The Last Time CO2 Was This High, Humans Didn’t Exist
The news that CO2 is near 400 ppm for the first time highlights a question that scientists have been investigating using a variety of methods: when was the last time that CO2 levels were this high, and what was the climate like back then?… Read More
Global CO2 Levels Set to Pass 400 ppm Milestone
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached 399.72 parts per million (ppm) and is likely to pass the symbolically important 400ppm level for the first time in the next few days. Readings at the U.S. government's Earth Systems Research laboratory in Hawaii, are not expected to reach their 2013 peak until mid May, but were … Read More
Fast-Moving Climate Zones Are Speeding Extinction
As global temperatures rise, climate zones will shift at greater speed, according to new research in Nature Climate Change. If greenhouse gas emissions carry on increasing, then about 20 percent of the land area of the planet will undergo change – and the creatures that have made their homes in what were once stable ecosystems will have to adapt s… Read More
Six to See: Slideshow of the Week’s Top Climate News
We have more tools to help prepare for disasters and we'll need them with all the wild weather swings. … Read More
Six to See: Slideshow of the Week’s Top Climate News
No matter where in the world we go, this week’s stories show the effects of a changing climate. … Read More
Carbon Bubble May Plunge the World into Financial Crisis
The world could be heading for a major economic crisis as stock markets inflate an investment bubble in fossil fuels to the tune of trillions of dollars, according to leading economists. "The financial crisis has shown what happens when risks accumulate unnoticed," said Lord (Nicholas) Stern, a professor at the London School of Economics. He said … Read More
Climate Change Responsible for Global Vegetation Change
The amount of vegetation in the world, and the way it is spread across the planet, has changed significantly in the last three decades, researchers say. They attribute more than half the changes they detected to the effects of the warming climate, with people responsible for only around a third. Surprisingly, perhaps, they are at a loss to … Read More
Cutting Short-lived Pollutants Can Slow Sea Level Rise
As ocean waters warm and land-based ice sheets melt in response to manmade global warming, global sea levels have been rising by about 1.2 inches per decade, and recent studies project up to 1 meter, or about 3.3 feet, of sea level rise by the end of this century. This would imperil some of the world’s largest coastal population centers, such as Ne… Read More
