Climate change

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 […]

Revealed: almost everyone in Europe is breathing toxic air

Article written by Matthew Taylor and Pamela Duncan Originally published by The Guardian (Wed, 20 Sep, 2023) Guardian investigation finds 98% of Europeans breathing highly damaging polluted air linked to 400,000 deaths a year Europe is facing a “severe public health crisis”, with almost everyone across the continent living in areas with dangerous levels of […]

American Airlines demonstrated what could be the world’s cheapest way to fight global warming

Article written by Tim Fernholz Originally published by Quartz (Mon, 6 Sep, 2023) The airline is trialing technology developed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy and Google. Aviation is a significant contributor to climate change, with emissions from airplanes responsible for about 3.5% of human-caused global warming. It’s not simply the byproducts of burning jet fuel, however. Just […]

‘Alarming’ scale of marine sand dredging laid bare by new data platform

Article written by Karen McVeigh Originally published by The Guardian (Tue, 5 Sep, 2023) UN-developed Marine Sand Watch estimates 6bn tonnes dug up a year, well beyond rate at which it is replenished One million lorries of sand a day are being extracted from the world’s oceans, posing a “significant” threat to marine life and […]

‘Catastrophic’ loss: Huge colonies of emperor penguins saw no chicks survive last year as sea ice disappears

Article written by Rachel Ramirez Originally published by CNN World (Thu, 24 Aug, 2023) (CNN) — As rapidly warming global temperatures help push Antarctica’s sea ice to unprecedented lows, it’s threatening the very existence of one of the continent’s most iconic species: emperor penguins. Four out of five emperor penguin colonies analyzed in the Bellingshausen […]

World’s oldest moss could go extinct as a result of climate crisis

Article written by Rume Otuguor Originally published by The Guardian (Wed, 9 Aug, 2023) Scientists say Takakia, a 390m-year-old moss found in Himalayas, is at risk despite its ability to adapt to extreme weather The world’s oldest moss, found in the Himalayas, may not be able to survive climate breakdown, scientists have said. Takakia, which […]

Ocean temperatures hit 90 degrees, fueling weather disasters

Article written by Brian K Sullivan Originally published by Bloomberg (Tue, Jul 25, 2023) Soaring water temperatures are triggering extreme heat, storms and drought. Heat searing enough to knock out mobile phones. Wildfire smoke that turns the skies an apocalyptic orange. Flash floods submerging towns in upstate New York and Vermont. This grim procession of recent disasters is being driven […]

Deadly global heatwaves undeniably result of climate crisis, scientists show

Article written by Damian Carrington Originally published by The Guardian (Tue, Jul 25, 2023) Analysis makes it clear human-caused global heating is destroying lives with worse to come without sharp emissions cuts The human-caused climate crisis is undeniably to blame for the deadly heatwaves that have struck Europe and the US in recent weeks, scientists […]

HURRY! Animal wildfire victims in Greece need HELP!

Thousands of people have fled infernos on the island of Rhodes in Greece as wildfires sweep the country for a seventh day. Crete is expected to go up in flames next and the fires near Athens can reignite at any time The week-long blazes, fueled by various factors, including the longest heatwave in the country’s […]

EU passes nature restoration law in knife-edge vote

Written by Ajit Niranjan Originally published by The Guardian (Wed, Jul 12, 2023) MEPs back law to place recovery measures on 20% of EU’s land and sea by 2030 by dozen votes The EU has narrowly passed a key law to protect nature – a core pillar of the Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s […]

World’s oceans changing colour due to climate breakdown, study suggests

Written by Sofia Quaglia Originally published by The Guardian (Wed, Jul 12, 2023) The sea is becoming greener due to changes in plankton populations, analysis of Nasa images finds Earth’s oceans are changing colour and climate breakdown is probably to blame, according to research. The deep blue sea is actually becoming steadily greener over time, […]

Climate change is driving earlier springtimes. For some birds, that could equal extinction: Study

Written by Nicole Karlis Originally published by Salon.com (Thu, Jul 6, 2023) Birds are trying to adapt, but can’t quite keep up with the earlier arrival of spring By now, it’s well understood that a warming planet is slowly advancing the arrival of spring. Flowers, like the famous cherry blossoms, are experiencing record-early blooms. Bees […]

Three in every five wildlife crimes in Europe go unpunished: Report

Written by Himanshu Nitnaware Originally published by Down To Earth (Thu, Jul 6, 2023) Birds were the species most targeted in wildlife crimes Most wildlife crimes remain invisible or go unpunished in Europe, flagged a new report. On an average, about 60 per cent of complaints of wildlife crimes reported to the prosecution did not […]

Climate change spells ‘terrifying’ future: UN rights chief

Originally published by France 24 (Mon, Jul 3, 2023) Climate change threatens to deliver a “truly terrifying” dystopian future of hunger and suffering, the United Nations’ human rights chief warned Monday. Volker Turk slammed world leaders for only thinking of the short term while dealing with the climate crisis. Turk told a UN Human Rights […]

Current heatwave across US south made five times more likely by climate crisis

Article written by Oliver Milman Originally published by The Guardian (Tue, Jun 27, 2023) Latest ‘heat dome’ event over Texas and Louisiana, plus much of Mexico, driven by human-cause climate change, scientists find The record heatwave roiling parts of Texas, Louisiana and Mexico was made at least five times more likely due to human-caused climate change, scientists […]

Thousands of dead fish have washed up on a Thai beach. Experts say climate change may be to blame

Article written by Reuters and Laura Paddison, CNN Originally published by CNN (Fri, Jun 23, 2023) Climate change may have stimulated a plankton bloom that caused thousands of dead fish to wash up along a roughly 4 kilometer (2.5 mile) stretch of beach in Thailand’s southern Chumphon province on Thursday, an expert said. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, […]

Ecological tipping points could occur much sooner than expected, study finds

Article written by Johnathan Watts Originally published by The Guardian (Thu, Jun 22, 2023) Amazon rainforest and other ecosystems could collapse ‘very soon’, researchers warn Ecological collapse is likely to start sooner than previously believed, according to a new study that models how tipping points can amplify and accelerate one another. Based on these findings, […]

First cheetah cubs born in India in more than seven decades die in heatwave

Article written by Associated Press in Delhi Originally published by The Guardian (Fri, May 26, 2023) Mother among 20 of the big cats flown in from Africa as part of plan to reintroduce animal to country Three cheetah cubs born to a big cat that was brought to India from Africa last year have died […]

‘Mind-boggling’ methane emissions from Turkmenistan revealed

Article written by Damian Carrington Originally published by The Guardian (Tue, May 9, 2023) Leaks of potent greenhouse gas could be easily fixed, say experts, and would rapidly reduce global heating Methane leaks alone from Turkmenistan’s two main fossil fuel fields caused more global heating in 2022 than the entire carbon emissions of the UK, […]

Formerly stable Greenland glacier shows signs of rapid retreat

The Steenstrup Glacier in northwestern Greenland used to be one of the country’s most stable glaciers. But a new study published in Nature Communications revealed that the ice formation now ranks in the top 10% of glaciers contributing to all ice melt in the region. From 2018 to 2021, the glacier retreated a staggering 8 […]

Air pollution ‘speeds up osteoporosis’ in postmenopausal women

Article written by Gary Fuller Originally published by The Guardian (Friday, March 10, 2023) US study finds bone loss occurs twice as fast among women living in areas with higher air pollution A study has concluded that air pollution is accelerating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Researchers scanned the bones of more than 9,000 women living […]

Texas youth organizers take aim at the biggest oil field in the US

Article written by Aliya Uteuova Originally published by The Guardian (Friday, March 10, 2023) Proposed El Paso climate charter seeks to prohibit use of city water for extraction projects including those in Permian Basin A first-of-its-kind municipal climate charter in Texas could throw a wrench in US fossil fuel extraction. Residents of a major Texas […]

Like QUICKSAND, the muck of the near dried-up waterhole just SUCKED THE YOUNG ELEPHANT IN DEEPER as he struggled to get free…

Nothing better illustrates why we are so urgently seeking help to get water back into dried-up African waterholes than the… … recent near-death experience of a juvenile elephant who lives at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. Credit: Philip Keevy We have told you before about the devastating drought that has put hundreds […]

Toxic “forever chemicals” in Norwegian Arctic ice pose new risk to wildlife

The Norwegian Arctic is contaminated with disturbing levels of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and the chemicals may put major environmental pressure on the region’s wildlife, according to an Oxford University-led study. Researchers recently identified 26 types of PFAS compounds in ice around Svalbard, Norway. When the region’s ice melts, chemicals can move from […]

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