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'Unstoppable force' of solar power propels world to 40% clean electricity
a year ago
- Clean power provided 40% of the world's electricity in 2024, a first since the 1940s.
- Solar power doubled in three years, contributing 7% of global electricity, while wind and nuclear provided 8% and 9%, respectively.
- Hydropower remains the largest renewable source at 14% of global electricity.
- China led in new solar electricity production, contributing over half of the global total, despite also building new coal plants.
- Fossil fuel electricity generation increased by 1.4% due to rising demand from air conditioning, AI, and electric vehicles.
- Ember forecasts that clean power growth will soon outpace demand, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Record global temperatures in March illustrate threat to climate goals
a year ago
- Global temperatures in March were 1.6°C higher than pre-industrial levels, threatening climate goals.
- Europe experienced its warmest March on record, with extremes in both heavy rain and drought.
- Arctic sea ice reached its lowest March extent in 47 years of satellite data.
- Climate change intensifies extreme weather events like heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and droughts.
- The Paris Agreement's goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C is slipping out of reach.
- US President Donald Trump dismissed climate change and withdrew from the Paris Agreement.
- Scientists emphasize that human-caused climate change is driving severe global impacts.
EPA Plans to Stop Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data from Most Polluters
a year ago
- EPA plans to eliminate requirements for polluters to report greenhouse gas emissions.
- The change affects thousands of industrial facilities, including oil refineries, power plants, and coal mines.
- The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program provides crucial data for policy decisions and international reporting.
- Losing this data will make it harder to track emissions and hold polluters accountable.
- The new rule would reduce reporting requirements to only about 2,300 facilities in the oil and gas industry.
- Climate experts warn this move will hinder efforts to address climate change.
- The EPA claims the program is burdensome and costly to businesses.
- Industry lobbyists now in EPA leadership roles are pushing for the change.
- Advocates argue this benefits polluters by removing accountability.
- The decision could weaken international climate cooperation.
Europe's hottest year signals deepening climate crisis
a year ago
- 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded globally and in Europe, with temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
- Europe is heating faster than the global average, with a five-year temperature rise of around 2.4°C above pre-industrial levels.
- Ocean temperatures, particularly in the Mediterranean, reached record highs, contributing to accelerated ice loss and rising sea levels.
- Extreme weather events in 2024 included prolonged heatwaves in Southeast Europe and severe flooding in Central and Western Europe.
- Heat-related mortality has increased by over 30% in the past two decades, with projections of higher fatalities if global temperatures rise further.
- Storms and flooding in Europe caused an estimated €18 billion in damages, with 85% attributed to flooding.
- Renewable energy production in Europe rose to a record 45%, despite adverse weather conditions.
- The Arctic, including Svalbard, is warming rapidly, with local temperatures more than 2.5°C above average.
- The report emphasizes the urgent need for mitigation and adaptation measures to address climate change impacts.
Systematic assessment of emission reductions of carbon crediting projects
a year ago
- Carbon markets are crucial for firms' and governments' climate strategies, but concerns about environmental integrity persist.
- A systematic evaluation of carbon crediting mechanisms reveals that less than 16% of issued carbon credits represent real emission reductions.
- The offset achievement ratio (OAR) varies by project type: 11% for cookstoves, 16% for SF6 destruction, 25% for avoided deforestation, 68% for HFC-23 abatement, and no significant reductions for wind power and improved forest management.
- Key issues include adverse selection, unrealistic assumptions by project developers, and inappropriate methodological approaches.
- The study covers 14 studies on 2,346 carbon mitigation projects and 51 studies on similar field interventions, representing nearly 1 billion tons of CO2e.
- Reforms are urgently needed to improve the credibility and effectiveness of carbon crediting mechanisms in climate change mitigation.
British rebellion against Roman legions caused by drought, research finds
a year ago
- Exceptionally dry summers from AD364 to 366 caused famine and social breakdown in Roman Britain.
- The 'barbarian conspiracy' in AD367 saw Picts, Scotti, and Saxons exploit weakened Roman defenses.
- Roman commanders were captured or killed, and some soldiers deserted, joining the invaders.
- Order was restored after two years by generals sent by Emperor Valentinian I.
- Droughts led to food shortages, societal destabilization, and military weakening.
- Tree-ring data and Roman accounts link severe summer droughts to the rebellion.
- Southern Britain experienced below-average rainfall during AD364-366, devastating agriculture.
- Drought-induced grain shortages may have fueled military desertions and weakened defenses.
- Peripheral tribes invaded during the military and societal breakdown.
- Climate-conflict analysis shows battles often followed dry years across the Roman Empire.
When Earth Was a Pale Green Dot
a year ago
- Earth appears blue due to water reflecting blue wavelengths of light.
- During the Archaean Eon, oceans were green, possibly aiding cyanobacteria growth.
- Cyanobacteria triggered the Great Oxygenation Event, changing Earth's atmosphere.
- Iron hydroxide in ancient oceans scattered green light, influencing cyanobacteria evolution.
- Cyanobacteria developed phycobilins to harness green light for energy.
- Modern environments like iron-rich lakes mimic Archaean conditions.
- Climate change may be causing tropical oceans to turn greener.
- Green oceans could indicate early life on distant planets.
Trump EPA targets two-man geoengineering startup for 'polluting the air'
a year ago
- Humans struggle to quit fossil fuels, leading to debates on geoengineering to prevent catastrophic warming.
- Make Sunsets, a startup, releases sulfur dioxide via weather balloons to reflect sunlight and cool Earth.
- The company sells 'cooling credits' and has raised $750,000 from investors like Boost VC and Draper Associates.
- Sulfur dioxide's role in global albedo was accidentally proven when sulfur in marine fuels was reduced in 2020.
- Geoengineering with sulfur dioxide may have unpredictable effects, such as altering rainfall patterns in different regions.
- Sulfur dioxide near the ground can worsen asthma and respiratory issues, raising EPA concerns.
- Make Sunsets claims its actions are legal under the Weather Modification Act of 1976, though the law's applicability is unclear.
- The EPA is investigating Make Sunsets, despite coal power plants releasing vastly more sulfur dioxide annually.
- The debate highlights tensions between innovative climate solutions and regulatory oversight.
Ocean Iron Fertilization
a year ago
- Iron fertilization involves adding iron to the ocean's surface to stimulate phytoplankton blooms, which can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- Phytoplankton require trace amounts of iron for photosynthesis, and natural events like volcanic eruptions have shown significant carbon removal through this process.
- Historical ice core records suggest that iron-rich dust may have contributed to past glacial periods by drawing carbon out of the atmosphere.
- Early experiments in the 1990s and 2000s confirmed iron fertilization triggers blooms, but carbon sequestration efficiency remains uncertain.
- Diatoms, a type of phytoplankton, show promise for carbon sequestration due to their size, fast growth, and silica shells that aid sinking.
- Potential risks include harmful algal blooms and ecosystem disruption, necessitating further research before large-scale implementation.
- New technologies and autonomous platforms now allow better monitoring of carbon movement and phytoplankton responses.
- Iron fertilization is a low-cost CDR method but must complement, not replace, fossil fuel reduction efforts.
The 'king of poisons' is building up in rice
a year ago
- Rice cultivation in flooded paddies, a traditional method, is becoming dangerous due to climate change increasing arsenic levels in rice.
- Research indicates that by 2050, rice-heavy diets could lead to higher risks of cancer and disease due to increased inorganic arsenic.
- Higher temperatures and CO2 levels enhance root growth in rice plants, increasing arsenic uptake from the soil.
- Arsenic in rice is a confirmed carcinogen, linked to various cancers and health issues, with chronic exposure posing significant risks.
- Current regulations on arsenic in food are inconsistent and largely unenforced, with no global standards for organic arsenic exposure.
- Infants and young children are most at risk due to their lower body weight and higher exposure through rice cereals.
- Adaptation strategies include changing planting times, better soil management, and breeding rice varieties that accumulate less arsenic.
- Water-saving irrigation techniques can reduce health risks and methane emissions from rice production.
50 years of climate change has changed the face of the 'Blue Marble' from space
a year ago
- The 'Blue Marble' photograph, taken by Apollo 17 in 1972, was the first image of the entire Earth, changing humanity's perspective on our planet.
- Over the past 50 years, visible changes to Earth's surface include shrinking Antarctic ice sheets, deforestation, and desertification, largely due to climate change.
- New satellite images from NASA's Epic camera reveal these environmental changes, including shifts in vegetation, cloud cover, and urban sprawl.
- The original 'Blue Marble' image inspired the environmental movement, promoting global stewardship and unity by showing Earth without political boundaries.
- Astronauts report experiencing the 'overview effect'—a profound sense of awe and interconnectedness—when viewing Earth from space, altering their priorities and perspectives.
- Advances in satellite technology now allow for detailed monitoring of Earth's systems, including cloud properties, aerosols, and photosynthetic activity.
- Human development and activity, such as urbanization and wildfires, have dramatically increased, with satellites tracking these changes even on the night side of the planet.
- The 'Blue Marble' remains a powerful symbol of Earth's fragility and beauty, encouraging ongoing environmental awareness and research.
The quest to build islands with ocean currents in the Maldives
a year ago
- The Maldives is testing a method to capture sand using structures like the Ramp Ring to combat erosion and rising sea levels.
- The Ramp Ring, made of geotextile bladders, has shown success in accumulating sand quickly, offering a sustainable alternative to dredging.
- Dredging, the current primary method for land reclamation, causes environmental damage, leading to a temporary ban by the Maldivian government.
- The Growing Islands project, led by MIT's Self-Assembly Lab and Invena, aims to use natural forces to build and protect islands sustainably.
- A predictive coastal intelligence platform called Littoral is being developed to monitor sediment transport and predict erosion patterns.
- The project has received funding from various organizations but faces challenges due to the termination of USAID contracts.
Can the legal system catch up with climate science?
a year ago
- Attribution science now allows linking individual climate events to human-caused climate change.
- New methods can estimate economic damages from climate events tied to emissions by specific companies.
- Research suggests the global economy lost $28 trillion due to extreme heat from emissions by 111 major carbon producers.
- This approach could support legal claims for climate damages by showing human influence on 'acts of God.'.
- Climate models compare event probabilities with and without CO2 emissions to attribute impacts to specific sources.
- Emissions from major companies like Chevron and Saudi Aramco include both production and product combustion phases.
The satellite that will 'weigh' 1.5T trees
a year ago
- The European Space Agency (ESA) launched a satellite to measure carbon stored in the world's 1.5 trillion trees using a special radar system.
- The satellite, nicknamed 'space brolly,' has a 12m diameter antenna that uses P-band radar to penetrate forest canopies and measure branches and trunks.
- This technology will help scientists accurately assess carbon storage in major rainforests like the Amazon, Congo, and Indonesia.
- Current methods involve measuring individual trees and extrapolating, which is challenging and inconsistent.
- The satellite will produce annual maps over five years, showing carbon storage and deforestation impacts.
- Unlike other satellites, Biomass can penetrate clouds, providing consistent data in tropical regions.
- The project is a result of international collaboration, with contributions from the UK, Europe, and the US.
- Ground measurements will verify the satellite's data to ensure accuracy.
A cheat sheet for why using ChatGPT is not bad for the environment
a year ago
- Personal use of ChatGPT has minimal environmental impact compared to other activities.
- Energy consumption per ChatGPT prompt is much lower than previously estimated (0.3 Wh vs. 3 Wh).
- Avoiding one flight to Europe saves the equivalent of 3,500,000 ChatGPT searches.
- Shaming people for using ChatGPT environmentally is counterproductive and unethical.
- Climate scientists do not advocate avoiding Google searches for environmental reasons, making similar arguments about ChatGPT seem strange.
- There are more impactful environmental actions than restricting ChatGPT usage.
How the biggest flood in the history of the Earth created the Mediterranean
a year ago
- The Mediterranean Sea was cut off from the Atlantic Ocean 6 million years ago due to tectonic activity, leading to its evaporation and the Messinian Salinity Crisis.
- About 5.3 million years ago, the Atlantic Ocean breached the Gibraltar mountain range, causing a massive flood that refilled the Mediterranean in a geological instant.
- The floodwaters moved at speeds up to 72 mph, generating tropical-storm force winds and creating a waterfall 30 times taller than Niagara Falls.
- The influx of water triggered earthquakes and drastically altered the Mediterranean's ecosystem, with only a fraction of its original marine species surviving.
- The Zanclean megaflood transformed the Mediterranean into a biodiversity hotspot, though it never returned to its pre-crisis state, offering lessons on irreversible ecological changes.
- Scientists study this ancient flood to understand modern climate change impacts, including glacier melt and sea-level rise.
Antarctica gains ice for first time in decades, reversing trend of mass loss
a year ago
- Antarctica's ice sheet has started growing again after decades of mass loss, reversing the trend of contributing to rising sea levels.
- A study published in Science China Earth Sciences found a record-breaking mass gain in the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) between 2021 and 2023, largely due to increased precipitation.
- Satellite data from GRACE and GRACE-FO missions showed the AIS gained approximately 108 gigatons of ice per year during 2021-2023, offsetting global sea level rise by about 0.3 mm per year.
- East Antarctica's glacier basins, including Totten, Denman, Moscow University, and Vincennes Bay, showed the most dramatic recovery after previous destabilization.
- Scientists caution that this growth may be temporary and linked to unusual precipitation patterns, not indicative of the end of the climate crisis.
- The Antarctic Ice Sheet holds over half of the world's fresh water and remains a critical factor in long-term sea level rise predictions.
Trump admin ends extreme weather database (tracked cost of disasters since 1980)
a year ago
- NOAA is retiring its 'billion-dollar weather and climate disasters' database, making it difficult to track extreme weather costs.
- The database, archived but not updated beyond 2024, has tracked disaster costs since 1980, including hurricanes and hailstorms.
- Discontinuation is seen as a Trump-administration move reducing public insight into climate change impacts.
- NOAA is cutting other services due to staffing reductions, with climate programs under scrutiny.
- The database showed 403 disasters since 1980, totaling over $2.945 trillion, with an average of 24 disasters annually in recent years.
- Private and non-public data sources made the database unique and hard to replicate.
- Other reports, like Swiss Re's, indicate rising global insured losses, with a 5-7% annual growth rate.
- NOAA faces deeper budget cuts, including potential elimination of its research division and labs.
Trump just made it much harder to track the nation's worst weather disasters
a year ago
- NOAA shuts down 'billion-dollar weather and climate disasters' database due to staffing cuts.
- Database tracked costs of 403 disasters since 1980, totaling over $2.945 trillion.
- Average annual disasters rose from 9 to 24 in recent years, making data loss impactful.
- Historic data (1980-2024) remains archived, but no new data will be collected after 2024.
- Central, South, and Southeast US regions most affected due to higher disaster frequency.
Satellite will have to be turned off when it floats over the US
a year ago
- The European Space Agency and Airbus developed the Biomass satellite to measure carbon captured by Earth's forests.
- Biomass uses the P-band of the radio spectrum, which is usually banned for satellites, to gather data.
- The satellite is the first of its kind and will orbit for about five years.
- P-band wavelengths are ideal for measuring tree trunks and large branches where most carbon is stored.
- Biomass' radar must be turned off over North America and Europe to avoid interfering with reconnaissance satellites.
- One of the main goals is to measure forests like the Amazon rainforest, where data is scarce.
- The data from Biomass will help scientists understand how human activities affect carbon storage in trees.
- The mission supports efforts to combat rapid planetary warming caused by excessive atmospheric carbon.
- The Forest Stewardship Council also works to ensure sustainable management of wood products.
- The Biomass satellite's data is expected to be a game-changer in quantifying forest carbon stocks and fluxes.

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#climate change

'Unstoppable force' of solar power propels world to 40% clean electricity

Record global temperatures in March illustrate threat to climate goals

EPA Plans to Stop Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data from Most Polluters

Europe's hottest year signals deepening climate crisis

Systematic assessment of emission reductions of carbon crediting projects

British rebellion against Roman legions caused by drought, research finds

When Earth Was a Pale Green Dot

Trump EPA targets two-man geoengineering startup for 'polluting the air'

Ocean Iron Fertilization

The 'king of poisons' is building up in rice

50 years of climate change has changed the face of the 'Blue Marble' from space

The quest to build islands with ocean currents in the Maldives

Can the legal system catch up with climate science?

The satellite that will 'weigh' 1.5T trees

A cheat sheet for why using ChatGPT is not bad for the environment

How the biggest flood in the history of the Earth created the Mediterranean

Antarctica gains ice for first time in decades, reversing trend of mass loss

Trump admin ends extreme weather database (tracked cost of disasters since 1980)

Trump just made it much harder to track the nation's worst weather disasters

Satellite will have to be turned off when it floats over the US