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The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a plan to eliminate remaining federal limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, finalizing the repeal of Biden-era rules and proposing removal of related emissions standards. The agency argues climate pollution's health impacts are too diffuse to regulate, even as electricity demand rises from AI, EVs, and manufacturing growth.
Researchers examined how warming temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns are affecting conifer forests, finding measurable impacts on tree growth and physiological function. The changes appear to be reducing the ability of these forests to absorb and store atmospheric carbon as effectively as before.
Xcimer, a laser-based fusion startup, has struck a partnership and investment deal with RTX, the conglomerate that owns Raytheon. The move reflects a broader trend of fusion companies seeking defense industry backing as climate tech venture funding tightens, reviving fusion's historical ties to national security research.
The EU's climate service confirmed that August matched July 2023 as the hottest month ever measured, with global temperatures averaging 1.65C above pre-industrial levels. Scientists attribute the spike to a combination of long-term climate change and an intensifying El Nino pattern in the Pacific. The month also closed out western Europe's hottest summer on record, exceeding the deadly heat wave of 2003.
A new study finds that as global temperatures rise, thawing permafrost, drying forests, wildfires, and warming wetlands are releasing additional methane and carbon dioxide that current climate models largely fail to account for. Researchers estimate these natural feedback loops could amplify overall global warming by 20% to 30% by the end of the century, adding between 0.2C and 0.4C depending on how aggressively nations cut fossil fuel emissions.
Researchers analyzing two skeletons unearthed in Indonesia found heavy tooth wear and traces of arecoline, a psychoactive compound found in betel nuts. One skeleton dates back 16,000 to 25,000 years, suggesting the individuals regularly chewed or sucked on betel nuts long before the practice became widespread. The findings, published in Science Advances, push back the timeline for humanity's earliest documented drug habits.
Researchers led by psychologist Tobias Brosch at the University of Geneva analyzed 71 studies covering over 216,000 participants to compare climate-communication strategies. Published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, the review found that messages evoking awe, wonder or hope were more effective at motivating climate-friendly behavior than purely scientific fact-based appeals, while messages emphasizing personal responsibility often failed or backfired.
The EU's Copernicus climate agency reported that August tied with July 2023 as the hottest month ever measured globally, following a summer that also produced the second-hottest June and July on record. NOAA separately confirmed this was the hottest US summer, surpassing the Dust Bowl era, while global average temperatures ran 1.65°C above preindustrial levels.
Copernicus reported that August 2023 statistically tied July 2023 as the hottest month ever measured, with global average temperatures reaching 16.96 degrees Celsius. Scientists attribute the extreme heat to a combination of long-term human-caused climate change and a strong El Nino weather pattern, noting the reading was 1.65 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Researchers have identified additional greenhouse gas feedback loops, where rising temperatures themselves trigger further emissions, that are not fully accounted for in current climate models. Their analysis suggests these overlooked mechanisms could accelerate global warming by as much as 30% beyond existing projections.
A geospatial artificial intelligence firm analyzed 72 of the world's largest cities to assess how well each is positioned to withstand climate-related risks such as heat, flooding, and extreme weather. The resulting ranking places some well-known cities in unexpectedly low or high positions relative to public perception.
A recent earthquake on Norway's Jan Mayen Island triggered a rock slide, an event researchers point to as evidence that Arctic terrain is becoming more unstable. Scientists link the growing frequency and severity of such incidents to climate change, which is altering the physical conditions of the region's landscape.