The PR Industry Has Been a ‘Major’ But ‘Overlooked’ Influence in Climate Politics for Decades, Says Study

The fossil fuel industry spends millions of dollars on shaping its image in an effort to block climate action. A new analysis shows a relatively small number of PR firms have aided this campaign from behind the scenes over the last three decades.

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Satellite reveals Australian coal mines emit much more methane than expected based on national reporting

A group of Dutch scientists has used space instrument TROPOMI to calculate methane emissions from six Australian coal mines. Together, these account for 7 percent of the national coal production, but turn out to emit around 55 percent of what Australia reports for their total coal mining methane emissions.

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It's Time to Fear the Fungi

Climate change could threaten humans' protection from fungal infections. It's time to fear the fungi.

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Ikea says it will eliminate plastic packaging by 2028

As part of the company’s goal to become fully circular, it needs to work to eliminate the 10% of its packaging that still uses plastic.

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Inside the C.D.C.’s Pandemic ‘Weather Service’

The agency has created an ambitious $200 million center to predict future outbreaks — but diseases are a lot harder to model than storms.

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The underwater 'kites' generating electricity as they move

A pair of sleek, winged machines are "flying" - or at least swimming - beneath the dark waters of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. Known as "sea dragons" or "tidal kites", they look like aircraft, but these are in fact high-tech tidal turbines, generating electricity from the power of the ocean. The two kites - with a five-metre (16ft) wingspan - move underwater in a figure-of-eight pattern, absorbing energy from the running tide. They are tethered to the fjord seabed by 40-metre metal cables.

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Climate Deniers in the 117th Congress

There are 139 elected officials in the 117th Congress who still deny the scientific consensus of human-caused climate change.

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Living walls can reduce heat lost from buildings by over 30%

Retrofitting an existing masonry cavity walled building with a green or living wall can reduce the amount of heat lost through its structure by more than 30%, according to new research.

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The Arctic Ocean began warming decades earlier than previously thought, new research shows

The Arctic Ocean has been warming since the onset of the 20th century, decades earlier than instrument observations would suggest, according to new research.

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South Korea considers ban on eating dog meat as it launches taskforce

South Korea today said it will launch a task force to consider a ban on eating dog meat after the country's President called for an end to the centuries-old practice. Meat from canines constitutes a major part of South Korean cuisine with about one million dogs believed to be eaten annually, but consumption has declined in recent years as more people embrace them as pets and younger people find the delicacy less appealing.

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The climate crisis is messing with birds' body shapes

Researchers studying 15,000 birds in the Amazon rainforest found that nearly all of the birds' bodies have become lighter since the 1980s, losing on average about 2% of their body weight every decade.

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Secret document urges native logging halt in NSW regions hit hard by black summer bushfires

Exclusive: Natural Resources Commission report not released by state government calls for suspension of timber harvesting in three ‘extreme risk’ zones

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The fashion, aviation and agricultural workers quitting over climate change

Millions of people go to work in high-polluting industries every day. But at what point does consciousness about climate change collide with your role in driving it? These workers share why they quit their jobs over the crisis.

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We May Have Underestimated The First Known Outbreak of Bubonic Plague

The Justinianic Plague spread through west Eurasia between the 6th and 8th centuries CE, signifying the first known outbreak of bubonic plague in this part of the world. According to a new analysis of ancient texts and genetic data, its impact was much more severe than some recent studies have suggested.

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Lobsters and crabs are sentient beings and shouldn't be boiled alive, UK report says

Octopuses, crabs and lobsters are capable of experiencing pain or suffering, according to a review commissioned by the UK government, which has added the creatures to a list of sentient beings to be given protection under new animal welfare laws.

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Men’s meat-heavy diets cause 40% more climate emissions than women’s, study finds

Men’s meaty diets are responsible for 40% more climate-heating emissions than those of women, according to a UK study. The research also found a quarter of diet-related emissions were from “optional” food and drink, such as coffee, alcohol, cakes and sweets. The scientists said policies to encourage sustainable diets should focus on plant-based foods but switching drinks and cutting down on sweet snacks presented further opportunities.

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Octopuses, crabs, and lobsters will be recognized as 'sentient beings' in UK after a review concluded they feel pain and distress

Octopuses, crabs, and lobsters will be recognized as sentient beings under UK animal welfare laws after a review concluded there is strong evidence they are capable of feelings.

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Portugal's power production goes coal-free long before deadline

Portugal shut down its last remaining coal plant over the weekend, ending the use of the polluting material for electricity generation and becoming the fourth country in the European Union to do so.

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Yes, plant-based meat is better for the planet

Plant-based meat has gone mainstream. The Impossible Burger, which debuted at a single restaurant five years ago, is now on Burger King’s permanent menu. And McDonald’s is testing its McPlant burger, featuring a Beyond Meat patty, in select US locations. Both plant-based startups are now veterans in a product category that did $1.4 billion in sales and grew 27 percent in 2020.

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Dead Sea evaporates as global warming ramps up

As much as some deny the existence of global warming, the Dead Sea, like Lake Tuz in Turkey, begs to differ.

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Millions of Birds have Vanished Since 1980

Researchers say more than 600 million birds have disappeared across Europe in just the past 40 years. Here’s why.

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COP26 finally framed climate change as a public health issue, experts say

That message that global warming contributes to public health risks resonated at COP26 more than it has at previous United Nations climate summits, according to experts who have been attending the talks for years.

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Climate denial is waning on the right. What’s replacing it might be just as scary

The wrapping of ecological disaster with fears of rampant immigration is a narrative that has flourished in far-right fringe movements in Europe and the US

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Canada’s Known for Years Indigenous Peoples in BC Aren’t Safe From Flooding

A system of dikes meant to protect the Lower Mainland from flooding excludes many First Nations. The federal government admits some have “no dike protection at all.”

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US wildfires have killed nearly 20% of world’s giant sequoias in two years

Lightning-sparked wildfires killed thousands of giant sequoias this year, adding to a staggering two-year death toll that accounts for up to nearly a fifth of Earth’s largest trees, officials said on Friday.

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Illinois paid $694 million to keep nuclear plants open, showing why greening the grid is so hard

Nuclear power finds itself caught between cheaper sources of carbon-emitting energy and heavily subsidized clean power sources like wind and solar.

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The winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards will brighten your day

Among this year's winners are a trio of gossipy raccoons, a joyful bird reunion and an all-powerful prairie dog.

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Largest Farm to Grow Crops Under Solar Panels Proves to Be a Bumper Crop for Agrivoltaic Land Use

Agrivoltaics, growing crops under solar panels, increases the production of both, and Jack's Solar Garden farm is showing how it's done.

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The forgotten oil ads that told us climate change was nothing

Since the 1980s, fossil fuel firms have run ads touting climate denial messages – many of which they’d now like us to forget. Here’s our visual guide

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Plastic Pollution Overruns the Mediterranean

Pascal Hagmann lowered a manta trawl — a ray-shaped, metal device with a wide mouth and a fine-meshed net — off the side of his sailboat and into the blue waters off the coast of Marseille, France. Then he motored around at 3 knots. The manta trawl skimmed along the surface, taking in gulps of seawater and catching whatever was floating inside it.

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Monkey's unfortunate incident wins funniest animal photo award

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards dub a monkey's painful pose on a taut wire the funniest animal photo of the year.

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Delhi smog: Schools and colleges shut as pollution worsens

The decision was announced after several parts of the city recorded severe air quality.

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Greenpeace sues Volkswagen for fuelling the climate crisis and violating future freedom and property rights - Greenpeace International

Braunschweig, Germany – Greenpeace Germany today filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen (VW), the world’s second largest car manufacturer, for failing to decarbonise the company in line with the 1.5°C goal agreed in Paris. At the end of October, VW rejected Greenpeace’s legal demand to reduce its CO2 emissions faster and to phase out internal combustion vehicles by 2030 at the latest.

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This new biodegradable glitter is made entirely from plants

Almost all of the glitter you’ve ever used is still floating around the planet. This new formulation has just one ingredient, but it’s still as shimmery as the original.

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The $1.5 Billion Mammoth Solar Farm Will Be the Largest in the US

The 13,000-acre Mammoth Solar farm will span two northern Indiana counties.

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What Would It Look Like If We Treated Climate Change as an Actual Emergency?

If we accept the facts of climate change, we also have to accept the radical changes necessary to address it.

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Discarded tires in the oceans are trapping hermit crabs, with no way out

Hermit crabs are finding their way into discarded tires in the ocean -- and they can't get out, a new study from Hirosaki University found. The concave interior of a car tire can trap hermit crabs that go there in search of food and shelter. The study refers to this phenomenon -- when marine animals get caught in human litter, such as fishing nets -- as "ghost fishing."

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Fight over U.S. wolf protections heads to federal courtroom

A U.S. government attorney urged a federal judge Friday to uphold a decision from the waning days of the Trump administration that lifted protections for gray wolves across most of the country, as Republican-led states have sought to drive down wolf numbers through aggressive hunting and trapping.

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Air pollution killed over 300,000 in EU in 2019 — report

New air quality guidelines from the WHO could have saved the lives of almost 180,000 people in 2019, the European Environment Agency has revealed.

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Palm oil land grabs ‘trashing’ environment and displacing people

Businesses and governments must stop the growing rush of commodities-driven land grabbing, which is “trashing” the environment and displacing people, says new research. Palm oil and cobalt were extreme risks for land grabs according to an analysis of 170 commodities by research firm Verisk Maplecroft published last week. It also warned that, alongside cobalt, other minerals used for “clean” technology, including silicon, zinc, copper, were high risk and undermined the sector’s label.

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Rare Sierra Nevada red foxes survive massive Dixie fire that burned habitat

There might be something to the adage “clever as a fox.” When the monstrous Dixie fire scorched a northeastern California expanse that the elusive Sierra Nevada red fox calls home, wildlife officials were worried.

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13 million tonnes mined a day show why China and India won't quit coal

There's a reason India and China defended coal's future at the Glasgow climate summit: No nations have added more coal-fired power-plant capacity in the past decade than these two major emitters. China and India are currently mining a combined 13 million tonnes a day of the dirtiest fossil fuel.

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We need to have a conversation about wombats

This comic is about a lot of things, but mostly it is about butts.

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Humans Have Broken One of The Natural Power Laws Governing Earth's Oceans

Just as with planetary or molecular systems, mathematical laws can be found that accurately describe and allow for predictions in chaotically dynamic ecosystems too – at least, if we zoom out enough.

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Chinese scientists strike early gold in race to nuclear fusion power

A project to replicate the sun’s energy process has shown promise after its first year of experiments, with a comparatively low-cost approach.

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Mind-blowing pictures of the solar system's most volcanic worlds

An up-close look at volcanoes in space and how they differ from those on Earth.

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Invasive armored catfish causing harm to Florida's manatees

There is another invasive species causing problems in Florida. It's a fish, with a suit of armor, known as Plecostomus, or "Pleco" or the Armored Catfish. 

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This Intrepid Robot Is the WALL-E of the Deep Sea

Here's how engineers got the car-sized Benthic Rover II to roam the seafloor 13,000 feet deep without immediately breaking down.

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Archaeologists discover ancient 'hangover prevention' ring

Uncovered from a Byzantine-era winery, the gold and purple amethyst ring may have been worn to prevent the ill effects of drinking too much alcohol.

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Denmark Spends $150K to Clean Beach Seaweed and Plastic, Then Dumps It Back in the Sea

Experts have described the practice as 'completely idiotic' and harmful for the local ecosystem.

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