
RECENT ARTICLES

Guest post: What have been the most extreme heatwaves in history? - Carbon Brief
Social Channels4 May 2022 19:0005.04.2204.05.2022 | 7:00pmIn June 2021, a , setting a new all-time temperature record for Canada and causing California to declare a .The Pacific north-west heatwave was unprecedented for the region, with local temperature records broken . The intense heat caused hundreds of deaths, damaged railways and roads, wilted crops, impaired businesses and led to a series of . It has been estimated that the heatwave caused in the US.But how extreme was this heatwave compared with other historical ones around the world?are a threat to society because communities have...…Social Channels4 May 2022 19:0005.04.2204.05.2022 | 7:00pmIn June 2021, a , setting a new all-time temperature record for Canada and causing California to declare a .The Pacific north-west heatwave was unprecedented for the region, with local temperature records broken . The intense heat caused hundreds of deaths, damaged railways and roads, wilted crops, impaired businesses and led to a series of . It has been estimated that the heatwave caused in the US.But how extreme was this heatwave compared with other historical ones around the world?are a threat to society because communities have...WW…

Cropped, 18 May 2022: Great Barrier Reef bleaching unmasked; Food crisis worsens; World begins land negotiations - Carbon Brief
Social Channels18 May 2022 16:4905.18.2218.05.2022 | 4:49pmWelcome to Carbon Brief’s Cropped. We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight.This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for .A mass bleaching event at the Great Barrier Reef in 2022 affected 91% of corals, according to an official report that commentators say was released quietly in the run-up to Australia’s general election.Subscribe: CroppedThe global hunger crisis is “exploding”, a UN...…Social Channels18 May 2022 16:4905.18.2218.05.2022 | 4:49pmWelcome to Carbon Brief’s Cropped. We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight.This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for .A mass bleaching event at the Great Barrier Reef in 2022 affected 91% of corals, according to an official report that commentators say was released quietly in the run-up to Australia’s general election.Subscribe: CroppedThe global hunger crisis is “exploding”, a UN...WW…

Cropped, 4 May 2022: UN land report; State of the forests; Indonesia bans palm oil exports - Carbon Brief
Social Channels4 May 2022 16:0005.04.2204.05.2022 | 4:00pmWelcome to Carbon Brief’s Cropped. We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight.This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for .A new report released by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification examined humanity’s impact on the Earth’s land surface. It found that human activity has degraded more than one-third of land cover, with dire consequences for climate change, biodiversity and food...…Social Channels4 May 2022 16:0005.04.2204.05.2022 | 4:00pmWelcome to Carbon Brief’s Cropped. We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight.This is an online version of Carbon Brief’s fortnightly Cropped email newsletter. Subscribe for .A new report released by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification examined humanity’s impact on the Earth’s land surface. It found that human activity has degraded more than one-third of land cover, with dire consequences for climate change, biodiversity and food...WW…

Marine heatwaves can be predicted ‘up to a year ahead’ - Carbon Brief
Social Channels3 May 2022 8:0005.03.2203.05.2022 | 8:00amMarine heatwaves – periods of exceptionally warm ocean temperature lasting from weeks to years – can be accurately predicted up to one year ahead of the event, new research finds.Heatwaves on both land and ocean can have impacts. However, efforts to predict imminent ocean heatwaves still research predicting land-based extremes.The new study, published in , provides the foundation for an operational marine-heatwave forecasting system that can predict oncoming marine heatwaves between one and 12 months before they hit.The forecasts show...…Social Channels3 May 2022 8:0005.03.2203.05.2022 | 8:00amMarine heatwaves – periods of exceptionally warm ocean temperature lasting from weeks to years – can be accurately predicted up to one year ahead of the event, new research finds.Heatwaves on both land and ocean can have impacts. However, efforts to predict imminent ocean heatwaves still research predicting land-based extremes.The new study, published in , provides the foundation for an operational marine-heatwave forecasting system that can predict oncoming marine heatwaves between one and 12 months before they hit.The forecasts show...WW…

Last refuges for coral reefs to disappear above 1.5C of global warming, study finds
Social Channels1 February 2022 19:0002.01.2201.02.2022 | 7:00pmLast refuges for the world’s ailing coral reefs could vanish completely if global warming exceeds 1.5C above , a study finds.Across the world, coral reefs and the wildlife that depends on them face a severe threat from marine heatwaves, which have become over the past century. At present, 84% of coral reefs are located in regions where conditions allow them to withstand the impact of marine heatwaves, the research says.However, at 1.5C of global warming, this figure is projected to drop to just 0.2%. And at 2C of global...…Social Channels1 February 2022 19:0002.01.2201.02.2022 | 7:00pmLast refuges for the world’s ailing coral reefs could vanish completely if global warming exceeds 1.5C above , a study finds.Across the world, coral reefs and the wildlife that depends on them face a severe threat from marine heatwaves, which have become over the past century. At present, 84% of coral reefs are located in regions where conditions allow them to withstand the impact of marine heatwaves, the research says.However, at 1.5C of global warming, this figure is projected to drop to just 0.2%. And at 2C of global...WW…

Guest post: Why oceans could face more extremes like the Pacific 'Blob'
The devastating impact of extreme weather is etched into our collective memory. the world saw record-shattering heat in western North America, deadly floods in Europe, China and west Africa, and wildfires in the Mediterranean. But alongside these events happening on land, the oceans experience extreme conditions too. In 2015, the North Pacific saw the largest marine heatwave ever recorded, known simply as the “Blob”. As Earth warms, are likely to become But as our recent paper in explains, we are also set to see more occasions – as with the “Blob” – where two or more types of extreme events...…The devastating impact of extreme weather is etched into our collective memory. the world saw record-shattering heat in western North America, deadly floods in Europe, China and west Africa, and wildfires in the Mediterranean. But alongside these events happening on land, the oceans experience extreme conditions too. In 2015, the North Pacific saw the largest marine heatwave ever recorded, known simply as the “Blob”. As Earth warms, are likely to become But as our recent paper in explains, we are also set to see more occasions – as with the “Blob” – where two or more types of extreme events...WW…

Guest post: The threat of high-probability ocean ‘tipping points’
Climate change is profoundly altering our oceans and marine ecosystems. Some of these changes are happening quickly and are potentially irreversible. Many are taking place silently and unnoticed.In recent years, – thresholds where a small change could push a system into a completely new state – have increasingly become a focus for the climate research community. However, these are typically thought of in terms of unlikely changes with huge global ramifications – often referred to as “low probability, high impact” events. Examples include the and the rapid . In a new paper, published in...…Climate change is profoundly altering our oceans and marine ecosystems. Some of these changes are happening quickly and are potentially irreversible. Many are taking place silently and unnoticed.In recent years, – thresholds where a small change could push a system into a completely new state – have increasingly become a focus for the climate research community. However, these are typically thought of in terms of unlikely changes with huge global ramifications – often referred to as “low probability, high impact” events. Examples include the and the rapid . In a new paper, published in...WW…

Hurricane Sandy caused an ‘extra $8bn’ damage due to human-caused sea level rise
More than $8bn of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was due to the increase in sea levels caused by human-caused climate change, according to new research. Hurricane Sandy hit the US east coast in October 2012, causing some . The study finds that climate change caused around 10cm of coastal sea level rise in the area over the preceding century, which allowed the hurricane-driven storm surge to affect 71,000 additional people, adding $8bn in damages.The study, published in , presents a “conservative” estimate of the damage caused by climate change, the lead author says, because it...…More than $8bn of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was due to the increase in sea levels caused by human-caused climate change, according to new research. Hurricane Sandy hit the US east coast in October 2012, causing some . The study finds that climate change caused around 10cm of coastal sea level rise in the area over the preceding century, which allowed the hurricane-driven storm surge to affect 71,000 additional people, adding $8bn in damages.The study, published in , presents a “conservative” estimate of the damage caused by climate change, the lead author says, because it...WW…

Arctic sea ice summer minimum in 2021 is ‘12th lowest’ on record
Social Channels22 September 2021 17:4509.22.2122.09.2021 | 5:45pmArctic sea ice has reached its annual minimum for 2021, clocking in at the 12th lowest on record, according to from the US (NSIDC). While this is the largest summer minimum since 2014, the NSIDC notes that the amount of multi-year sea ice this year is “one of the lowest levels in the ice age record”.Sea ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic undergoes an annual cycle, growing in thickness and coverage over the colder months, and thinning and receding when the temperature rises. Arctic sea ice typically reaches its “summer...…Social Channels22 September 2021 17:4509.22.2122.09.2021 | 5:45pmArctic sea ice has reached its annual minimum for 2021, clocking in at the 12th lowest on record, according to from the US (NSIDC). While this is the largest summer minimum since 2014, the NSIDC notes that the amount of multi-year sea ice this year is “one of the lowest levels in the ice age record”.Sea ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic undergoes an annual cycle, growing in thickness and coverage over the colder months, and thinning and receding when the temperature rises. Arctic sea ice typically reaches its “summer...WW…

Climate change ‘already’ raising risk of virus spread between mammals
Mammals forced to move to cooler climes amid global warming are “already” spreading their viruses further – with “undoubtable” impacts for human health, a new study says. The research, published in , uses modelling to map how climate change could shift the geographic ranges of 3,100 mammals species and the viruses they carry by 2070. It finds that climate change is increasingly driving new encounters between mammal species, raising the risk of novel disease spread. The world’s “biodiversity hotspots” and densely populated parts of Asia and Africa are most likely to be affected.The findings...…Mammals forced to move to cooler climes amid global warming are “already” spreading their viruses further – with “undoubtable” impacts for human health, a new study says. The research, published in , uses modelling to map how climate change could shift the geographic ranges of 3,100 mammals species and the viruses they carry by 2070. It finds that climate change is increasingly driving new encounters between mammal species, raising the risk of novel disease spread. The world’s “biodiversity hotspots” and densely populated parts of Asia and Africa are most likely to be affected.The findings...WW…
