Oceans can be successfully restored by 2050, say scientists Image copyright R.HUCKE-GAETE Despite being treated as humanity’s rubbish dump for decades, the oceans of the world are proving remarkably resilient, says a new scientific review. Building on that resilience could lead to a full recovery within three decades, the researchers argue. Climate change, and the
Earth’s great ice sheets, Greenland and Antarctica, are now losing mass six times faster than they were in the 1990s thanks to warming conditions. A comprehensive review of satellite data acquired at both poles is unequivocal in its assessment of accelerating trends, say scientists. Between them, Greenland and Antarctica lost 6.4 trillion tonnes of ice
Scientists have new evidence to explain why plastic is dangerous to sea turtles: the animals mistake the scent of plastic for food. Thus, a plastic bag floating in the sea not only looks like a jellyfish snack, but it gives off a similar odour. This “olfactory trap” might help explain why sea turtles are
A new Scottish health project aims to tackle potential harm caused to the environment by pharmaceuticals. An estimated 100 million treatments are prescribed every year in Scotland. After a pill passes through a person’s body, some of its compounds reach rivers, lochs and the sea because waste water plants cannot filter them out. While the
The US has banned mention of the climate crisis in trade talks with the UK, an analysis of leaked documents has revealed.
Amazon Tribe Munduruku were co-opted by gold prospectors, she formed women’s association that now takes an increasingly prominent role in dangerous missions
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 the temperature-CO2 increase ratio could trigger
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. Richer countries have failed to
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 by above average amounts. Since 1990
