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Scientists had previously estimated that Mars's north polar ice cap contained roughly 25% dust mixed in with water ice. New research revises that figure sharply downward, indicating the ice is much purer than earlier models suggested.
New analysis argues that the 2008 financial crisis marked a turning point in the US's relationship between economic growth and fossil fuel consumption, echoing a pattern earlier seen in Sweden. Since 1996 Sweden's carbon emissions have fallen by a third from their peak even as its GDP more than doubled, demonstrating that growth and emissions can be 'decoupled' over decades. The analysis cites this long-running Swedish trend as evidence that similar decoupling has since taken hold in the US economy.
Researchers deployed umbrella-like shading devices over coral reefs in the Florida Keys to test whether reducing sunlight exposure can help corals survive periods of extreme ocean heat. The experiment is aimed at limiting coral bleaching, a stress response triggered when warming waters cause corals to expel the algae they depend on for nutrients and color.
Online researchers claim to have traced two earlier X accounts, both using the handle @hilbertspaess, to Jacob Coxon, the former Anthropic employee who recently warned AI could threaten humanity. The archived posts, dating from 2021 to 2024, include comments dismissing climate change concerns and mocking efforts to protect the rainforest. One investigator compiled the tweets into a searchable database.
Startup Brightly has begun issuing carbon credits for food that would otherwise be wasted, using methodology approved by Verra, the largest carbon crediting registry. The credits generate funding for nonprofits that collect surplus food, which they then use to feed more people while diverting food from landfills.
MIT Technology Review says it has finalized its annual list of 10 climate tech companies making progress in energy storage, nuclear power and transportation, set for publication on October 6. Separately, Anthropic announced its AI molecular biology lab had flagged an uncatalogued enzyme pattern it likened to a precursor of CRISPR, but several biologists disputed whether this qualifies as a genuine discovery, with one saying his team had already found the same pattern.
MIT Technology Review announced it has finalized its fourth annual Climate Tech Companies to Watch list, set to publish on October 6. The list narrows a broad set of global companies down to 10 selected for their impact on emissions, public safety or health, spanning energy storage, nuclear power and transportation.
New climate research finds that greenhouse gas emissions released after the 2015 Paris Agreement have intensified the severity of heatwaves across Europe. The findings attribute part of the recent extreme heat events to continued fossil fuel output following the accord's adoption.
Researchers have calculated the economic damage caused by heat stress reducing worker productivity worldwide, finding that current estimates of the social cost of carbon largely omit this factor. Hot and humid conditions force workers to slow down, take more breaks, or work fewer hours, cutting output across the global workforce.
At this year's New York Climate Week, much of the climate tech industry's attention centered on the AI data center boom, with founders and investors pivoting toward energy infrastructure to power AI. PitchBook data cited shows climate tech venture funding has risen for four straight quarters, topping $14 billion in Q1 2025, driven largely by grid infrastructure, built environment, and dispatchable energy deals tied to data center construction. Some founders at the event expressed concern that this focus is overshadowing other promising climate tech sectors.
A panel of tech executives discussing AI and data centers at Climate Week in New York was repeatedly interrupted by activists from Extinction Rebellion NYC, who took turns standing up to shout about the environmental harms of AI and fossil-fuel-powered infrastructure before being removed by security. Crusoe cofounder Cully Cavness, one of the panelists, later told the moderator he was still rattled by the disruption minutes afterward.
Italian prison watchdog Antigone reports that cells across the country's roughly 200 detention facilities have regularly exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit this summer, as most lack air conditioning, fans or adequate ventilation. The heat compounds severe overcrowding, with about 65,000 inmates held in facilities built for 47,000, according to the New York Times.