Forests can cope with a warming world if – and only if – temperature rises increase in line with increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Increased CO2 allows trees to develop physiological characteristics, such as greater foliage, that can cope with higher temperatures. But researchers warn that a break in theContinue Reading
Countries will have to increase their carbon-cutting ambitions five fold if the world is to avoid warming by more than 1.5C, the UN says. The annual emissions gap report shows that even if all current promises are met, the world will warm by more than double that amount by 2100.Continue Reading
Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases once again reached new highs in 2018. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the increase in CO2 was just above the average rise recorded over the last decade. Levels of other warming gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, have also surged byContinue Reading
A third of tropical African plants are on the path to extinction, according to a new assessment. Much of western Africa, Ethiopia, and parts of Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the hardest hit regions, standing to lose more than 40% of their richness of plants. SpeciesContinue Reading
The Sumatran rhino is now officially extinct in Malaysia, with the death of the last known specimen. The 25-year-old female named Iman died on Saturday on the island of Borneo, officials say. She had cancer. Malaysia’s last male Sumatran rhino died in May this year. The Sumatran rhino once roamedContinue Reading