The Arctic could be ice-free by summer 2027: What it means for weather, shipping and polar bears
Article written by Jennifer Marsden Originally published by euronews. (Dec 4, 2024) The Arctic Ocean may see its first ice-free day before 2030, earlier than scientists predicted. While most projections of the Arctic’s sea ice have focused on month-by-month conditions, a new study has revealed possible predictions down to the day. Previous expectations had the […]
Starving animals in Botswana resorting to cannibalism.
Across Southern Africa, drought-stricken hippos are resorting to dreadful measures to fill their achingly empty bellies. Credit: de Wets Wild In Botswana, these normally herbivorous animals are so hungry, they have been eating the rotting carcass of a dead cow. But somehow, it gets worse. In the Motopi region, a herd of hippos was seen […]
World’s 1.5C climate target ‘deader than a doornail’, experts say
Article written by Oliver Milman Originally published by The Guardian (Nov 18, 2024) Scientists say goal to keep world’s temperature rise below 1.5C is not going to happen despite talks at Cop29 in Baku The internationally agreed goal to keep the world’s temperature rise below 1.5C is now “deader than a doornail,” with 2024 almost […]
‘World’s largest’ coral discovered in Solomon Islands
Article written by Nick Squires Originally published by The Telegraph (Nov 14, 2024) The ‘mega’ coral is longer than a blue whale and is in glowing health despite warming seas that bleach others of its kind Scientists have discovered the largest single coral ever recorded—so big that they had originally thought it was a long-forgotten shipwreck. […]
This year ‘virtually certain’ to be hottest on record, finds EU space program
Article written by Ajit Niranjan Originally published by The Guardian (Nov 7, 2024) Copernicus Climate Change Service says 2024 marks ‘a new milestone’ and should raise ambitions at Cop29 summit It is “virtually certain” that 2024 will be the hottest year on record, the European Union’s space programme has found. The prognosis comes the week […]
Devastating wildfires leave baby animals orphaned.
When the dry South African landscape catches fire, there is little animals can do to escape the raging flames, which can tear through the bushveld at a terrifying 13.5mph (22kph). Credit: Friends of Free Wildlife Recently, two tiny jackal cubs were orphaned in such fires. Their mothers either lost them as they became disoriented in […]
African Penguin classified as ‘critically endangered’
Adapted from originally published by Cape Town Ect (Oct 28, 2024) The African Penguin, with its distinctive black-and-white tuxedo and playful nature, is a cherished symbol in South Africa and around the world, Cape {town} Etc reports. Yet despite its popularity, the species has been uplisted to Critically Endangered by the IUCN, revealing it is […]
We’re still trying to reach our goal to fill waterholes in Botswana.
Our supporters are helping to provide critical water sources for wildlife in drought-ravaged Botswana, saving countless animals from dehydration and death. Credit: Camelthorn Farmstead Now, we have discovered that animals are dying on the banks of two more waterholes that have run completely dry. The situation is heart-breaking – but the good news is that, […]
Rate of ocean warming has nearly doubled since 2005: study
Originally published by Dawn (Oct 1, 2024) The pace at which oceans are warming has almost doubled since 2005 as global temperatures rise because of human-caused climate change, a report from the EU monitor Copernicus said on Monday. The findings by the Copernicus Marine Service underscore the consequences of a warming planet on oceans, which […]
Climate change creates a ‘cocktail’ of serious health hazards for 70 per cent of the world’s workers
Originally published by International Labour Organization (Apr 22, 2024) The health consequences of climate change can include cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, kidney dysfunction and mental health conditions. A “staggering” number of workers, amounting to more than 70 percent of the global workforce, are likely to be exposed to climate-change-related health hazards, and existing occupational […]
‘Time capsules’ of toxic consumption: What happens to the shipping containers lost at sea?
Article written by Christina Larson, Helen Wieffering, Manuel Valdes with AP Originally published by Euro news. (Oct 3, 2024) A single container changes the micro-ecosystem around it – impacting seafloor species that scientists are still discovering. Russ Lewis has picked up some strange things along the coast of Long Beach Peninsula in Washington state over the years: […]
One in two El Niño events could be extreme by mid-century
Article written by Yvaine Ye Originally published by Science Daily (Sep 25, 2024) With the climate pattern known as El Niño in full force from mid-2023 to mid-2024, global temperatures broke records for 12 months in a row. As one of the strongest El Niño events on record, it was likely the main culprit of […]
Food has run out once again for starving hippos.
A while ago, we asked for your help to feed 100 starving hippos along the Boteti River in Botswana’s Makgadikgadi National Park, where a brutal drought had decimated the animals’ food sources. The desperately hungry hippos were eating elephant dung to survive – until we rushed them emergency food supplies thanks to your support. Credit: Camelthorn […]
Orphaned elephant calf still desperate for your help.
When 11-month-old elephant calf Boteti was orphaned, Botswana’s drought had become so severe, the infant was close to starvation. Her mother, in her dying moments, had brought Boteti to the edge of near-dry waterhole to drink. There, utterly depleted, she collapsed and died in front of her calf. Infant Boteti with her mother shortly before […]
The dark side of nature photography: How social media threatens wildlife
Article written by Kaleigh Harrison Originally published by Enviroment Energy Leader (Aug 16, 2024) The “Instagram effect” has led to overcrowding and environmental damage at once-secluded beaches. For example, Thailand’s Maya Bay, made famous by the film “The Beach,” had to be closed to tourists in 2018 after social media popularity led to over 5,000 […]
World logs hottest day since records began — with fresh highs expected in the coming months
Article written by Sam Meredith Originally published by CNBC (Jul 23, 2024) The world’s average temperature climbed to its highest level ever recorded on Sunday, according to the European Union’s climate monitor. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) found that the global average surface temperature rose to 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit) on July […]
Massive drought has starving hippos running out of time!
We are reaching out today because we have still not reached our goal to feed 100 starving hippos through Botswana’s worst drought in decades. Please, will you help? The scenes are harrowing: A hundred starving hippos desperately searching the parched landscape for scraps to eat, their helpless, newborn infants by their sides. Without food, they […]
The greatest land mammal migration on Earth is taking place – and it’s not the Serengeti
Article written by Don Pinnock Originally published by Daily Maverick (Jun 25, 2024) In an area you’ve probably never heard of, the largest movement of land mammals on the planet is under way. Each year millions of white-eared kob, Mongalla gazelle, tiang and Bohor reedbuck migrate across the Boma Badingilo Jonglei Landscape in South Sudan. […]
Climate crisis driving exponential rise in most extreme wildfires
Article written by Damian Carrington Originally published by The Guardian (Jun 24, 2024) Scientists warn of ‘scary’ feedback loop in which fires create more heating, which causes more fires worldwide The climate crisis is driving an exponential rise in the most extreme wildfires in key regions around the world, research has revealed. The wildfires can […]
Fossil fuels generated less than a quarter of the EU’s electricity in April
Article written by Rosie Frost Originally published by euronews.green (May 10, 2024) Growth in wind and solar energy, as well as the restoration of hydropower, were the main factors in the decline in fossil fuel production. Fossil fuels provided less than a quarter of the EU’s energy for the first time in April. The good […]
Scientists’ experiment is ‘beacon of hope’ for coral reefs on brink of global collapse
Article written by Donna Ferguson Originally published by The Guardian (Apr 20, 2024) Recordings of healthy fish are being transmitted to attract heat-tolerant larvae back to degraded reefs in the Maldives An underwater experiment to restore coral reefs using a combination of “coral IVF” and recordings of fish noises could offer a “beacon of hope” to scientists […]
Wild animals stand no chance against this deadly drought without YOU.
In Botswana, once-majestic wild animals are withering away and dropping dead on parched landscapes – tragic victims of the country’s worst drought in decades. This year, the nation experienced its wet season in 40 years, with less than 20% of its expected rainfall. Deadly conditions were made worse by extreme heat exceeding 99℉ (37℃). For […]
Can we engineer our way out of the climate crisis
Article written by David Gelles Originally published by New York Times (Published March 31, 2024 – Updated April 4, 2024) On a windswept Icelandic plateau, an international team of engineers and executives is powering up an innovative machine designed to alter the very composition of Earth’s atmosphere. If all goes as planned, the enormous vacuum […]
Africa’s wildebeest: those that can’t migrate are becoming genetically weaker – new study
Article written by Joseph Ogutu Originally published by The Conversation (Apr 12, 2024) Wildebeest – large African antelopes with distinctively curved horns – are famous for their great migrations on the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. One hundred and fifty years ago, they migrated in huge numbers across the continent, in search of grazing […]
Not just polar bears — climate change could push African rhinos to extinction
Article written by Anna Dulissa Originally published by Mongabay News (Mar 14, 2024) New research finds climate change threatens black and white African rhinos by making their current habitats hotter, drier and less hospitable. Rhinos, unable to sweat, rely on shade, water and food sources that are becoming scarcer due to rising temperatures and arid […]
February was warmest on record globally, say scientists
Article written by staff and agencies Originally published by The Guardian (Mar 7, 2024) Global average temperature for past 12 months highest on record at 1.56C above pre-industrial levels, data shows Last month was the warmest February on record globally, making it the ninth month in a row with record temperatures for the time of […]
World’s globetrotting animals at risk due to habitat loss, climate change
Adapted from original article written by Benjamin Shingler Originally published by CBC News (Fri, Feb 12, 2024) New report highlights challenges facing migratory species, and what can be done to save them During its nesting season, the marbled murrelet, known affectionately among bird watchers as a “strange, mysterious little seabird,” lays a single egg in the thick […]
Atlantic Ocean circulation nearing ‘devastating’ tipping point, study finds
Adapted from original article written by Johnathan Watts Originally published by The Guardian (Fri, Feb 9, 2024) Collapse in system of currents that helps regulate global climate would be at such speed that adaptation would be impossible The circulation of the Atlantic Ocean is heading towards a tipping point that is “bad news for the […]
Nearly half of the world’s migratory species are in decline, UN report says
Article written by Christina Larson Originally published by wbtv.com (Mon, Feb 12, 2024) Many songbirds, sea turtles, whales, sharks and other migratory animals move to different environments with changing seasons and are imperiled by habitat loss, illegal hunting and fishing, pollution and climate change. About 44% of migratory species worldwide are declining in population, the report […]
Polar bears risk starvation as they face longer ice-free periods in the Arctic
Article written by Agence France-Presse Originally published by The Guardian (Tue, Feb 13, 2024) Bears use ice to access food, but a study of animals in Canada shows them struggling to adapt to more time on land amid climate crisis Polar bears in Canada’s Hudson Bay risk starvation as the climate crisis lengthens periods without […]
Hurricanes becoming so strong that new category needed, study says
Article written by Oliver Milman Originally published by The Guardian (Mon, Feb 5, 2024) Scientists propose new category 6 rating to classify ‘mega-hurricanes’, becoming more likely due to climate crisis Hurricanes are becoming so strong due to the climate crisis that the classification of them should be expanded to include a “category 6” storm, furthering […]
Greenland losing 30m tonnes of ice an hour, study reveals
Article written by Damian Carrington Originally published by The Guardian (Thu, Jan 17, 2024) Total is 20% higher than thought and may have implications for collapse of globally important north Atlantic ocean currents The Greenland ice cap is losing an average of 30m tonnes of ice an hour due to the climate crisis, a study […]
‘Astounding’ ocean temperatures in 2023 intensified extreme weather, data shows
Adapted from article written by Damian Carrington Originally published by The Guardian (Thu, Jan 11, 2024) Record levels of heat were absorbed last year by Earth’s seas, which have been warming year-on-year for the past decade “Astounding” ocean temperatures in 2023 supercharged “freak” weather around the world as the climate crisis continued to intensify, new […]
Brazilian semi-arid biome could lose over 90% of mammal species by 2060
Article written by André Julião Originally published by Phys.org (Thu, Jan 11, 2023) The foreseeable effects of climate change on the Caatinga, the semi-arid shrubland and thorn forest biome in Brazil’s Northeast region, will be catastrophic for most terrestrial mammal species that live there. A study reported in the journal Global Change Biology by researchers in Brazil affiliated with […]
Solar power can help Zimbabwe’s elephants in drought crisis.
Zimbabwe’s wildlife is in serious trouble. An enduring drought, barely influenced by a recent and inadequate smattering of rain, has left wild animals in severe distress and dying, and will continue to do so if we do not help right away. The elephants of Hwange National Park are set to return from their annual migration […]
Quarter of world’s freshwater fish at risk of extinction, according to assessment
Article written by Patrick Greenfield Originally published by The Guardian (Mon, Dec 11, 2023) Global heating, pollution, overfishing and falling water levels among factors hitting populations, finds IUCN red list study Nearly a quarter of the world’s freshwater fish are at risk of extinction due to global heating, overfishing and pollution, according to an expert […]
World facing ‘hellish’ 3C of climate heating, UN warns before Cop28
Article written by Damian Carrington Originally published by The Guardian (Mon, 20 Nov, 2023) ‘We must start setting records on cutting emissions,’ UN boss says after temperature records obliterated in 2023 The world is on track for a “hellish” 3C of global heating, the UN has warned before the crucial Cop28 climate summit that begins next week […]
More than a quarter of newly approved oil and gas blocks fall in marine protected areas
Adapted from the article written by Richa Syal and Ellie O’Donnell Originally published by Unearthed (Mon, 20 Nov, 2023) New UK offshore licences for the multinational oil giants Shell and Eni are among those sitting within sensitive conservation sites More than a quarter of the offshore oil and gas sites licensed by the UK government […]
Number of species at risk of extinction doubles to 2 million, says study
Adapted from the article written by Phoebe Weston Originally published by The Guardian (Wed, 8 Nov, 2023) New research on insects – without which the planet would not survive – shows a higher proportion are at risk of disappearing Two million species are at risk of extinction, a figure that is double previous UN estimates, […]
Kenyans get tree-planting holiday to plant 100 million seedlings
Adapted from the article written by Basillioh Rukanga Originally published by bbc.com (Mon, 13 Nov, 2023) Kenyans have been given a special holiday to plant 100 million trees as part of the government’s goal to plant 15 billion trees in 10 years. The holiday allows “each and every Kenyan to own the initiative”, according to […]
2023 on track to be the hottest year on record, say scientists
Article written Ajit Niranjan Originally published by The Guardian (Wed, 8 Nov, 2023) Last month was hottest October since records began, with average global temperature thought to be 1.7C above late-1800s levels The world is set to have been hotter in 2023 than in any other year on record, scientists have declared, before a landmark […]
Why many scientists are now saying climate change is an all-out ‘emergency’
Adapted from the article written by Shannon Osaka Originally published by The Washington Post (Mon, 30 Oct, 2023) Escalating rhetoric comes as new study shows there’s just six years left to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius at current CO2 emissions rate. On Monday, scientists released a paper showing that the world’s “carbon budget” — the […]
Chinese drug firms backed by global banks found using leopard and pangolin parts, group says
Article written by Michelle Toh Originally published by CNN Business (Sun, 21 Oct, 2023) Three top Chinese pharmaceutical companies, which are backed by top global banks, are using endangered animal parts in their medicines, according to an investigation by an environmental protection group. In a Monday report, the Environmental Investigation Agency UK (EIA) said it had found […]
Rapid ice melt in west Antarctica now inevitable, research shows
Article written by Damian Carrington Originally published by The Guardian (Sun, 21 Oct, 2023) Sea level will be driven up no matter how much carbon emissions are cut, putting coastal cities in danger Accelerated ice melt in west Antarctica is inevitable for the rest of the century no matter how much carbon emissions are cut, research indicates. […]
World Lemur Day highlights the plight of Madagascar’s critically endangered primates
Today is World Lemur Day but tragically, there is little to celebrate. Lemurs – endemic to Madagascar and some of the world’s oldest living primates – are under terrible and constant threat. Climate change, habitat destruction and the illegal trade in bushmeat and exotic pets is rapidly driving their populations to extinction. Madagascar is home […]
Flame retardant pollution threatens wildlife on all continents, research finds
Article written by Tom Perkins Originally published by The Guardian (Wed, 18 Oct, 2023) More than 100 species, from frogs to killer whales, contaminated with long-lasting chemicals with serious health effects More than a hundred species of wildlife found across every continent are contaminated with highly toxic flame retardants, and the pollution is probably responsible […]
How a ‘mosaic forest’ is helping France adapt to rapid climate change
Originally published and written by Euronews Green (Wed, 18 Oct, 2023) A patchwork of 4,200 hectares of forest is being adapted for rising temperatures. In the Moulière massif in the Vienne département, France’s strategy for tackling climate change is called the “mosaic forest”. Here, a conquering birch grows among the oaks, and a young pine […]
South American monsoon heading towards ‘tipping point’ likely to cause Amazon dieback
Article written by Jonathan Watts Originally published by The Guardian (Wed, 4 Oct, 2023) ‘Shocking’ study finds Amazon rainforest will be unable to sustain itself and transport moisture once ‘regime shift’ occurs. The South American monsoon, which determines the climate of much of the continent, is being pushed towards a “critical destabilisation point”, according to […]
Antarctic sea-ice at ‘mind-blowing’ low alarms experts
Article written by Georgina Rannard, Becky Dale and Erwan Rivault Originally published by BBC News (Sun, 17 Sep, 2023) The sea-ice surrounding Antarctica is well below any previous recorded winter level, satellite data shows, a worrying new benchmark for a region that once seemed resistant to global warming. “It’s so far outside anything we’ve seen, […]
Elephants on the march across African borders as heat stress leads to fatalities
Article written by Nyasha Chingono Originally published by The Guardian (Wed, 20 Sep, 2023) Mortality rate grows as animals roam long distances and clash with local people in desperate search for water The climate crisis is pushing elephants on a forced migration across borders in southern Africa in search of water, creating problems for national parks and […]
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