Tag: Climate change

• Wednesday, February 5th 2020 - 06:53 UTC

  UK to ban sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2035

  

  Britain will ban the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2035, five years earlier than planned, in an attempt to reduce air pollution that could herald the end of over a century of reliance on the internal combustion engine.

• Thursday, January 30th 2020 - 08:33 UTC

  Scientists surprised at unusual temperature at the base of huge glacier in Antarctica

  

  Scientists in Antarctica have recorded, for the first time, unusually warm water beneath a glacier the size of Florida that is already melting and contributing to a rise in sea levels. The researchers, working on the Thwaites Glacier, recorded water temperatures at the base of the ice of more than 2 deg C, above the normal freezing point.

• Saturday, January 25th 2020 - 09:00 UTC

  Even the richest of the richest now admit climate change is an existential threat

  

  By Gwynne Dyer – Donald Trump's speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos on Monday contained no surprises: half an hour of chest-thumping self-praise, although without the usual xenophobia and dog-whistle racism. It was, after all, an audience of the ultra-rich and powerful in which most of the movers and shakers were not American.

• Friday, January 24th 2020 - 08:45 UTC

  Greta Thunberg and US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin clash at Davos over climate change

  

  The United States' financial chief on Thursday told Swedish teen Greta Thunberg to go study before calling for a fossil fuel halt, prompting the climate campaigner to reply it doesn't “take a degree” to understand the science.

• Friday, January 24th 2020 - 07:54 UTC

  Philanthropist Soros pledges 1 billion dollars in support of civil society; criticizes Trump, Xi and Putin

  

  US financier and philanthropist George Soros on Thursday pledged one billion dollars for a new university network project to battle the erosion of civil society in a world increasingly ruled by “would-be and actual dictators” and beset by climate change.

• Thursday, January 16th 2020 - 08:47 UTC

  Past decade the hottest on record, but higher temperatures can be expected

  

  The past decade has been the hottest on record, the UN said on Wednesday warning that the higher temperatures were expected to fuel numerous extreme weather events in 2020 and beyond.

• Tuesday, January 14th 2020 - 09:51 UTC

  Last year, the warmest on record for the world's oceans long term trend

  

  Last year was the warmest year on record for the world's oceans, part of a long-term warming trend, according to a study released on Monday. “If you look at the ocean heat content, 2019 is by far the hottest, 2018 is second, 2017 is third, 2015 is fourth, and then 2016 is fifth,” said Kevin E. Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, NCAR, and an author on the study.

• Tuesday, January 14th 2020 - 09:30 UTC

  Venice, from severe flooding to almost dry canals in two months

  

  Low tides have left canals in Venice almost dry, just two months after severe flooding left much of the Italian city under water. Boats have been seen almost beached as water levels dip drastically.

• Friday, January 10th 2020 - 09:49 UTC

  Fires in the Amazon rainforest grew 30.5% in 2019; below the historic average

  

  The number of fires in the Amazon rainforest grew 30.5% in 2019 from the previous year, according to data released by space research agency INPE. The agency said the number of fires detected in the Amazon region was 89,178 in 2019 compared with 68,345 fires in 2018.

• Thursday, January 9th 2020 - 09:50 UTC

  Italian cities combat harmful emissions and smog by curbing traffic

  

  More than a dozen cities and towns across Italy introduced traffic curbs on Wednesday in a bid to cut harmful emissions following a spike in pollution. A prolonged period of sunny weather with little rain or wind has pushed up air pollution across the country, triggering smog alerts in more than 60 municipalities.