Newser) - The Biden administration is delaying consideration of new natural gas export terminals in the US, even as gas shipments to Europe and Asia have soared since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The decision aligns with environmentalists who fear the huge increase in exports, in the form of liquefied natural gas,...

Poop Seen From Space Leads to Emperor Penguin Discovery

4 colonies are newly identified

(Newser) - Scientists have spotted previously unknown colonies of emperor penguins in Antarctica, all thanks to poop that could be seen from space. As NBC News reports, Peter Fretwell with the British Antarctic Survey used satellite imagery to spot "tell-tale patches" of penguin guano against the white snow. It's encouraging...

Greenland Ice Sheet Losing 30M Tons of Ice Per Hour

New study finds an increase to the amount previously estimated

(Newser) - A new study on Greenland's ice cap has disturbing implications: Researchers found it's losing more than 30 million tons of ice per hour, on average. That's a lot more than had previously been estimated, and it means more freshwater is going into the north Atlantic Ocean than...

Warmer Weather Is Shrinking Vital Snowpack
Our Spring Snowpack
Keeps Getting Smaller
NEW STUDY
Jan 14, 2024 9:03 AM CST

Our Spring Snowpack Keeps Getting Smaller

Researchers saw a steep decline in Northern Hemisphere over four decades

(Newser) - If you've been wondering where all the snow's gone—historically speaking—you're not alone. A new study in the journal Nature suggests that snowpack throughout the Northern Hemisphere has dropped sharply over the last 40 years, the New York Times reports. Snowpack is seasonally stable snow that...

John Kerry to End Tenure as Climate Envoy

Former secretary of state considers Biden's reelection key to climate battle

(Newser) - John Kerry has told President Biden he plans to resign as special envoy for climate—a job created for him— by spring. The former secretary of state and US senator told the president on Wednesday and his staff on Saturday, the New York Times reports. Kerry will instead work on...

2-Year Drought 'a Human Tragedy That's Only Growing'

Widespread drought conditions affect nearly 1 out of every 4 people on the planet

(Newser) - The last two years have been brutal in terms of drought. Nearly 25% of the world's population, some 1.84 billion people, were living under drought in 2022 and 2023, according to a UN report shared last month. The Horn of Africa experienced its worst drought in four decades,...

New Report Holds a 'Predominantly Negative Outlook for the World'

World Economic Forum annual risk survey warns of misinformation, aided by AI

(Newser) - Two-thirds of risk specialists see an "elevated chance of global catastrophes" in the next decade. Nearly a third predict the same within the next couple of years. That's according to the World Economic Forum's annual risk survey, which is being widely painted as "gloomy" and "...

EU Scientists Confirm Unwanted Weather Milestone

2023 was the hottest year on record, by a mile

(Newser) - It's the record everyone knew was coming : The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said Tuesday that 2023 was the hottest year on record, reports Reuters . What's more, those records go back only to 1850, and the EU scientists say 2023 was probably the hottest year of...

Cities Along the East Coast Are Sinking
Cities Along the East Coast
Are Sinking
NEW STUDY
Jan 7, 2024 5:20 PM CST

Cities Along the East Coast Are Sinking

It's a matter of millimeters, but researchers say it's a cause of real concern

(Newser) - Here's a new one for your climate change Bingo card. Major cities along the Atlantic coast are sinking, Virginia Tech News reports, with rates in some areas that outpace global sea level rise. A paper published by researchers from Virginia Tech in PNAS Nexus analyzed radar datasets to observe...

One Way to Save Struggling Trees: Help Them Migrate

Varied strategies in Pacific Northwest address changing environment

(Newser) - As native trees in the Pacific Northwest die off due to climate changes, the US Forest Service, the city of Portland, and citizen groups around Puget Sound are turning to a deceptively simple climate adaptation strategy called "assisted migration." As the world's climate warms, tree-growing ranges in...

Rice Has a Goldilocks Problem
Rice Has a Goldilocks Problem
Jan 6, 2024 3:55 PM CST

Rice Has a Goldilocks Problem

Too much or too little water hurts the crop, and changing climate is causing both conditions

(Newser) - Rice is essential to feeding the planet, but climate change is forcing farmers to adapt as heat and flooding reach extreme conditions. Per Modern Farmer , breeders and scientists are working toward that goal (an essential one to fighting hunger, with 20% of human calories consumed from rice). They write that...

Climate Researcher's Unusual Message: Hope

Dr. Hannah Ritchie says hypernegative messaging obscures real progress, and might even hinder it

(Newser) - How do we keep positive about the environment after the hottest year on record ? By focusing on wins, not climate change doom reports, says Dr. Hannah Ritchie, who spoke with the New York Times Magazine about her new book, Not the End of the World . In it, she makes...

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>