climate change

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Poop Seen From Space Leads to Emperor Penguin Discovery

4 colonies are newly identified

(Newser) - Scientists have spotted previously unknown colonies of emperor penguins in Antarctica, all thanks to poop that could be seen from space. As NBC News reports, Peter Fretwell with the British Antarctic Survey used satellite imagery to spot "tell-tale patches" of penguin guano against the white snow. It's encouraging...

Greenland Ice Sheet Losing 30M Tons of Ice Per Hour

New study finds an increase to the amount previously estimated

(Newser) - A new study on Greenland's ice cap has disturbing implications: Researchers found it's losing more than 30 million tons of ice per hour, on average. That's a lot more than had previously been estimated, and it means more freshwater is going into the north Atlantic Ocean than...

Warmer Weather Is Shrinking Vital Snowpack
Our Spring Snowpack
Keeps Getting Smaller
NEW STUDY

Our Spring Snowpack Keeps Getting Smaller

Researchers saw a steep decline in Northern Hemisphere over four decades

(Newser) - If you've been wondering where all the snow's gone—historically speaking—you're not alone. A new study in the journal Nature suggests that snowpack throughout the Northern Hemisphere has dropped sharply over the last 40 years, the New York Times reports. Snowpack is seasonally stable snow that...

John Kerry to End Tenure as Climate Envoy

Former secretary of state considers Biden's reelection key to climate battle

(Newser) - John Kerry has told President Biden he plans to resign as special envoy for climate—a job created for him— by spring. The former secretary of state and US senator told the president on Wednesday and his staff on Saturday, the New York Times reports. Kerry will instead work on...

2-Year Drought 'a Human Tragedy That's Only Growing'

Widespread drought conditions affect nearly 1 out of every 4 people on the planet

(Newser) - The last two years have been brutal in terms of drought. Nearly 25% of the world's population, some 1.84 billion people, were living under drought in 2022 and 2023, according to a UN report shared last month. The Horn of Africa experienced its worst drought in four decades,...

New Report Holds a 'Predominantly Negative Outlook for the World'

World Economic Forum annual risk survey warns of misinformation, aided by AI

(Newser) - Two-thirds of risk specialists see an "elevated chance of global catastrophes" in the next decade. Nearly a third predict the same within the next couple of years. That's according to the World Economic Forum's annual risk survey, which is being widely painted as "gloomy" and "...

EU Scientists Confirm Unwanted Weather Milestone

2023 was the hottest year on record, by a mile

(Newser) - It's the record everyone knew was coming : The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said Tuesday that 2023 was the hottest year on record, reports Reuters . What's more, those records go back only to 1850, and the EU scientists say 2023 was probably the hottest year of...

Cities Along the East Coast Are Sinking
Cities Along the East Coast
Are Sinking
NEW STUDY

Cities Along the East Coast Are Sinking

It's a matter of millimeters, but researchers say it's a cause of real concern

(Newser) - Here's a new one for your climate change Bingo card. Major cities along the Atlantic coast are sinking, Virginia Tech News reports, with rates in some areas that outpace global sea level rise. A paper published by researchers from Virginia Tech in PNAS Nexus analyzed radar datasets to observe...

One Way to Save Struggling Trees: Help Them Migrate

Varied strategies in Pacific Northwest address changing environment

(Newser) - As native trees in the Pacific Northwest die off due to climate changes, the US Forest Service, the city of Portland, and citizen groups around Puget Sound are turning to a deceptively simple climate adaptation strategy called "assisted migration." As the world's climate warms, tree-growing ranges in...

Rice Has a Goldilocks Problem
Rice Has a Goldilocks Problem

Rice Has a Goldilocks Problem

Too much or too little water hurts the crop, and changing climate is causing both conditions

(Newser) - Rice is essential to feeding the planet, but climate change is forcing farmers to adapt as heat and flooding reach extreme conditions. Per Modern Farmer , breeders and scientists are working toward that goal (an essential one to fighting hunger, with 20% of human calories consumed from rice). They write that...

Climate Researcher's Unusual Message: Hope

Dr. Hannah Ritchie says hypernegative messaging obscures real progress, and might even hinder it

(Newser) - How do we keep positive about the environment after the hottest year on record ? By focusing on wins, not climate change doom reports, says Dr. Hannah Ritchie, who spoke with the New York Times Magazine about her new book, Not the End of the World . In it, she makes...

On Climate Studies, Meet the 'Worst-Worst-Case Scenario'

Renowned scientist's new study warns that a feared acceleration of warming is already underway

(Newser) - As the world puts to bed the hottest year on record, the Washington Post calls attention to a study suggesting we haven't seen anything yet. The paper by renowned climate scientist James Hansen—the New York Times notes that it was Hansen's testimony before Congress 35 years ago...

Al Gore: 'We Can Reclaim Control of Our Destiny'

Former VP says technology to reverse climate change exists, calls for grassroots pressure

(Newser) - Al Gore sounded a familiar theme in an end-of-year interview with CNN—the climate change situation is "dire." But the former VP also sounded a distinct note of optimism about the ability to fix it. "The good news is we can reclaim control of our destiny,"...

Bing Crosby Would Be Disappointed This Christmas

Prospects aren't good for a white Christmas across much of the US—except in Alaska

(Newser) - For most Americans dreaming of a white Christmas, this year's prospects aren't good. Although parts of the Rockies and Midwest already have snow or could get a fresh dusting by Monday, other parts of the country that are normally coated in white this time of year are still...

Drought Kills at Least 100 Elephants
Drought Kills
at Least 100
Elephants

Drought Kills at Least 100 Elephants

El Nino blamed for lack of water killing pachyderms in recent weeks in Zimbabwe's largest national park

(Newser) - At least 100 elephants have died in Zimbabwe's largest national park in recent weeks because of drought, their carcasses a grisly sign of what wildlife authorities and conservation groups say is the impact of climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon. Authorities warn that more could die as...

The Farm of the Future Might Just Float
This Is a Farm. Yes, It Floats

This Is a Farm. Yes, It Floats

Cows have basically a houseboat in Rotterdam harbor, while Indians try seedling rafts to outsmart climate change

(Newser) - On the top deck of a three-tiered structure moored near downtown Rotterdam, brown and white cows graze on hay dropped from a conveyor belt above their heads. Canopies protect the cows from sun and collect rainwater they will drink. Sometimes the cows walk over to a machine that automatically milks...

Out of COP28, 'Historic' Deal to 'Do What Is Long Overdue'

But critics say little has changed with loopholes that could 'potentially take us backward'

(Newser) - United Nations climate negotiators directed the world on Wednesday to transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels in a move the talks chief called historic, despite critics' worries about loopholes, per the AP . "Humanity has finally done what is long, long, long overdue," Wopke Hoekstra, European Union commissioner for...

At Climate Summit, a Record Number of Fossil Fuel Reps

Experts fear their influence at COP28 could block vital action on climate change

(Newser) - A record number of fossil fuel representatives are attending the ongoing United Nations climate summit, something experts fear could translate to a lack of progress toward curbing climate change. The Kick Big Polluters Out Coalition, comprising more than 450 groups working in environmental and climate action, analyzed a provisional attendance...

Al Gore Has Fighting Words at UN Climate Summit

Says conference host is head of 'one of the largest and one of the dirtiest ... oil companies in the world'

(Newser) - Don't trust the oil and gas industry to report their actual carbon pollution, says former US Vice President Al Gore, who adds that the man leading the United Nations climate talks runs one of the "dirtiest" oil companies out there. "They're much better at capturing politicians...

Xprize Winner Is Betting on Seaweed to Save the Planet

Seaweed farms are a food source and store carbon, but some scientists are wary

(Newser) - The Climate Foundation won a $1 million Milestone award from Elon Musk's Xprize foundation last year for its innovative solutions to trapping carbon via seaweed farming. Now, the group is vying for part of the foundation's $100 million fund alongside 14 other prize winners, but the Guardian reports...

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