Wildfires in Greece are diminishing the Earth’s natural carbon sink
Thanassis Stavrakis/AP Photo/Alamy
Climate change is increasingly compromising the ability of the Earth’s natural carbon sinks to absorb excess carbon dioxide. This results in greenhouse gases emitted by human activity lingering in the atmosphere, contributing to further warming.
These feedback loops account for roughly 15% of the rise in CO2 levels since 1960, according to Pierre Friedlingstein from the University of Exeter, UK.
The land and oceans serve as carbon sinks, absorbing nearly half of the extra CO2 produced by humans. While higher CO2 levels can enhance plant growth, leading to greater CO2 uptake by vegetation, extreme temperatures, droughts, and wildfires associated with global warming can counteract this CO2 fertilization effect.
Friedlingstein is part of the Global Carbon Project, which aims to clarify the amounts of CO2 being emitted, how it is absorbed by different sources, and how this process evolves over time. Previously, his research team used climate models to project a 27% increase in land sinks in the absence of drought or other feedbacks.
His latest estimates have adjusted this figure to 30%, as he shared at the Exeter Climate Conference last month. He mentioned that ocean sinks also increase CO2 by 6% without feedback effects.
Together, land and oceans contribute over 15% of atmospheric CO2. Since 1960, CO2 levels have surged to around 100 parts per million (ppm), indicating that 15 ppm can be traced back to the feedback effects impacting the sinks. “The sink hasn’t collapsed, but its recovery is slow,” Friedlingstein noted.
There remains uncertainty regarding the sink’s capacity, as David Armstrong McKay from the University of Sussex has observed. “It aligns with expectations, but it’s not encouraging news that we’re marginally off what we projected,” McKay stated. “As warming intensifies, it will challenge land sinks’ adaptability to increased CO2, with extreme events like the recent El Niño-enhanced drought hampering the positive effects on vegetation growth.”
The pressing question is what will unfold next. With the rise in warming, droughts, and fires, research has indicated that land sinks have made minimal net CO2 contributions in the past two years.
This has raised concerns that the effectiveness of land sinks might significantly decrease in the near future, opposing the gradual decline most climate scientists anticipate.
Nonetheless, Friedlingstein referred to these short-term fluctuations as “blips” that may not accurately predict future trends. “What we should focus on is the long term,” he emphasized.
Hurricane Erin has regained strength, returning to a Category 4 storm over the weekend.
The recent hurricane activity has led to the formation of one of the most rapidly intensifying Atlantic hurricanes on record, suggesting that climate change is elevating the threat of quickly strengthening storms.
Erin was the first hurricane of this Atlantic season, rapidly escalating from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm in just over 24 hours. Even after fluctuations in intensity, Erin’s transformation back to a Category 4 storm is among the five fastest transitions from Category 1 to Category 5.
The hurricane is anticipated to grow stronger on Monday as it moves east of the Bahamas. For more information, refer to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory. Heavy rainfall is expected in Hispaniola on Monday, as well as in parts of the Turks and Caicos, and the southeastern and central Bahamas until Tuesday.
However, experts are focusing closely on the phenomenon of the storm’s “rapid strengthening.”
The National Hurricane Center defines rapid strengthening as an increase in sustained wind speed of at least 35 mph within 24 hours.
In Erin’s case, its maximum sustained wind speed surged by approximately 75 mph over a 24-hour period from Friday morning to Saturday.
Climate change is heightening the risk of rapidly intensifying storms, primarily due to elevated sea surface temperatures and increased moisture in the atmosphere.
As Erin approaches the Bahamas on Monday, it is expected to further intensify in the warm waters that are above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. A warmer atmosphere caused by global warming is capable of holding more moisture, allowing the storm to gain strength and enhance rainfall.
Research published in 2023 in the Journal Scientific Reports indicates that the likelihood of rapid intensification for tropical cyclones in the Atlantic has increased by about 29% from 2001 to 2020 compared to the 1971 to 1990 period.
Rapid intensification has been well-documented in recent years, with Hurricane Dorian reaching peak winds of 150 mph to 185 mph in just nine hours in 2019. Additionally, Hurricane Ian experienced rapid strengthening before making landfall in Florida in 2022.
Last year, Hurricane Milton’s sustained wind speed astonishingly rose by 90 mph over approximately 25 hours. Other notable instances of rapid strengthening include Hurricanes Harvey (2017), Laura (2020), Ida (2021), and Ian (2023).
Despite these observations, predicting rapid intensification remains a challenge. Scientists understand that warm sea surface temperatures, high humidity, and favorable atmospheric conditions play crucial roles, but further research is essential to comprehend the specific mechanics at play in individual storms.
In the coming days, the National Hurricane Center indicated that Erin will track between Bermuda and the US East Coast.
While the storms are not forecasted to make direct landfall, they can still generate dangerous surf, strong currents, and other hazardous conditions affecting the Bahamas, Bermuda, the US East Coast, and Canada’s Atlantic region.
The recent findings in Sulawesi, Indonesia, have revised the timeline for early human sea crossings, adding complexity to the puzzle of their creators.
Archaeologists have unearthed stone tools at a location in South Sulawesi, called Cario, dating back at least 104 million years. Given that Sulawesi is encircled by swift and deep waters, anyone who created these tools would have had to navigate the open ocean.
“This represents the earliest known evidence of early human presence in Sulawesi,” says Professor Adam Brumm from the Australian Center for Human Evolution Research at Griffith University, which co-directed the research. BBC Science Focus.
“It now seems evident that early hominins managed to cross the Wallace Line, leading to isolated populations on distant islands.”
The Wallace Line serves as a critical biogeographical boundary between mainland Asia and Wallacea Island. “For land mammals that don’t fly, such as those in Sulawesi, crossing from the edge of mainland Asia to the nearest Wallacea island would have been nearly impossible due to the vast distances and swift currents,” Brumm explained.
Earlier discoveries indicated that hominins arrived at nearby Flores Island approximately 102 million years ago, evolving into species like Homo floresiensis (nicknamed “The Hobbit” due to its stature) and Homo luzonensis.
However, as of now, no fossils have been discovered in Sulawesi, leaving the identity of the tool’s maker an enigma.
“We suspect it was an early Asian human species, possibly Homo erectus,” Brumm remarked. “I doubt they used boats for this journey. The colonization of the island likely occurred accidentally as they might have clung to logs or natural vegetation ‘rafts’ that were formed during tsunamis.”
These stone tools, excavated from Cario in Sulawesi, have been dated to over 104 million years ago. The scale bar is 10 mm. – Credit: MW Moore/University of New England
If Homo erectus made it to Sulawesi more than a million years ago, they may have been carving out their own evolutionary niche.
“In Flores and Luzon, fossil discoveries indicate that hominins on these islands underwent evolutionary changes, leading to unique new species that are small and distinct,” noted Brumm. “Though we have yet to find human fossils in Sulawesi, the possibility of similar events occurring on the island cannot be ruled out.”
What’s next for Brumm and the team? “We’re continuing our excavations,” he stated. “Human fossils are incredibly rare, but millions of hominins have existed and perished over the last million years, so there might be preserved remains of these toolmakers out there.”
“We hope to discover a fossil—or two—with persistence (and a bit of luck), as finding one would be an extraordinary breakthrough, perhaps even a game changer.”
Adam Brumm is a professor of archaeology at Griffith University. His work has accumulated over 21 years of funding for research in Indonesia. His published studies include many in Nature, spanning topics from the discovery of new human fossils in Wallacea (the island region between Asia and Australia) to recent insights into human evolution.
Flammability assessments on western juniper trees (Juniperus occidentalis)
Rebecca Koll
In a laboratory at the University of Exeter, UK, Rebecca Koll is examining conifer species to explore critical questions related to future forest fire dynamics.
Wildfire severity is on the rise globally as temperatures continue to increase. This is largely attributed to heightened heat, prolonged drought, and stronger winds, all of which elevate the risk of igniting timber when sparks occur.
Yet, Koll is among a team of researchers who believe that factors beyond drought are influencing fire risk. “Is climate change actually altering the properties of the plants? I’m quite certain it is,” she shares.
She posits that climate stress factors could be modifying leaf chemistry. With an increase in UV radiation, plants may produce more volatile compounds as a stress response.
While global initiatives aimed at restoring the ozone layer may mitigate UV radiation risks, studies indicate that climate change, especially the uptick in hot, clear days in Northern and Eastern Europe, has resulted in rising ground-level UVB levels in recent years. Models predict that this may escalate later in the century.
Koll is currently engaged in a project examining changes in leaf chemistry and flammability by exposing 87 conifer species to elevated UVB levels. Using climate-controlled chambers with optimal temperature and moisture regimens, they simulate exposure levels tripled compared to current conditions. After 4 to 8 weeks, the trees undergo analysis and combustion tests to evaluate their flammability.
“It’s designed to be an ideal environment. These plants are in a very favorable climate, except we bombard them with radiation,” Koll explains. “We’re observing early signs of yellowing in areas that should remain green. Their biochemical reactions during various tests are altering the chemistry of their leaves,” she elaborates.
The pivotal question remains whether these biochemical shifts will lead to heightened flammability and if they elucidate the increasing intensity of forest fires. “We’re already elevating UV levels in our natural settings,” Koll notes. “This may imply that the risk extends beyond drought to include the direct impacts on plant biology.”
Uncovering these insights could provide scientists with a clearer understanding of wildfire risks in the predominantly coniferous regions of the Northern Hemisphere. “This is fundamentally what leads to severe home destruction,” Koll states. “The natural surroundings are becoming increasingly flammable.”
This project is among the initial experiments conducted at the University of Exeter’s Global Weather Simulator, a newly established facility dedicated to plant research that opened this year. The climate control chambers can recreate variations in wind, precipitation, heat, and atmospheric variables to analyze how plants and insects respond to rapid climatic shifts.
Matthew Robson of the University of Cumbria emphasizes that this research may confirm the significance of leaf compound changes in determining certain tree species’ flammability. “The relative impact of these climatic factors on volatile and combustible carbon-rich compounds has not been thoroughly explored, which makes the current research at Exeter particularly intriguing,” he states.
In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) established an ambitious goal: to reduce global physical inactivity by 10% compared to 2010 levels by 2025. Now, the deadline has arrived, and despite initiatives aimed at leveraging the excitement of multiple Olympic Games, activity levels have not increased.
The latest data indicates that as of 2022, 31% of adults worldwide fail to meet physical activity guidelines, marking a rise from 26% in 2010. The situation is even graver among teens, with an alarming 81% not engaging in sufficient physical activity. We’re falling short of our targets.
What went wrong? Various factors, from public health policies to urban design, can be scrutinized regarding current strategies. Nevertheless, some experts are advocating for a more fundamental reassessment. Have we been misrepresenting the promotion of physical activity all along?
For years, public health campaigns have heavily relied on the narrative that “exercise is medicine” to encourage physical activity. This notion is familiar: engage in physical activity to combat illnesses like diabetes or cardiovascular diseases. This message is underpinned by strong scientific evidence, leading to the belief that health incentives are the most compelling motivation.
Yet, Benjamin Rigby, a public health researcher from Newcastle University, and his colleagues recently argued in an opinion piece that framing physical activity solely as a health preventive measure oversimplifies the myriad reasons individuals choose to be active. “The reality is people engage in movement for many reasons unrelated to avoiding illness,” Rigby states. “We play, laugh, explore, dance, and feel proud of ourselves. Ultimately, it’s about enjoyment and well-being.” Eliminating these positive motivators from health messaging may contribute to the lack of engagement.
Elsewhere, research continues to support the concept of shifting focus away from health-centric narratives. A study by University of Edinburgh researchers analyzed 123 public messages about physical activity, concluding that health concerns are not always effective motivators for prompting people to get active. The most impactful messages highlight the short-term rewards of proactive engagement rather than threats of future illness.
What if campaign messaging centered on the immediate benefits of physical activity? Some researchers recommend phrasing such as “small movements to enhance your mood,” focusing on mental health, or promoting “physical activity as an opportunity to connect with others.” Motivation matters.
Strong evidence shows individuals are more likely to maintain activity when it is enjoyable. Fun is associated with young people who regularly participate in sports. Remember Pokemon GO? That trend inspired avid users to walk an additional 1,473 steps daily on average, fueled by the excitement of “catching them all.” Given this evidence, why do public health messages overlook fun-focused motivations?
Sticking to health-oriented narratives appeals strongly to institutions. Their effects can be quantified, aligning neatly with the formal tone expected from such messages. However, with the 2030 target of reducing physical inactivity by 15% from 2010 levels approaching, now is the time for transformative change. It’s crucial to cease prescribing physical activity as a daunting chore and start presenting it as an opportunity for enjoyment, exploration, and connection.
Dawn Teh is a freelance health writer based in Australia.
Research conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Association highlights the diverse wildlife that frequents artificial watering holes in the Mayan forests of Guatemala.
Jaguars find respite from the heat in Guatemala’s artificial waterfall hole. Image credit: WCS Guatemala.
As temperatures rise in Mesoamerica, protected areas in northern Guatemala are confronting increasing ecological challenges, primarily due to severe water shortages negatively impacting local wildlife.
In response, the conservation organization has taken proactive measures to safeguard biodiversity in two key ecosystems: Laguna del Tigray National Park and Mirador Rio Azur National Park.
To tackle this pressing concern, strategic installations of artificial waterfall holes have been made throughout the parks.
Constructed from durable materials designed to endure extreme local conditions, these water sources are situated in the most vulnerable wildlife habitats, despite the logistical challenges of accessing remote jungle areas.
Camera traps have captured images of various species using these waterfowl, including tapirs, pumas, jaguars, deer, margays, and snakes.
These findings offer valuable insights into animal behavior under water stress and demonstrate how scientifically-informed conservation efforts can alleviate the impact of climate change on fragile ecosystems.
“During the dry season, many natural water sources completely dry up,” notes Ronnie Garcia Andru, director of the Biology Research Division at the Wildlife Conservation Association’s Guatemala Program.
“This drastically lowers the survival chances for numerous species.”
Initially intended to provide critical relief during periods of drought, monitoring with camera traps has shown that the artificial watering holes are also frequented in the rainy season.
This unexpected trend indicates that not only are some regions experiencing ongoing water shortages, but that these structures are becoming an integral part of the local wildlife’s habitat.
This adaptive maintenance strategy has been developed through collaboration.
“While artificial watering holes are not a permanent fix, they serve as a crucial tool for helping wildlife adapt to increasingly erratic environmental conditions,” Garcia Andru remarked.
“The success of this initiative highlights the significance of collaborative, science-driven approaches in the conservation of the Mayan forests, one of the largest tropical forests in the Americas.”
“As climate patterns continue to evolve, these partnerships will be essential to preserving the remarkable biodiversity of the region for future generations.”
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This article is derived from a press release provided by the Wildlife Conservation Association.
On Monday, the Trump administration advanced efforts to complicate access to a crucial legally mandated scientific evaluation regarding the risks climate change poses to the nation and its citizens.
Earlier this month, the official government website indicated its authority, stating that the peer-reviewed national climate assessment was moving offline. These platforms provide essential information for state and local governments and the public regarding what to expect from climate change and how to adapt accordingly. At that time, the White House stated that NASA would host the report to comply with the 1990 Act Requiring Reporting.
However, on Monday, NASA declared the cancellation of those plans.
According to NASA, “The USGCRP (the agency that oversaw and utilized the report) fulfills its statutory obligations by presenting the report to Congress. NASA has no legal requirement to host data from GlobalChange.gov,” meaning no coordinated assessments or data from governmental scientific offices will be routed to NASA.
On July 3, NASA released a statement affirming, “All existing reports will be accessible on the NASA website to maintain continuity in reporting.”
“This document was produced for taxpayers and includes vital information necessary for people to protect themselves in changing climates,” said the Chief Scientist of the Nature Reserve, a co-author of several previous national climate assessments.
Copies of past reports remain accessible at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s library, and you can view the latest reports and their interactive atlas here.
John Holden, a former scientific advisor to the Obama White House and a climate scientist, accused the administration of blatant misinformation regarding its intentions to censor or obscure the report.
“This new approach exemplifies a classic misunderstanding characteristic of the Trump administration,” Holden stated. “They initially aim to soothe outrage over the discontinuation of the GlobalChange.gov site and the disappearance of the national climate assessment, only to retract their reassurances without apology two weeks later.”
“They simply do not want the public to have access to detailed and scientifically validated information concerning climate change’s impact on agriculture, forests, fisheries, as well as storms, floods, wildfires, and coastal properties.
Holden emphasized the significance of these reports for state and local authorities and the general public, asserting that they “aid in understanding how climate change is affecting people’s lives, their loved ones, their properties, and their environments.”
“Trump is intentionally keeping people in the dark,” Holden asserted.
The most recent report published in 2023 revealed that climate change is impacting the safety, health, and livelihoods of individuals across the country in various ways, putting them at an increased risk.
Firefighter drops water on wildfires near Athens, Greece
Costa Subarutas/Anadoll via Getty Images
The severe heat waves experienced in June and July have resulted in 2,300 fatalities across London and 11 other European cities, nearly tripling the death toll attributed to climate change. While assessing the effects of climate change on heat-related deaths typically takes months, scientists have now devised a rapid method for analysis.
In late June, a series of high-pressure “thermal domes” led to extreme temperatures in Western and Central Europe, reaching around 35°C to 40°C in London. Paris recorded temperatures as high as 46°C, while parts of Spain and Portugal also faced similar conditions. The intense heat caused nuclear reactors to shut down in Switzerland, France, and Italy. In response to worker fatalities caused by the heat, outdoor work was prohibited during peak temperatures.
Researchers at the World Weather Attribution Network utilized weather data to assess how severe the heatwave would have been without climate change, comparing that with observed conditions. They integrated a study from the London Faculty of Hygiene, which illustrated the relationship between daily temperatures and increased death rates in European cities, along with their own findings. This framework was then applied to actual temperatures, calculating the potential fatalities due to climate change during this heat wave.
By estimating the period from June 23 to July 2, the researchers concluded that 2,300 individuals perished due to the heat in cities like Barcelona, Budapest, Frankfurt, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, Sassari, and Zagreb. Analysis indicated that even under cooler climate conditions, there would have been approximately 700 deaths. However, climate change raised temperatures by as much as four degrees, contributing to an additional estimated 1,500 fatalities. Heat remains one of the deadliest forms of extreme weather, often exacerbating existing health conditions and going unrecognized on death certificates.
This marks the first study to swiftly quantify climate-related fatalities following a heat wave. Specifically, in London, climate change was responsible for 171 out of 235 heat-related deaths. “For me, [the impact of] climate change feels more tangible,” remarked team member Freedérique Otto from Imperial College London. “It is essential for policymakers to take action.”
“Currently, we’re nearing dangerously high temperatures affecting more people,” stated team member Ben Clark of Imperial College London. Notably, 88% of the fatalities were individuals over 65, the most vulnerable demographic.
Experts suggest that this study might underestimate the death toll, as it relies on data from cooler climates. Christie Ebi from Washington University in Seattle expressed concern over future extreme temperatures, stating, “I am uncertain about what will happen when we reach these extreme levels.”
In response to the rising temperatures, the government has issued more heat wave warnings; however, emergency response plans and infrastructure improvements are still necessary. In Milan, for instance, 499 deaths were reported, exacerbated by high air pollution levels that can worsen with rising temperatures. With 90% of fatalities linked to climate change, Madrid struggles with a lack of green spaces to mitigate urban heat effects.
Additionally, many buildings in London suffer from inadequate ventilation. Currently, measures such as providing drinking water at subway stations and halting non-essential vehicle usage during heat waves are being implemented. Otto emphasizes the importance of public awareness around heat risks, stating, “If you believe you are invincible, you’re not.”
Fig trees may excel at reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere
Raimund Link/Mauritius Images Gmbh/Alamy
Certain fig trees have the ability to transform significant quantities of carbon dioxide into solid forms, allowing carbon to remain in the soil even after the tree has perished. This indicates that fig trees used for timber or fruit cultivation could offer additional environmental benefits through this carbon sequestration process.
While all trees generally utilize carbon dioxide from the air, most of it is converted into structural molecules such as cellulose. However, some tree species also synthesize a crystalline substance known as calcium oxalate, and the bacteria within the trees and soil can convert it to calcium carbonate, a primary component of rocks like limestone and chalk.
Mineral carbon can remain in the soil significantly longer than organic matter derived from wood. Trees that store carbon in this manner include iron syrup (Milisia Excelsa), which is found in tropical Africa and is valued for its wood yet does not yield edible fruit.
Recently, Mike Rory from the University of Zurich and his team discovered that three fig species indigenous to Samburu County, Kenya, can also produce calcium carbonate through their own processes.
“Most trees generate calcium carbonate within the soil,” Laurie explains. “We [also] observe that high concentrations can transform the entire root structure into calcium carbonate in the soil, which is a remarkable finding.”
The research team initially identified the calcium carbonate-generating fig species by using a weak hydrochloric acid solution to detect its release from calcium carbonate. Subsequently, they could confirm the presence of calcium carbonate in the surrounding soil and analyze wood samples to pinpoint where calcium carbonate was being generated.
“What genuinely astonished me was how deep I was digging for [calcium carbonate],” Laurie remarked, as he presented his findings at the Goldschmidt conference in Prague, Czech Republic, this week.
Further investigations are needed to estimate the total carbon storage of these trees, the resilience of water in various climates, and the water requirement. Nevertheless, if fig trees can be integrated into future planting initiatives, they could serve as both a source of nourishment and a carbon sink, according to Laurie.
For many years, climate scientists and advocates have held onto a sense of optimism. They believe that once the impacts of global warming become undeniable, both individuals and governments will take significant action. The hope is that a major disaster—whether it be a fierce hurricane, extreme heat, or widespread flooding—will force a collective recognition of the gravity of the issue and lead to meaningful change. However, despite the increasing frequency of such disasters, climate change continues to rank low on voters’ agendas, and effective policy responses remain elusive.
This widespread inaction is often attributed to various political or structural barriers. Yet, decades of psychological studies indicate that more profound factors may be at play. The human brain often fails to recognize gradual changes.
Many areas are experiencing severe climate-related issues, but for the majority of the world, the changes manifest as slow and subtle shifts in daily weather.
This gradual nature of change presents challenges. People primarily assess climate issues based on personal experiences: there’s a heightened concern for an unusually hot day than when the weather feels typical. However, as conditions quietly worsen, the perception of “normalcy” shifts. This is often referred to as the boiling frog effect, where subtle and gradual changes fail to trigger alarm bells, leading to a state of indifference: akin to a frog in a pot of water that is gradually heated.
In 2020, we researched climate impacts in Princeton, New Jersey. This area is not burdened by wildfires or droughts, but it has seen a loss of something significant: winter ice skating. For many years, Carnegie Lake would freeze enough for skating, but now it seldom does.
Conversations with long-time residents and a review of local newspaper archives revealed a marked decline in ice skating on the lake over the last century, evoking a sense of loss. This disruption to winter traditions made Princeton’s experience with climate change feel more immediate, tangible, and personal.
We then posed the question: could binary climate indicators—such as “Lake Frozen” vs. “Lake Not Frozen”—serve as more effective alerts than graphs depicting gradual temperature increases?
I explored this concept through a series of experiments. Participants were presented with one of two graphs. One illustrated rising winter temperatures in a fictional town, while the other depicted whether the lake froze each year. Notably, both graphs represented the same underlying climate trends, but reactions varied significantly.
Those who viewed the binary “freeze or not” graphs consistently acknowledged that climate change had a more substantial impact compared to those who saw the temperature graphs. Follow-up studies analyzing data from North American and European lakes corroborated these findings. When climate impacts were communicated in stark terms, individuals responded more seriously.
What motivated this difference? We discovered that binary data creates an impression of sudden shifts. When people observed a series of winters where the lake froze juxtaposed with years it didn’t, they perceived a distinct “before” and “after,” despite the gradual nature of change.
Climate change transcends mere physical challenges; it also encompasses psychological dimensions. As long as we convey it in ways that resonate, we risk desensitizing our warning signals until it’s too late.
We encourage policymakers, journalists, and educators to leverage these insights. Highlighting specific losses that resonate—such as winters without ice skating, drought-damaged harvests, and summers plagued by wildfires—can be impactful. Utilize visuals that contrast “what we had” with “what we’ve lost.”
Allow people to witness the changes—it’s not merely about the slope of the line.
Grace Lew is affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, while Lachitt Dubay is affiliated with UCLA.
Climate change will lessen the availability of most staple crops, including corn
Jon Rehg/Shutterstock
Despite farmers’ best efforts to adapt, increasing global temperatures have the potential to significantly impact the world’s essential crops. Comprehensive analysis indicates that by the century’s end, for every degree of warming, global food supply may drop by nearly 121 kcal per person per day.
In a 3°C warming scenario—aligned with current trends—”It might mean skipping breakfast for everyone,” notes Andrew Hartgren from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Hartgren and his team gathered data on the yields of six major staple crops globally, which account for over two-thirds of the world’s calories. “This represents one of the largest datasets currently available for high-resolution crop yields,” he states. They also incorporated local weather information from 54 different countries.
The researchers utilized this data to forecast how various crops would respond to climate changes and how farmers might adapt. “We examined historical data on how farmers have reacted to weather fluctuations,” Hartgren explains. This approach enabled the team to assess how different agricultural strategies might mitigate losses, like crop variety adjustments, enhancing irrigation, or increasing fertilizer use.
Except for rice, which thrives under warmer nighttime conditions, higher temperatures generally lead to considerable yield reductions. For instance, global corn yields are anticipated to decline by about 12% to 28% by the century’s end, contingent upon whether greenhouse gas emissions are moderate or extremely high compared to projections without climate change.
These statistics illustrate how farmers adjust to rising temperatures and the implications of potentially beneficial effects of climate change, like elevated carbon dioxide levels fertilizing crops. Both factors are significant. Without adjustments, for example, crop losses could reach a third by the century’s end under extreme warming scenarios, yet this won’t mitigate the majority of losses. “In a warmer future, the corn belt will still be relevant,” Hartgren asserts.
Wolfram Schlenker of Harvard University emphasizes that agricultural adaptations seldom completely offset crop losses due to climate change, with previous studies from specific regions suggesting similar conclusions. “The major strength of their research is its global perspective, compiling data from numerous countries,” he remarks.
The global approach reveals some fascinating patterns. For example, researchers observed that the most significant projected crop losses are not concentrated in low-income nations but rather in comparatively affluent agricultural hubs like the Midwest and Europe. “They aren’t inherently better suited than poorer countries,” Schlenker notes.
Michael Roberts from the University of Hawaii Manoa states that these findings align with the conclusions of a smaller study. However, he highlights considerable uncertainties, such as the extent of future climate change and the complexities of global food systems’ responses.
“What’s alarming is our lack of knowledge,” Roberts adds. “There’s significant uncertainty, much of which is negative. Losses could range from non-existent to catastrophic, potentially causing massive famines. It’s a sobering thought for many.”
The parents of the family were left devastated when their aspirations for change were dashed after they sought to safeguard their children in the Colorado Legislature last month and online activism targeting a drug dealer resulted in tragedy.
Among those parents was Lori Shot, who was instrumental in crafting the bill. Her 18-year-old daughter Annaly tragically took her own life in 2020 after engaging with content on TikTok and Instagram related to depression, anxiety, and suicide.
“When lawmakers sidestep votes and shift discussions to an insubstantial calendar date without accountability, it feels like a betrayal to us as parents.” “It’s a betrayal to my daughter and to all the other children we’ve lost.”
Had the law been enacted, it would have necessitated investigations and the removal of accounts engaged in gun and drug sales, or the sexual exploitation and human trafficking of minors on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. It also required a dedicated hotline for law enforcement and a 72-hour response timeframe for police inquiries, which would significantly increase obligations compared to current legal standards.
Additionally, the platforms would have had to report on the usage statistics of minors, including how often and for how long they interacted with content violating company policies. Several major tech firms have taken official stances regarding the bill. As noted in Colorado’s lobbying records, Meta’s long-time lobbying firm, Headwater Strategies, has registered its support for revising the bill. Conversely, Google and TikTok employed lobbyists to oppose it.
‘[Legislators] chose self-interest over the protection of children and families. ” Illustration: Andrei Cojocaru/Guardian
“We are deeply disheartened,” said Kim Osterman, whose 18-year-old son Max died in 2021. “[Legislators] prioritized their own interests over the safety of my children and family.”
Protection for Social Media Users (SB 25-086) passed both legislative chambers, only to be vetoed by Democrat Governor Jared Polis on April 24th. His veto was justified by concerns that the bill would “erode privacy, freedom, and innovation.” On April 25, the Colorado Senate voted to override the veto, but on April 28, the House chose to delay the vote until the end of the legislative session, effectively blocking the override and keeping the bill alive.
Originally, the bill had passed the Senate with a 29-6 margin and the House with a 46-18 margin. On April 25, the Senate voted 29-6 for an override, and lawmakers anticipated that the House would take up the matter later that day, believing that there was enough bipartisan support to successfully overturn the veto.
“It was a straightforward vote for people because our goal was clear: to safeguard children from the predatory practices of social media companies,” remarked Senator Lindsey Dorgerty, a Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill. She expressed her disappointment that House leaders chose to sidestep the vote on Friday.
Advocating parents blamed the failure of the bill on an unexpected 11-hour lobbying blitz by The Far Right Gun Owners Association in Colorado. Two state legislators and seven other legislative participants corroborated the parents’ claims.
An unprecedented last-minute campaign disrupts bipartisan consensus
The owner of Rocky Mountain Guns (RMGO) characterized the bill as government censorship related to the statute against “ghost guns” assembled from kits purchased online.
RMGO initiated an extensive social media and email campaign, rallying its 200,000 members to contact lawmakers and voice their opposition to the bill. Sources familiar with the workings of the Colorado State Capitol explained that the gun group’s outreach included social media and text campaigns that encouraged Republican constituents to reach out to their representatives in opposition.
“[Legislators] were inundated with calls and emails from activists. It was an all-out assault. A campaign declared, ‘This is a government censorship bill,'” they stated.
The group’s actions contributed to efforts preventing Republicans from backing the veto override, leading to the bill’s demise. According to ten individuals involved in the bill’s development and the legislative process, this lobbying effort appeared unexpectedly robust, fueled by organizations that had previously faced financial constraints. An anonymous source from the Colorado State Capitol shared insights with the Guardian, citing fears of retaliation from RMGO.
The House of Representatives postponed its vote until April 28th, providing RMGO time to amplify its campaign over the weekend. When lawmakers reconvened on Monday, the House voted 51-13 to delay the override until the legislative session concluded, effectively dissolving the effort.
“It was a coordinated full-scale attack proclaiming this as a government censorship bill.” Illustration: Andrei Cojocaru/Guardian
A significant text messaging initiative targeted registered Republican voters, alleging that the social media bill “forces platforms to enforce extensive surveillance of content shared on their platforms,” claiming violations of Colorado’s gun laws, and framing the legislation as an affront to First and Second Amendment rights, according to texts reviewed by the Guardian.
A recurring adversary
Established in 1996, RMGO claims a membership exceeding 200,000 activists. It is recognized as a far-right organization staunchly opposed to regulations on firearms. Dudley Brown, its founder and leader president of the National Gun Rights Association, diverges significantly from the perspective of the National Rifle Association (NRA). RMGO is criticized for employing tactics labeled as “bullying” and “extremist” against both Democrats and moderate Republicans. The group has not responded to requests for commentary regarding legislative measures.
RMGO is a well-known presence at the Colorado State Capitol, typically opposing gun control measures. Daugherty described their usual campaign tactics as “intimidating.” Following backlash for her involvement in a bill banning assault weapons earlier this year, she deactivated her social media account.
“While advocating for gun legislation at the Capitol, RMGO published images of me and other legislators on their website,” she noted. An RMGO tweet depicted Daugherty alongside a bold “Traitor” stamp.
The group disseminated misinformation regarding the bill’s implications on gun ownership, as reported by sources who participated in the legislative discussions.
“My support for the bill and the veto override stemmed from concerns about child trafficking and safeguarding children,” stated Republican Senator Rod Pelton, who voted in favor of overriding the veto in the Senate. “I did not subscribe to the entire argument pertaining to the second amendment.”
The bill garnered support from 23 district attorneys in Colorado as well as bipartisan backing from the state House of Representatives.
RMGO’s late-stage opposition to the social media bill deviated from its usual tactics. Typically, the organization weighs in on legislation early in the process, according to eight sources, including co-sponsors Daugherty and Representative Andy Boesenecker.
“Their surge of focused efforts caught my attention,” Boesenecker remarked. “It was curious to note that their resistance materialized so late in the process and appeared to be well-financed.”
In recent years, RMGO has experienced reduced activity attributed to financial difficulties that limited their legislative campaigning capacity. In a 2024 interview, the organization’s leader candidly acknowledged struggles with fundraising. Daugherty believes RMGO’s capacity for such a substantial outreach campaign would be unlikely without considerable funding. Others within Colorado’s political landscape echoed this sentiment.
“The Rocky Mountain Gun Owners had been largely ineffective in the legislature for several years due to financial constraints. Suddenly, they increased their influence, seemingly backed by substantial funds,” said Dawn Reinfeld, from a Colorado-based nonprofit focused on youth rights.
This context caused lawmakers to feel pressured, especially concerning primary elections in their districts, following RMGO’s recent social media attacks on supporters of the bill.
“The bill had given me hope that Avery’s legacy would make a difference, and its failure was incredibly disappointing.” Illustration: Andrei Cojocaru/Guardian
“There was a palpable concern among many about party affiliation; it certainly played a role,” remarked Dorgerty.
Aaron Ping’s 16-year-old son, Avery, passed away from an overdose in December after buying what he believed to be ecstasy on Snapchat, only to receive a substance laced with fentanyl instead. Ping viewed the organized opposition to the bill as a purposeful distortion.
“The narrative painted the bill as an infringement on gun rights, depicting it as merely a tool for targeting people purchasing illegal firearms online,” he stated.
Ping had testified in support of the bill alongside other families, recovering teens, and district attorneys back in February before the initial Senate vote.
“This bill carried the hope that Avery’s legacy would incite change; its rejection was truly disheartening,” Ping shared.
In the absence of federal action, states initiate online child safety legislation
A number of states, including California, Maryland, Vermont, Minnesota, Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Nevada, have introduced legislation over the past two years aimed at enhancing online safety for minors. These initiatives encounter vigorous resistance from the technology sector, which includes extensive lobbying efforts and legal challenges.
Maryland successfully passed the Children’s Code bill in May 2024, marking it as the first state to enact such legislation. However, this victory may be short-lived. The high-tech industry coalition, NetChoice, representing companies such as Meta, Google, and Amazon, has already launched legal challenges against these measures.
In the meanwhile, federal efforts have stalled, with the Children’s Online Safety Act (KOSA) faltering in February after failing to pass the House despite years of modifications and deliberations. A newly revised version of the bill was reintroduced in Congress on May 14th.
California’s similar initiative, the age-appropriate design code law, which mirrors UK legislation, was halted in late 2023 following a NetChoice injunction citing potential First Amendment infringements.
Climate change is already impacting our lives negatively
Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images
When considering the dangers posed by climate change, floods and violent storms might come to mind, or even unprecedented heat waves. A study conducted in the latter half of 2024 revealed that most Americans view extreme weather as the chief climate threat. Yet, climate change disrupts daily life in many other persistent ways.
“These events significantly impact people’s lives but often don’t make headlines,” states Jennifer Carman from Yale University.
These more subtle consequences of climate change may seem trivial compared to disasters, like worse allergies or increased commute times, but they collectively signify major shifts, according to Carman. Understanding these issues is crucial for individuals to brace for climate changes affecting their everyday experiences. Remarkably, around half of Americans report feeling the effects of climate change a decade ago—double the number of those who don’t.
“Not everyone is affected by severe events,” Carman remarks. “However, everyone experiences the impacts of daily life consistently.”
Climate change drives up food prices and more
Elevated temperatures associated with climate change inflate prices. In a study by Fridrikik and her team at the European Central Bank, they identified strong correlations between temperature and numerous global price indices. They discovered that higher average temperatures lead to both inflation and extreme weather, particularly in equatorial regions, with impacts persisting year-round.
They projected that by 2035, this would escalate annual price inflation rates by 0.5% to 1.2% for various goods, depending on global greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is notably susceptible to weather variations, meaning its price impacts may be about twice as significant. “This unpredictability complicates food production,” Carman notes.
Air conditioning usage is rising and becoming more costly
Increasing temperatures escalate air conditioning expenses. In hotter regions, users will need to operate their air conditioners longer and more frequently. This demand can exceed affordable energy bills.
Individuals in previously temperate areas, such as London or the US’s Pacific Northwest, find themselves needing to install air conditioning for the first time. Globally, soaring cooling expenses negate any reductions in heating costs.
Hot weather disrupts sleep
Even with air conditioning, high nighttime temperatures can hinder sleep quality. Research by Renjie Chen from the University of Hudan, along with colleagues, assessed over 20 million nights of sleep data from hundreds of thousands in China. They found that a 10°C rise in night temperature could raise the likelihood of insufficient sleep by 20%. Under severe emissions scenarios, they estimate that each individual in China might lose about 33 hours of sleep per year by the century’s end.
This isn’t just a localized issue. Research by Kelton Minor from Columbia University showed that elevated nighttime temperatures correlated with reduced sleep across tens of thousands of individuals in 68 countries. Findings suggest higher nighttime temperatures result in decreased sleep—mainly affecting older adults and women in hotter, poorer regions.
Climate change intensifies air pollution
Air pollution poses serious health risks, whether from PM2.5 particles or ozone. Recent research indicates that combining higher temperatures with existing pollutants can exacerbate the harmful effects of air quality, particularly among those who spend extended time outdoors.
Historically, fossil fuel-driven pollution has decreased as power grids have become cleaner, yielding public health benefits. However, as climate change fuels more frequent and severe wildfires, decades of progress may be undone, exposing communities to wildfire smoke. One study forecasts that increased smoke exposure could lead to around 700,000 additional deaths in the U.S. by 2050.
Supporting evidence aligns with anecdotal perceptions; William Andreg from the University of Utah and his team found that the pollen season in North America has lengthened since the 1990s, with overall pollen levels increasing by 21%. The majority of these changes have been attributed to human-induced warming.
Travel delays accumulate, whether long-haul or daily
Climate change is increasingly responsible for weather-related interruptions in transportation systems, leading to billions of wasted hours.
For instance, Valerie Mueller and colleagues from Arizona State University studied the impact of routine coastal flooding on commute times in the eastern U.S. They estimated individuals experience about 23 minutes of delays annually due to these floods, which is double the time recorded 20 years ago. Their analysis revealed these delays stem mainly from rising sea levels rather than extreme storm surges.
While a handful of extra minutes might seem negligible, it accumulates to billions of lost hours overall. Over the coming decades, further sea level rise could escalate delays to hundreds of minutes per person annually.
Weather-induced delays are also increasing in train services and airports. The International Air Transport Association reported that weather-related delays rose from 11% of total delays in 2012 to 30% in 2023. Additionally, even if passengers board their flights, climate change can exacerbate certain turbulence, contributing to rougher flights.
Severe thunderstorms in April resulted in historic downpours and flooding across Arkansas, Kentucky, and other states, exacerbated by climate change.
This information comes from the World Weather Attributes Project, a consortium of scientists studying major weather events in relation to climate change.
From April 3 to April 6, heavy rainfall hit the southeastern U.S., leading to widespread flooding, flood warnings for over 70 million individuals, at least 15 fatalities, the sweeping away of vehicles, and train derailments.
By utilizing climate models alongside historical data, researchers examined storm systems across eight affected states and concluded that the current weather patterns were approximately 9% more intense due to global warming, with a 40% increased likelihood compared to a scenario without such warming.
Ben Clark, a researcher at Imperial College London, stated, “We conclude that the existing 1.3 degrees Celsius of warming has intensified the extreme rainfall leading to flooding in the region. A warmer atmosphere retains more moisture.”
The outcome was severe flooding in Frankfort, Kentucky, along with a rainy day in the Midwest on April 7th. Leandro Lozada/AFP Getty Images file
The 1.3 degrees reference indicates how much warmer the planet has become in Celsius since humanity began releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere post-Industrial Revolution—a conversion of approximately 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Clark noted that the probability estimates from the group are conservative. The researchers identified a unique weather configuration that contributed to the extreme rainfall.
Shell Winkley, a meteorologist with Climate Central, a nonprofit news organization involved in the report, explained that a low-pressure system interacting with a high-pressure ridge caused the thunderstorms to repeatedly affect the same areas in the Southeast and Midwest.
“This front was the route through which these storms moved, and there was also a trigger mechanism. The thunderstorms accumulated rain on already saturated soil,” Winkley noted. “This event is a fascinating intersection of weather and climate change.”
According to Winkley, the National Weather Service issued the third highest weather warning on April 2.
“By the end of the day, the National Weather Service had released 728 separate thunderstorm and tornado warnings from various offices, with numerous locations experiencing extreme rainfall between April 3 and April 6, with some areas seeing up to 16 inches,” Winkley explained.
After a significant storm in Portageville, Missouri on April 7th, vehicles navigate through flooded streets. Scott Olson/Getty Images File
Upon reviewing historical rainfall from April, researchers indicated that similar storm systems are anticipated every century in the current warm climate.
Gerald Brotzge, a Kentucky climatologist and professor at the University of Kentucky Western University, initially approached such studies with skepticism, particularly those linking large-scale flooding to climate change without accounting for unique weather setups. However, he found this study credible.
Brotzge remarked, “It appears they conducted a thorough analysis. In this instance, a stagnant boundary allowed thunderstorms to constantly form in the same locality—an accurate observation.”
Brotzge noted that Kentucky has warmed by nearly 1.8 degrees Celsius (approximately 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit) over the last 130 years and has been experiencing increased rainfall.
“Our annual rainfall has risen by about 10%,” Brotzge stated. “Half of our ten wettest years have occurred since 2011, with 2011 being the wettest and 2018 as the second wettest.”
The World Weather Attribution is a team of scientists who quickly assess the influence of climate change on extreme weather events. Their methodology has undergone peer review, though some analyses are not immediately reviewed. Previous studies by the group on heatwaves, wildfires, and hurricanes have also faced academic scrutiny.
Climate change contributes to events like the Marshall Fire in Colorado, which devastated 1,000 homes in December 2021
Jim West/Alamy
The Trump administration has dismissed nearly 400 researchers involved in the forthcoming US national climate assessment. This action may delay the completion of a critical report detailing the impacts of climate change on the nation.
“The Trump administration has carelessly undermined a vital US climate science report by prematurely discarding its authors without justification or a plan,” said Rachel Cleetus, representing the concerned coalition of scientists.
This move significantly hampers progress on the sixth National Climate Assessment, designed to inform federal and state governments about climate change risks and their implications. A law enacted by Congress in 1990 mandates that these assessments be produced every four years.
Although the next report isn’t due until 2027, extensive work has already begun, and the document may exceed 1,000 pages. The latest review, published in 2023, discussed the increasing difficulty of ensuring safe homes, healthy families, dependable public services, sustainable economies, and thriving ecosystems amidst climate challenges.
In early April, the Trump administration terminated a contract with a consulting firm responsible for coordinating research for upcoming assessments under the US Global Change Research Program. This follows numerous cuts at scientific institutions contributing to these efforts, as well as other actions restricting climate and weather research.
Despite the challenges, the report’s authors (mostly volunteers) were eager to collaborate, according to Dustin Mulvaney, who was focused on the Southwest section of the report at San Jose State University. “Many of us thought, ‘We can still do this!'”
However, with all the authors now released, completing the report appears unlikely.
A NASA spokesman, responsible for the global change research program, chose not to comment. Yet, some report authors stated to New Scientist that they received a brief notification indicating that all authors had been dismissed as agents assessed the “scope” of the evaluations.
The notification mentioned “future opportunities” for contributions. Ultimately, Congress legally requires these assessments, and the administration can still appoint new authors. Earlier reports emphasized climate risks, while new analyses will likely focus more on how the US is responding to climate change through reduced emissions and infrastructure adaptation.
Even if the report is eventually published, it may lack the rigor and reliability found in previous assessments, according to Mijin Cha, who was working on emission reductions at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “Now they’ve completely compromised it.”
“I think everyone is really disheartened by this situation,” she expressed.
Melting Arctic ice. Record-breaking wildfires across multiple states. Countries experiencing average warming are warming at a twice the rate of other regions worldwide.
Yet, when Canadians head to the polls on Monday, climate change isn’t even among the top ten issues for voters. Recent surveys indicate this shift.
“That’s not the focus of this election,” remarked Jessica Green, a political scientist at the University of Toronto specializing in climate-related topics.
The election revolves around a collective desire to choose a leader capable of standing up to Donald J. Trump, who poses a threat to Canada amidst a trade war, if not a full annexation as the “51st state.”
Leading the polls is liberal Mark Carney, who boasts decades of experience in climate policy. He served for five years as a UN envoy on climate action and finance, orchestrating a coalition of banks committed to halting carbon dioxide emissions through financing practices by 2050.
Despite his impressive background, Carney hasn’t prioritized climate change in his campaign. Following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation, one of Carney’s initial actions was to eliminate fuel taxes based on emission levels, including gasoline taxes.
While many Canadians have redirected the resulting funds into rebate checks, Mr. Carney appears to misunderstand the policy, labeling it as “too divided.”
This decision, coupled with similarities between his Conservative opponents, Pierre Poilievre and Trump, has contributed to Carney’s rise in the polls.
“Carney made a clever move by abolishing the consumer carbon tax, which was widely unpopular and essentially formed the basis of Poilievre’s campaign against him,” said Dr. Green. “It took the wind out of the Conservative Party’s sails.”
Mr. Carney is acutely aware of political dynamics. In a recent television discussion, he mentioned to Poilievre, “I spent years advocating for Justin Trudeau and the carbon tax.”
Poilievre is a staunch supporter of Canada’s vast oil and gas industry, making Canada the fourth-largest oil producer and the fifth-largest gas producer globally. Yet, unlike Trump, he recognizes the necessity of reducing greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.
“Canadian oil and clean natural gas must replace coal globally, allowing countries like India and others in Asia to utilize gas instead of dirty coal,” he stated at a recent press conference during his campaign.
However, Carney’s proposals don’t significantly differ. He envisions Canada as a “superpower of both traditional and clean energy.” His platform suggests reforms like bolstering the carbon market and expediting approvals for clean energy initiatives.
Perhaps the most significant distinction between the candidates lies in their views on Canada’s oil and gas emission caps and the tax on industrial emissions, both defended by Trudeau.
Poilievre aims to eliminate these in accordance with industry demands, whereas Carney intends to maintain them. The Canadian Climate Research Institute states that the Industrial Carbon Tax reduces emissions by at least three times more than the consumer tax, making it the most effective policy deployed to decrease emissions leading up to 2030.
Canada ranks among the world’s highest per capita greenhouse gas emitters and is not on track to meet its commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement. By 2030, the aim is to achieve a minimum of 40-45% reductions from 2005 levels, but the latest national emissions Inventory Report indicates just an 8.5% decrease through 2023.
The heavy storm system that floods the central and southeastern US with heavy rain and winds fits a wider pattern as rainfall has increased over the eastern US half has increased in recent decades.
Data from the National Maritime and Atmospheric Administration from 1991 to 2020 show that on average the eastern part of the country received more rain, on average, than in the 20th century. At the same time, precipitation decreased in the west.
The sharp East-West division is consistent with predictions from climate scientists who expect wet areas to be wet, with dry areas becoming dry as the world warms.
Without further analysis, individual storms cannot be linked to climate change, but warming the air will result in greater rainfall. This is because warm air has the ability to retain more moisture than cooler air, and has the potential to be fueled due to overall average precipitation, and more intense storms.
The world’s temperatures are increasing year by year, driven by the combustion of fossil fuels that send greenhouse gases that warm the planets into the atmosphere. According to a recent report, the 10 people have been the hottest recordkeeping for nearly 200 years. World Weather Organization.
“When there are these very heavy rain events, trends refer to the heavy trends of these intense events,” said Deanna, an associate professor of climate and atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign University.
Severe flooding could be an indirect effect of warming air and increased moisture, according to Gerald Brotzge, a Kentucky national climate scientist and director of the Kentucky Climate Center. If conditions stall a storm system, it can cause heavy rain in the same area, increasing the risk of flooding.
This is what happened when the storm recently stagnated in the region. “I think it’s a once-at-a-time event based on the amount and area covered,” Brotzge said.
Mark Jarvis, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Louisville, Kentucky, described the storm as two. It brought tornadoes, strong winds and hail to the front end, then stalled and dropped historic amounts of rainfall. Western Kentucky, who saw some of the most serious effects of the storm, “it was in the eyes of the bull,” he said.
Heavy rain and flooding are common in Ohio Valley in late winter and early spring, but the system is as common as it is “very rare” for rain. “That’s what you normally see in hurricanes and tropical systems,” he said..
Storm damage is constantly happening, but the possibility that climate change is increasing them is Observed weather trendstherefore Mr.
She said that even in the western half of the United States, which is generally dry, the coming precipitation tends to drop at more extreme levels.
She called it “very eye-opening,” adding, “it’s not particularly comfortable to think we have more of this.”
During the winter there was a little bird gush to lift my heart. There are no occasional caw caw, chickadee dee of chickadee, big songs of little carolina rens that stay on our Pennsylvania farms throughout the winter, but no great horned owl courtship calls, nor wooden thrush or Baltimore orioles. Still, I was delighted with the music that was left behind.
However, we just heard the first notes of our first returning songbird, and with a red-winged blackbird, the snowdrop began to protrude from the ground.
The other day I forced their flowers to move last fall potted tulips and hyacinths from the unheated side of the barn into the warmth of the garden room. However, the vegetable garden is a puddle of icy mud, and the flowerbeds are still finely covered with leaves, showing little signs of life. The boxwood is covered in burlap and the snow fence is covered around trees and shrubs to prevent deer from being devoured.
The deer, which has changed from the color of milk chocolate to dark, breaks through the makeshift deterrent, eating Ee, Eunee Mauss, Treehouse, and this winter, Holly. The squirrels are running around joining their radar, but the chipmunks are still nowhere to be seen. I think they are in their dens that I think opossums, raccoons and bears are.
I’ve been waiting for a greenhouse, but now I’m hoping to hibernate in the winter and take a break from sowing, potting and growing. To walk through snowy forests and observe animal tracks, study ice patterns in the pond and make it seasonal. I would like to read in the Fire and Skilled Garden Catalog. Imagine what the garden will look like next year, and hope that next year will be better than last time, as all gardeners do. As Vita Sackville-West wrote in her poem, “The Garden:”
The gardener dreams of his own special alloy
Possibility and impossible.
But what is possible now? Looking back at last year’s terrible season, how do you adapt to the changes I witness?
A year ago, the winter was very warm, the shrub barely died, and last spring, a welcome sight dripping with leaves, but not normal. Spring was so hot that I missed out on a nice, cool window for the transplant. Early season, I didn’t know when to plant ruthless vegetables, and when to produce soft plants, not 85 degrees.
“After the danger of frost” is a general wisdom, but when is that? my Plant hardiness zone I’ve recently shifted as the coldest temperatures in my area are three degrees higher than in 2012. But even that new guidance didn’t help me.
Mid May felt like mid-June. It was then arriving on May 29th.
Anyway, I planted poppies in April (they like cool weather), but the seeds were washed away by the flood. There was a drought between June and November. The grass was brown. Dogwood and Tulip Poplar lost their leaves in July. My vegetable garden resembles a cracked riverbed. The soil was very hard and weeding was almost impossible.
The stream was dry so I saw deer walking into the pond and drinking for the first time in 36 years. Small food was available for them, so they distorted to our garage and ate deer-bearing lavender. Walking through the forest, I was impressed by the lack of growth underneath, especially the huge patch of nettle nettle from North American origin, the host plant for Admiral Akagi and the butterfly in Eastern Comma. Chanteles never bear fruit in normal places. I was worried that our spring would dry out.
Pennsylvania saw record wildfires in the fall. Usually, the two lilacs that appear in the spring bloom in October, and in late November I was harvesting something that I had not yet grown.
All of this reminds me of a radio show called “Piano Puzzlers.” My husband and I listen to it on Saturday mornings. Composer Bruce Adolf rewrites songs that are familiar to the classic composer’s style. He changes the tempo, harmony, or mode of the tune, and the contestants try to name the song and the composer. Imagine “a bit of a jude” in Brahms style. Somewhere in my brain, the song sounds familiar, but something is off. The music is misplaced. Sometimes I guess correctly. In many cases, it is not.
Climate change gardening is the same. Confusing and there are many speculations.
What should a home gardener do?
“The only predictable thing is that it becomes unpredictable,” said Sonja Skelly, director of education at Cornell Botanical Gardens in Ithaca, New York, “it was crazy too.”
Last spring was hot in Ithaca, so vegetable gardeners began planting two weeks before the frost-free date on May 31st. Extreme temperature fluctuations were then created, but the plants that just started were better as they were established. Things planted on the target day were stunted and were in poor growth period. “A good lesson,” Dr. Skelly said. The line covering that allows gardeners to get and grow plants later in the season “is really important in a climate like ours,” she said.
Covered crops such as millet, sorghum and black-eyed peas have been successful in botanical gardens. They improve moisture retention, reduce weeds, reduce erosion, and limit negative microorganisms in the soil. The birds love them, Dr. Skelly said.
She recommended planting together what the Haudeno Sauny people call three sisters, corn, beans and squash. The system produces better yields per hectare than any monoculture crop system, she said.
Drip irrigation is another solution, Dr. Skelly said. “It adds moisture where it is needed at the roots,” she said. The water is slowly released and remains laid down, and does not escape as with manual watering or using sprinklers.
“Observe, take notes, ask questions, ask for answers,” advised Dr. Skelly. “What are your neighbors watching?” I’ve been working on this issue for a while, learning through going to local botanical gardens, public gardens and nature centres. “Try to keep the information cycle running and talk to friends, family and neighbors as a way to help you understand it. That’s very important,” she said.
Dr. Skelly believes it is important for home gardeners to truly understand their plants. “Climate change may be a way to get to know our gardens much better,” she said. “We have to do it.”
For a long time I relied on experts who taught me how to garden responsibly. Do not harm the environment. I have learned to plant a variety of plants, including pollinator natives, and celebrate native weeds like Freeben. I’m practicing planting companions. I don’t spray pesticides or pesticides, and instead use compost, I make my own from comfrey and stinging nettles instead. I wish I could buy plants from something other than plastic.
But the more we contemplate gardening in an age of climate change, the more we believe our home gardeners must find many solutions for themselves. Much of gardening is trial and error, and unstable weather patterns mean that we must experiment more to do our own research. Essentially, we must become citizen scientists in our own vegetable patches and flowerbeds.
Cornell Botanic Garden has a garden for climate demonstrations, but in fact we all do. None of us had experienced this. And in the end, we’re all together. You will navigate a strange new world of digging the soil and growing things.
The collection of Daryln Brewer Hoffstot’s essay, “A Farm Life: Observations from Fields and Forests,” was published by Stackpole Books.
British Summer Time (BST) is back in England, meaning the clocks are about to move forward by one hour. But when exactly will this change happen in the UK in 2025? And why do we shift time twice a year?
When will the clocks change in 2025?
In the UK, the clocks will spring forward on Sunday, March 30th, 2025 at 1am, meaning the official time will instantly become 2am.
What does this mean practically? Evening sunlight will last longer – London’s sunset will shift from around 6:29pm on Saturday to 7:30pm on Sunday.
Then, in a different direction, the clocks will fall back on October 27, 2024, giving us an extra hour in bed. However, on this occasion, that extra hour will not be granted.
British Summer Time will remain until Sunday, October 26th, 2025, when we will revert back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Most devices nowadays automatically adjust for daylight saving time, but you might need to manually change older clocks and appliances.
Will the clocks go forward in March or will they fall back?
In March, the clocks will move forward – we lose an hour of sleep but gain longer evenings.
In October, the clocks will fall back, giving us extra time in bed and marking the return to shorter daylight hours. The phrase “Spring forward, fall back” is a handy way to remember this.
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Why do we move the clocks forward?
While the concept may not have scientific roots, daylight saving time serves a practical purpose of maximizing the use of daylight during the summer months.
By moving the clocks forward, we extend daylight into the evening, which is beneficial for activities like evening walks, sports, and finishing work in daylight. This system is also used in parts of the Southern Hemisphere to align with the summer season.
Where did daylight saving time originate?
This idea is often credited to George Hudson, an insect enthusiast from New Zealand. He proposed the idea in 1895 to shift the clocks for more evening sunlight.
Germany was the first country to officially implement daylight saving time in 1916 during World War I. The UK followed suit shortly after, along with other countries involved in the conflict.
Why do some people want to stop changing the clocks?
Critics argue that daylight saving time can have negative effects including sleep disruptions, increased risk of heart attacks, and confusion in daily routines, especially for teenagers.
Disrupting morning sunlight can interfere with the body’s internal clock, affecting mood and alertness. Some believe that with more flexible working patterns and 24-hour lifestyles, daylight saving time is becoming less relevant.
Do all countries follow daylight saving time?
Of the 195 countries worldwide, only about 70 observe daylight saving time, and many are reconsidering its necessity. Equatorial countries tend to skip daylight saving time as they receive consistent sunlight throughout the year.
In Europe, the European Parliament proposed abolishing biannual clock changes in 2019, but the decision has yet to be finalized. For now, European countries continue to align their clocks with the UK.
Some research stations in Antarctica alternate between GMT and Central European Summer Time, making their timekeeping quite unusual.
How to adjust to clock changes?
To minimize the impact of losing an hour, consider adjusting your bedtime gradually leading up to the time change. Getting natural light early in the morning and staying active can help reset your internal clock.
If you have young children or pets, be prepared for disruptions in their routines. To learn more about minimizing the health impact of daylight saving time changes, check out expert tips on how to cope.
Throughout history, it was believed that only the elite were buried in the pyramids. Recent discoveries of ancient skeletons, however, have challenged this notion.
New research has revealed insights from analyzing the remains found in Tombos, an archaeological site in Sudan near Egypt.
About 3,500 years ago, Tombos, located in Nubia along the Nile River, was captured by Egyptian Pharaoh Tutmose I. Archaeologists studied the skeletons from various burial sites to identify muscle and ligament attachment marks, known as Entele’s Changes, discerning levels of physical activity.
“These changes don’t provide specific details of the individuals’ activities, but they indicate if they were more active or sedentary,” stated Dr. Sarah Schroeder, an Associate Professor of Archaeology at Leiden University, as reported by BBC Science Focus.
Some skeletons exhibited minimal marks, suggesting a sedentary lifestyle typical of wealthy nobles, while others showed signs of physical activity, indicating a working-class background.
This research challenges previous assumptions about the purpose of pyramids, indicating that not all occupants were elites. The study revisits an earlier discovery from 2012 and encourages reevaluation of other pyramid burial sites.
The Mystery of Active Skeletons
Active individuals in these graves may have been workers, servants, or individuals linked to high-status persons, possibly buried to sustain their masters in the afterlife. Alternatively, some speculate they were nobles assuming physical roles to solidify their status.
Dr. Roland Enmark of the University of Liverpool, not involved in the study, posits that non-royals were tomb occupants during that period, including pyramids in their structures.
Unveiling a Complex History
Tombos, a confluence of Egyptian and Nubian cultures, offered a unique setting for archaeological exploration. Discoveries challenge prior beliefs about the residents’ health and life expectancy, presenting a more nuanced social landscape.
The study raises questions for future research, prompting a reevaluation of existing knowledge about pyramid occupants.
About our Experts:
Dr. Sarah Schroeder is an Associate Professor of Archaeology at Leiden University, focusing on human bone archaeology and various aspects of ancient life, such as health, diet, and mobility.
Dr. Roland Enmark, an Egyptologist at the University of Liverpool, specializes in ancient Egyptian and Accadian studies, particularly literary lament.
A new report states that the modern and dry winds that have been dried at high temperatures led to the fire in the Southern California have been about 35 % higher due to climate change.
The survey results are from a world meteorological group that analyzes the effects of global warming on extreme events.
The fire killed at least 29 people and destroyed more than 16,000 buildings.
The International Scientist Group has increased the extreme situation of climate change in the extreme situation that recent fires have made RO sounds in the Los Angeles area as a whole.
A strong state of dry winds at high temperatures ahead of the fire could have been about 35 % higher due to global warming caused by humans. New reports from the World Meteorological attribute groupWe analyze the effects of global warming on extreme events.
The fire, which began in the event of a fierce storm in the spring, killed at least 29 people, including houses, shops, and schools, as it had not been raining in the Great Los Angeles since spring.
“This was a perfect storm for the conditions of the fire disaster. From the viewpoint of the climate that enables the climate, the weather that drives the fire, and the huge environment from the place where these ignitions occurred.” Merced, who contributed to the report at the University of California, said at a press conference.
Compared to the time before the industrial revolution before fossil fuels were widely used, the Los Angeles area had a “dry season” on average every year, and the fire may match the seasonal Santaanana style. Is high. 。
Park Williams, a geographical professor at the University of Los Angeles, the University of California, said Park Williams in the cool season of Southern California. Unusually dry state; Ignition (almost always comes from people); and extreme weather like recent storms. He explained each of these conditions as an individual switch in a system that needs to be turned over all four to emit light.
“The artificial warming caused by climate change caused by humans makes light brighter,” said Williams.
The author in the report analyzes the weather and climate models to evaluate how the warm atmosphere changes the possibility of fire (it means a condition that increases the risk of mountain fire). They also tracked how metrics called the fire weather index changed over time. The index tracks all factors that contribute to temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and fire.
Researchers have discovered that the types of conditions that promote the fire in the LA region are expected to occur once every 17 years in today's climate. Such a state would have been predicted once in 23 years without climate change, and it would not have been so extreme when they occurred.
The high seawater temperature that contributed to the weather of California’s storm in late 2023
Kevin Carter/Getty Image
Researchers say the rapid increase in marine temperature up to the level of the record breaking in 2023 and 2024 is a sign that the pace of climate change has accelerated.
The world marine temperature reached a record high for 450 days in 2023 and early 2024. The Ehninho’s weather pattern, which appears in the Pacific Ocean, can explain some of the extra heat, but about 44 % of the recorded warmth is decreasing to the world. According to the sea, which absorbs heat from the sun, the acceleration speed Christmer chat At a British lady university.
Merchants and his colleagues have analyzed marine warming over the past 40 years using satellite data, concluding that the speed of warming has been more than four times since 1985.
The team says that this rapid acceleration depends on the rapid change of the EEI of the earth’s energy. This is the scale of how much heat is trapped in the atmosphere. The EEI has doubled since 2010, and the sea has absorbed much more heat than before.
“The sea generally sets a pace of global warming,” says a merchant. “Therefore, as an extension, global warming is accelerating as a whole, including land.” Merchants are “I personally convinced that accelerating climate change is a major factor in recent marine temperature increase. I say. “
Based on their analysis, merchants and his team predict that marine warming will continue to increase rapidly in the next few decades. “If the tendency of the EEI is out of the future, a large amount of global warming can be expected in the next 20 years, as in the past 40 years.
The climate model hopes that the speed of climate change will accelerate, but the analysis of the merchant suggests that the trend of the real world is in line with the most pessimistic model forecast. “The fact that this data -driven analysis is placed in a high -end high -end that the model predicted is a problem that needs to be viewed,” he says.
However, early data suggests that EEI decreased in 2024 after a recorded spike in 2023. Some researchers argue that this data may not accelerate in the worst scenario.
The concept of Marine Cloud Brightening revolves around the idea that by making clouds brighter or whiter, more sunlight is reflected back into space. This ultimately helps reduce the amount of heat absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere and offers a respite from the effects of increased carbon emissions.
Clouds in marine environments are believed to benefit the most from such brightening efforts. But how exactly does one go about brightening clouds, and does it work as effectively as theorized?
Scientists primarily suggest spraying aerosols, such as fine sea salt particles, to brighten clouds. These aerosols act as “condensation nuclei” within the clouds, promoting water vapor to form more liquid droplets and creating denser, brighter clouds. A similar effect can be seen with pollution particles.
Fun fact: Some clouds can contain 500,000 kg (or £ 1.1 million) of water. That’s about 100 elephants -Photo Credit: Getty
However, the challenge lies in ensuring the particles sprayed are of the right size to effectively brighten the clouds at the appropriate time. Additionally, achieving significant sunlight reflection requires scaling up the operation sufficiently. There is also the concern of unforeseen impacts on clouds and climate.
Current research efforts mainly involve small-scale experiments and computer simulations, though some real-world studies have raised questions. For instance, a bright cloud experiment in Arameda, California was halted in May following warnings from local authorities reported in the media.
Experts have suggested that useful insights can be gleaned from “natural” experiments as well. Observations near the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii showed that aerosols generated naturally during the eruption led to a 50% increase in cloud cover. 。
Ultimately, the decision on whether to pursue large-scale marine cloud brightening rests with policymakers, who require convincing evidence. As scientific understanding and the climate crisis evolve, attitudes may shift.
This article addresses the question (I asked from Besariany Shepherd, Derbyshire) “Is Marine Cloud Brightening useful for fighting climate change?”
To submit a question, please email questions@sciencefocus.com or send a message via our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Page (remember to include your name and location).
For fascinating science facts, visit our fun fact page.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate change agreement as one of his first acts in office.
The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016, requires participating countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions annually to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The United States, along with other countries, has also pledged billions of dollars to assist developing nations with climate adaptation and mitigation.
The White House stated, “In recent years, the United States has entered into international agreements that do not align with our values or economic and environmental goals. These agreements direct American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not need or deserve financial assistance, to the detriment of the American people.”
The executive order mandates U.S. Ambassador to the UN to provide written notification of withdrawal, with immediate effect.
The United States will join Libya, Yemen, and Iran as countries not part of the Paris Agreement, impacting global climate action efforts.
Climate change groups have strongly criticized the decision, calling it a setback to efforts to combat climate change and protect the environment.
The world continues to see unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide emissions, leading to rising global temperatures and more extreme weather events.
As the largest historical emitter, the United States has a significant role to play in leading global efforts to reduce emissions and combat climate change.
Despite the withdrawal, experts emphasize the importance of ongoing efforts to meet the goals set by the Paris Agreement and address the challenges posed by climate change.
President Trump’s administration has reversed several climate initiatives put in place by the previous administration, aiming to prioritize energy production and economic growth over environmental concerns.
President Trump has also declared a national energy emergency, urging federal agencies to roll back “harmful” climate policies that impact food and fuel costs.
Ion traps can control atoms for quantum experiments
Y. Colomb/National Institute of Standards and Technology/Scientific Photo Library
After decades of investigation, researchers observed a series of atoms undergoing a one-dimensional phase change. This was so elusive that it could only happen in a quantum simulator.
“There is only one motive [for our experiment] I'm trying to really understand basic physics. “We're just trying to understand the fundamental states that matter can be in,” he says. alexander shuckardt at the University of Maryland.
He and his colleagues used electromagnetic fields to arrange 23 ions of the element ytterbium in a line, forming a nearly one-dimensional chain. The device can be used for quantum computing, but in this case the researchers used the chain as a simulator instead.
In it, they built a 1D ytterbium magnet one atom at a time. Previous calculations predicted that this type of magnet would become unmagnetized when warmed, thanks to quantum effects. However, no experiments have achieved this phase transition in the past.
One reason for the difficulty is that systems such as quantum computers and simulators typically only work properly when they are very cold. So heating them to cause a phase transition can cause them to malfunction, Schuckert says.
To get around this, he and his colleagues tuned the initial quantum state of the atoms so that over time, the collective state of the 1D magnet changes as if the temperature were increased. This revealed a phase transition that had never been seen before.
The result is very unusual, he says, because chains of atoms are generally not supposed to undergo phase transitions. Mohammad Maghrebi at Michigan State University. The researchers were able to manipulate it precisely because each ion could interact with other ions over large distances, even if they weren't in contact. This caused the entire line to engage in abnormal collective behavior.
Because their simulator allows for such exotic states of matter, it could be used to study theoretical systems that are extremely rare or may not exist in nature, Maghrebi said. say.
Schuckert suggests that quantum simulators could also help explain the strange electrical or magnetic behavior that some materials exhibit in the real world. But for that to happen, these devices will have to be able to reach higher temperatures than they currently do. Currently, researchers can only create models at extremely low temperatures, but within five years it may be possible to simulate even higher temperatures, he says.
And if the simulator could be made larger, for example by arranging ions in two-dimensional arrays, many more existing theoretical systems could be studied, he says. andrea trombettoni at the University of Trieste, Italy. “This would suggest new physics to explore,” he says.
As individuals age, their brains may experience difficulties in learning and decision-making due to a decrease in brain cells and cognitive function. However, neuroscientists have found that the brain can rewire connections to compensate for age-related cognitive decline through a process known as compensatory scaffolding. This involves forming new connections in the brain, strengthening existing ones, and even generating new brain cells. Yet, the specifics of how these new connections operate and interact, as well as their limitations, remain unclear.
Research conducted by Leonardo Bonetti and colleagues indicates that older individuals may exhibit more compensatory scaffolding and less unilateral brain activity compared to younger individuals when processing auditory information like music. Previous studies have shown that certain brain areas involved in memory and task processing decline faster in aging individuals, prompting Bonetti’s team to investigate how age impacts the brain’s response to compensatory scaffolding during music processing.
To test their hypothesis, Bonetti and his team studied brain activity in 37 young adults (aged 18-25) and 39 older adults (aged 60 and above) as they listened to music. Using magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging devices, the researchers mapped brain activity in specific regions responsible for sound processing and decision-making, such as the temporal lobe, frontal lobe, and hippocampus.
During the study, participants were asked to memorize a musical sequence and distinguish between the original version and modified versions with altered notes. Older participants showed less brain activity in most regions compared to younger participants, except for the left auditory cortex. This increased activity in the left auditory cortex suggested that the aging brain can reorganize and maintain function in certain areas, despite decreased activity in memory-related regions.
Notably, younger participants displayed more brain activity in memory and working memory areas, enabling them to detect modified musical sequences more effectively than older participants. The study also revealed that individuals with strong working memory were better at recognizing modified sequences, regardless of age group.
Overall, the research highlights that parts of the brain linked to memory and cognitive function may decline with age, but healthy aging can trigger brain reorganization to mitigate functional decline. Bonetti’s findings challenge previous notions that aging does not impact brain pathways associated with memory, decision-making, and other executive functions.
The impacts of climate change are widespread, ranging from biodiversity loss to extreme weather events, rising sea levels, wildfires, and mass human migrations. Each year reveals more about our impact on the environment, with some discoveries more surprising than others.
One of the most shocking revelations to join this list is the recent discovery that our greenhouse gas emissions are altering the Earth’s rotation.
As a result, Earth days are gradually becoming longer, potentially leading to significant changes in how we experience time in the future.
“It’s fascinating how our actions as humans can have such a profound impact on the entire planet through the extensive climate change we’ve triggered over the last century,” says Professor Benedict Soja, a scientist at ETH Zurich who contributed to uncovering this concerning trend.
“This effect may surpass previous significant influences on Earth’s rotation.”
Could we see more hours in a day?
We are familiar with the greenhouse effect, where gases like carbon dioxide trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, leading to a rise in temperatures.
Last year, global temperatures were 1.18 degrees Celsius above the 20th-century average, approaching the 1.5 degrees Celsius target set in 2015 as a limit to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.
Record melting of Swiss glaciers in 2022 – Credit: Getty Images
The primary consequence of this warming is the melting of large ice areas in the Arctic and Antarctic, with Switzerland losing 10% of its glacier mass in the last two years, Antarctica shedding 150 billion tons of ice annually, and Greenland losing 270 billion tons.
While many are concerned about the impact of this melting on coastal areas, Soja and his team posed a different question: Will this significant mass redistribution likely prevail? What will be its broad-scale impact on the planet? In a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they provided an answer.
“As the ice melts, the Earth’s mass shifts from the polar regions to the oceans,” Soja explained. “This results in the Earth becoming flatter and more oblate, with its mass moving further from the rotation axis.”
Understanding the Mechanism
Similar to any rotating object, the Earth adheres to the law of momentum conservation. Simply put, momentum must be preserved, and it depends on the moment of inertia and rotational speed. As mass moves away from the rotation axis due to melting ice, the moment of inertia increases.
Therefore, to uphold its momentum despite ice melting, the Earth’s rotation slows down, elongating our days.
Soja likens this concept to a figure skater performing a spin, where extending the arms slows down the rotation, while pulling them in speeds it up.
The study indicated that from 1900 to 2000, the climate’s impact on the length of Earth’s day ranged from 0.3 to 1.0 milliseconds per century. Since 2000, accelerated melting has raised this rate to 1.3 milliseconds per century, with a potential increase to 2.6 milliseconds per century by 2100 if emissions remain unchecked.
While these changes may seem small in our daily lives, they could have significant effects on a globally synchronized technological network.
Considerations on Time Management
Three main timescales play crucial roles in timekeeping: International Atomic Time (TAI), Universal Time (UT1), and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). TAI relies on atomic clocks, UT1 is determined by Earth’s rotation, and UTC synchronizes the two.
Leap seconds were introduced in 1972 to align UTC with UT1 within 0.9 seconds.
Unlike predictable leap years, leap seconds are added irregularly as needed. Since 1972, 27 leap seconds have been added, with the most recent in 2016. Disruptions from leap seconds have caused issues in the digital age, impacting technology companies striving for synchronization.
Atomic clock made in Germany – Credit: Alamy
The recent discovery of Earth’s core slowing down further complicates matters. If the planet’s rotation continues to accelerate, a negative leap second may need to be introduced to UTC. This unprecedented situation poses substantial challenges as systems are unprepared for negative adjustments.
“This has never occurred before, and frankly, I don’t think anyone anticipated it,” Agnew remarked. He compares this scenario to the Y2K scare when concerns about potential computer errors surfaced at the end of the 20th century.
“The critical aspect is that we don’t know the consequences of introducing a negative leap second,” he cautioned. “The negative impacts could be unforeseen.”
According to Agnew, if the effects of climate change had not slowed down, a negative leap second would have been necessary in 2026. “Global warming might postpone negative leap seconds and eliminate their need entirely,” he noted.
While this discovery regarding climate change may offer a positive effect, considering less necessity for negative leap seconds, the implications of further greenhouse gas emissions outweigh any potential benefits. As the situation stands, negative leap seconds may still be required in 2029.
Perhaps it’s time to reconsider the current system?
Agnew proposed a solution to reduce the required precision between timescales, eliminating the need for negative leap seconds and allowing for more predictable positive adjustments.
“It could resemble a leap year. You add a fixed number of seconds at a specific time and accept that it may not be exact but is tolerable,” suggested Agnew.
This proposition aligns with the dominance of slowing over longer timescales, rather than the complex interactions involving Earth’s core or ice melting.
Efforts are reportedly underway to implement this system, with a target to eliminate the need for leap seconds by 2035. However, international agreement hurdles must be overcome. Failure to adapt before requiring a negative leap second could lead to unprecedented chaos, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
Meet the Experts
Benedict Soja: Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geoengineering at ETH Zurich.
Duncan Agnew: Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, specializing in crustal deformation measurement and geophysical data analysis.
It hasn’t been a good year for people concerned about climate change. The expected peak in carbon emissions has not appeared, meaning global warming continues to accelerate (see ‘Humans have warmed the planet by 1.5°C since 1700’). Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s election as US president for a second term and his pledge to “drill, baby, drill” new oil and gas supplies could lead the country to backtrack on climate action. expensive.
Similar sentiments against fossil fuels come from Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who called the oil-rich country’s natural resources a “gift from God.” Aliyev made the comments at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku. Ironically, this “gift” will become increasingly unavailable as a warming world dries up the Caspian Sea and strands billions of dollars in fossil fuel infrastructure. (See ‘We face climate disaster as the world dries up’).
Given the failure of politicians on the international stage to grasp the reality of climate change, other leaders need to step up, but surprisingly, mayors are the best suited to do so. Maybe it’s the position.
It will be essential for cities to adapt to cope with the unique impacts of urban heat.
Mayors cannot be expected to influence the Earth’s climate, but they oversee the well-being of more than 50 percent of the world’s population who live in urban centers. This number is expected to increase to 70 percent by 2050. Current projections are for spot temperatures to increase by 2.5 degrees Celsius. Adapting cities to deal with the unique effects of urban heat will be essential, from promoting green spaces to investing in buildings that can be cooled without air conditioning (‘Extreme heat makes cities uninhabitable’). (See “How can I survive?”)
The good news is that many mayors already recognize their responsibilities. London Mayor Sadiq Khan aims for the city to be net zero by 2030. Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, France, planted trees in certain areas and banned cars from passing. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also pledged environmentally friendly changes in preparation for the 2028 Olympics. Organizations like C40 and Climate Mayors are helping to unite local politicians around the world into action. This won’t solve climate change, but it will make life in a warming world more bearable for many people.
You've probably already noticed that the prices of many foods in your shopping cart have increased significantly. In the UK, the price of white potatoes is 20% increase in the past yearwith carrots 38% increase Olive oil rose 40%. And while that means the cost of assembling a roast dinner has soared, specialty items have also seen an even bigger price increase, with you now paying nearly twice as much for a portion of a chocolate bar. It will be.
The drivers of price increases are complex, but one of the biggest drivers is climate change. In the short term, extreme weather caused by global warming is having a devastating impact on producers. For example, in Northern Europe, heavy rains in the spring of 2024 left fields too waterlogged to harvest vegetables or plant new crops. Meanwhile, Morocco, which normally exports many vegetables to Europe, experienced a drought and ran out of water for irrigation. As a result, the prices of potatoes and carrots have soared.
As average global temperatures rise by 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in the coming years, heat waves, droughts and extreme storms will become more common and intense, causing major disruptions to food production. It will be. But current efforts to compensate for the effects of crop failures, such as clearing forests to grow more crops, are exacerbating many other problems, from biodiversity loss to rising carbon dioxide levels. I am. Are we underestimating the magnitude of the impact, when it's already happening to so many foods? If so, what can we do about it?
When it comes to natural disasters, it is often impossible to predict them more than a few months or even days in advance. We cannot say, “Let's prepare because an earthquake will occur within two years.'' But one of the few things we can really prepare for is an asteroid impact.
Although no one has yet discovered a large asteroid on a collision course with Earth, scientists, engineers, and policymakers are working on plans to defend the planet in the event it does. Techniques to avoid disaster are already being tested, such as impacting asteroids to change their orbits, as NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission did successfully in 2022.
One of the most surprisingly useful planetary defense tools is running a role-playing game. This reveals roadblocks that can derail even the best-laid plans. Paul Chodas of NASA, who runs some of these exercises, says they reveal problems that would never have been considered otherwise. In our special feature, “If an asteroid is heading towards Earth, can we avoid disaster?”you can try such games yourself.
Compared to other existential threats, the risk from asteroids is relatively small
It goes without saying that factors such as the size of rocks coming from space and how quickly they are discovered have a major impact on whether disasters can be successfully avoided. So is the ability to communicate effectively. different options. These are important lessons that go beyond just protecting yourself from asteroids.
Compared to other existential threats, the risk of an asteroid coming our way is relatively small. Climate change is already happening. Pandemics have occurred regularly throughout human history, and global warming has made them even more likely. We know that these involve technical challenges, such as the development and deployment of green technologies, but the social challenges are equally important.
Only with effective global cooperation and communication can humanity tackle its greatest challenges. That's as true in the Asteroid Roleplaying Game as it is in real life.
Climate change has increased Hurricane Helen’s wind speed by 11% and total precipitation by about 10%, according to a new report.
Researchers expect Milton to do the same, and say it is likely to get worse because of climate change.
The report says the higher sea surface temperatures that contributed to the intensification of both storms are 200 to 500 times more likely to be due to climate change.
As Hurricane Milton hurtles toward Florida’s west coast, a new report estimates how intense Hurricane Helen’s winds and rain could have been due to climate change. Scientists involved in the study said they expected Milton to do the same, and that it would likely get worse because of climate change.
The report, released late Wednesday night, is from the World Weather Attribution Group, a consortium of scientists that analyzes extreme weather events and determines how much climate change has influenced certain events. He is regarded as the leading expert in making decisions.
The findings show that because of climate change, Hurricane Helen’s wind speeds were 11% more intense and its precipitation totals were about 10% higher.
Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who contributed to the new study, said “we now have a complete study showing a very clear link” between climate change and hurricane strength. “The biggest danger is not making the connection to climate change.”
Like Hurricane Helen, Hurricane Milton is also moving through record-breaking heat. Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are much warmer than usual, even for this time of year. Warmer water acts as fuel for such storms, helping them intensify faster.
Both hurricanes undergo a process known as rapid intensification, where the hurricane’s sustained wind speeds increase by at least 35 miles per hour over a 24-hour period. This trend is becoming more common due to climate change.
The report says the sea surface temperatures that pushed Helen and Milton up were 200 to 500 times warmer due to climate change.
On Monday, Milton experienced a dramatic pressure drop in the center of the hurricane, strengthening to one of the fifth strongest hurricanes ever recorded.
“This storm is definitely explosive,” said Bernadette Woods Plucky, chief meteorologist at the nonprofit research group Climate Central and co-author of the new report.
Using a combination of statistical analysis and detailed climate modeling, the researchers found that climate change and the fossil fuel pollution it causes are about 2.5 times more likely to produce a hurricane as strong as Helen.
This is the third and most extensive preliminary report linking climate change to the heavy rains that killed more than 200 people after Hurricane Helen made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on September 26.
Scientists at World Weather Attribution examined rainfall over two days along the coast of Florida, where Helen first hit, and three days of rainfall in mountainous areas in six neighboring states, including North Carolina and Tennessee. Assessed quantity.
They found that coastal rainfall totals are 40% more likely to be this high due to climate change, and inland rainfall totals are 70% more likely to be this high due to climate change. I discovered that there is a sex.
Helen flooded parts of southern Appalachia with more than 6 feet of rain. Floodwaters washed away houses, washed out highways, and cut off access to the town. Much of the recovery work is just beginning.
Damaged buildings in downtown Chimney Rock, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helen passed through on October 2nd. Alison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images
The World Weather Attribution group is a loose confederation of scientists who rapidly publish extreme findings about whether and how climate change has affected particular events. Twenty-one researchers participated in the new analysis. Although the group uses peer-review methods, its findings are published prior to traditional peer-review when events are new and particularly newsworthy. Previous studies on global weather attribution have withstood further scrutiny by outside scientists and been published in major scientific journals.
Otto said the new results are consistent with two previous analyzes of the effects of climate change on Hurricane Helen, but different researchers defined the parameters of the study in different ways, and there are different He said each report produced different numbers because they focused on geography.
Scientists at World Weather Attribution will run the numbers again for Milton and write a new report.
A group of young evangelical Christians is planning a campaign at religious universities to persuade students to think about climate change at the voting booth.
It’s part of a small movement within the evangelical community to combine Christian values with climate action.
The effort comes as President Donald Trump continues to court evangelical voters while calling climate change a “fraud.”
When an evangelical student group calls for a vote on climate change at a Christian university later this month, they plan to carry the tagline: “Love God, Love Your Neighbor, Vote for Climate Change!”
This is the first time the bipartisan group Young Evangelicals for Climate Action has organized such an in-person campaign on campus since its inception in 2012.
The volunteers, members of six Christian university chapters, are working to connect communities affected by the climate crisis with the Christian duty to “love our neighbor” and help those in need. We are aiming for
The effort is part of a larger movement led by the Evangelical Environmental Network, a faith-based organization calling for climate action.
Its members are a minority within the community. A 2022 poll from the Pew Research Center found that evangelical Christians are the largest minority. most likely Religious groups in the United States have expressed skepticism about anthropogenic climate change.
In the 2020 election, 84% of white evangelical Christians I voted for Donald Trump — I have voted for Trump in the past Climate change is a “hoax” decades of contradictions scientific consensus. Just last week, President Trump falsely claimed that “the Earth has actually gotten a little colder lately,” and at a September 29 rally called climate change “one of the biggest frauds in history.”
Cast of white evangelical voters third President Trump's 2016 vote count and Pew Research poll released last month We found that 82% said they would do so again this year.
Still, Jessica Morman, CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, says she's working to get Christians to see climate change as an issue that loves God's planet.
“As evangelicals, we have a biblical mission to care for God’s creation,” said Morman, a pastor and climate scientist. “And in the 21st century, that means taking action on the climate.”
Between 10% to 15% of California’s wildfires are caused by arson annually, a trend that seems to continue in 2024. With the impact of climate change raising temperatures, prolonging fire seasons, and worsening drought conditions, intentional fires have more opportunities to ignite and spread.
Suspected arson fires have burned over 477,000 acres this year, the highest since 2014 when 98,259 acres were burned due to arson, according to Cal Fire.
Dry wood from drought or other climate change effects heightens the risk posed by arson fires, as they can rapidly spread and endanger homes. Mouchette warned of the increased danger, especially for those without access to escape vehicles.
The wildfire season in California is becoming longer, with the desert basin in the southeastern part of the state experiencing 61 additional fire weather days from 1973 to 2022, according to Climate Central.
Rising temperatures from a record-breaking October heatwave in parts of California, with temperatures forecasted to reach 105 degrees in some areas, further exacerbate the risk of arson fires spreading quickly.
Arson fires inherently cause more damage per acre compared to fires caused by lightning or other factors, making them a serious concern, noted researcher Jeffrey Prestemon from the U.S. Forest Service.
In a study conducted by Prestemon and colleagues on wildfire arson incidents in various countries, they found a significant decrease in wildfires after the arrest of a particular arsonist in Spain the following year.
Arresting arsonists can deter future incidents and prevent further damage, emphasized Prestemon.
In California, Cal Fire had apprehended 91 individuals on arson charges by August, aligning with historical trends. Typically, wildfire arsonists are young males who tend to have multiple instances of setting fires.
Investigating and prosecuting wildfire arson cases present challenges due to sparse physical evidence, making it difficult to hold perpetrators accountable, stated Daniel Fox, a prosecutor from Riverside County.
While advancements in technology like surveillance cameras and satellite tracking have aided in closing cases, victims of arson wildfires often struggle to recover fully from the damages inflicted, as insurance coverage may fall short.
Andrea Blaylock examines the charred remains of her home destroyed in the Park Fire near Forest Ranch, California, on July 30, 2024.Nick Cooley/Associated Press
A suspect, Stout, arrested for the Park fire, faces charges of arson of a residential structure or property, potentially carrying a 25 years to life sentence if convicted.
With wildfire arson posing ongoing threats in California, efforts to prevent, investigate, and prosecute these incidents remain crucial to protect lives and property from the devastation they cause.
So far this year, hail — not hurricanes, floods or tornadoes — has caused the most costly weather damage in the United States.
Research suggests that large hailstorms will become more frequent due to climate change.
Next year, scientists are planning the first field study of hail in the United States since the 1970s, and will track hailstorms in the same way they track tornadoes.
Barb Berlin was standing in the garage of her farmhouse near Inman, Nebraska, when she heard a sudden crackling noise.
“I thought it was a gun,” she said.
Then a streak of white appeared, and she realized the sound wasn't a gunshot, but hail.
Fist-sized hailstones pounded on the tin roof of Berlin's garage, and soon others began punching softball-shaped holes in the hood of her Ford Mustang parked outside.
“It was very loud and scary. I prayed a lot,” Berlin said, adding that she was worried about her livestock. “I've never seen hail like that before.”
Hail is a hidden danger: Despite the extreme weather this spring and summer, hail — not hurricanes, floods or tornadoes — caused the most losses in the U.S., according to Gallagher Re, a global reinsurance firm that tracks such data.
And as the planet warms, research suggests large hailstorms like the one observed in Berlin on Monday will become more frequent. A study published last monthThis suggests that the chances of smaller, less damaging hail will decrease.
A study by researchers at Northern Illinois University projects that the frequency of hailstones larger than about 1.5 inches could increase by 15% to 75%, depending on the amount of greenhouse gas pollution humans emit.
Hail occurs when thunderstorms circulate raindrops in the upper layers of the atmosphere, and typically occurs where temperatures are between -22°F and 14°F. Climate change affects hail because warmer temperatures create more energy to push air upwards.In a thunderstorm.
“We expect to see stronger updrafts in the future as the atmosphere becomes more unstable,” said Victor Gensini, a professor of meteorology at Northern Illinois University and lead author of the study.
According to the study, these strong updrafts allow hail to remain in the right places in the storm longer, allowing more ice to accumulate before the hail becomes too heavy and falls to the ground.
“Imagine trying to balance a ping pong ball on an upside-down hair dryer pointing up into the sky,” Gensini said, explaining how updrafts lift hailstones. “Now try balancing a baseball or a grapefruit. You'll need a stronger updraft to…
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Most political efforts to tackle climate change have had little effect
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Most climate policies fail to significantly reduce emissions and have little effect on halting climate change, meaning governments must work harder to find ways to actually make a difference.
Nicholas Koch Researchers from the Mercator Institute for the Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin found this by assessing the impact of 1,500 climate policies implemented in 41 countries across six continents between 1998 and 2022.
The researchers began by using machine learning to identify moments when a country's emissions fell significantly compared to a control group of other countries not included in the analysis. They found 69 such emissions “breaks” and compared them to a database compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that tracks what climate policies were enacted and when.
Matching policy shifts with changes in emissions is not an exact science, but the team was able to identify 63 of these changes as being due to one or more policy interventions that took place within a two-year period before or after the change, to account for lagged or anticipated effects.
Each of the 63 breaks reduced carbon dioxide emissions by between 600 million and 1.8 billion tonnes, but the researchers found that overall, most climate policies have fallen far short of this level of success. “There are many policies that have not led to significant reductions in emissions, and more policies do not necessarily lead to better outcomes,” Koch said.
Many policies fail because they are too specific, he says. For example, governments might subsidize the purchase of new electric cars, but most cars on the road are not electric, so the impact is minimal. One measure that seems to be very effective is a total ban, for example stopping the use of coal for electricity generation, but these are always used in conjunction with others, making it hard for the team to identify whether they work in isolation.
Politicians are looking for a one-size-fits-all policy mix, but they're out of luck: there's nothing that works for all sectors. Pricing seems to be the most effective tool, especially in reducing emissions in commercial industries, but it's not the only solution, Koch says. “We've found that the most frequently used policy tools – subsidies and regulations – are not enough,” he says. “Only in combination with price-based tools like carbon prices, energy taxes, can we achieve significant emissions reductions.” In other words, people will only reduce their emissions if it hurts their wallets.
“A key value of this paper is that it identifies clear changes in emissions in specific sectors and countries.” Matthew Patterson The researcher, from the University of Manchester in the UK, points out that the OECD's database of policy change has some limitations because the government documents it draws from are not reported consistently around the world, but he says it is the best available for the purposes of this study.
“We've known for some time that climate policies work best in combination, but this study gives us more specific information about which combinations work and in what circumstances,” Patterson says. This will allow us to more aggressively pursue these “breaks” to address the emissions gap and create the policy combinations that most effectively address emissions.
Marion Dumas Researchers at the London School of Economics and Political Science say that while the study should be useful to policymakers, looking first at emissions trends – or the results – and then working backwards to understand the causes may not capture the full reality of policy interventions.
“This is a very interesting approach, but there is a lot of uncertainty as to how to simulate the likely outcomes. [emissions] “You need to map out the trajectory and then identify the tipping points,” Dumas said, adding that a two-year gap around the tipping point may be too short and underestimates the real impact of more gradual, longer-term policy changes.
“It's important not to overinterpret the headline results, which suggest that very few policies will reduce emissions.” Robin Rambo The researchers, from Imperial College London, say small emissions reductions that their team's methods didn't detect could add up to big differences.
Of course, a larger issue in identifying the most effective measures is that policymaking doesn't take place in a vacuum, and specific policies must be acceptable to the general public. “The political dynamics will determine whether that combination can be implemented in any given country or sector,” Patterson says.
“We know this is going to be very difficult politically,” Koch said, “but the good news is that in general it's possible to put policies in place to achieve these very ambitious goals.”
Using the large number of human fossils found in Ice Age Europe, paleoanthropologists have identified a population turnover in Western Europe 28,000 years ago, isolation between western and eastern refugia between 28,000 and 14,700 years ago, and a bottleneck during the most recent Ice Age.
Artistic reconstruction of an Ice Age hunter-gatherer group. Image courtesy of Tom Björklund.
“Around 45,000 years ago, the first modern humans migrated into Europe during the Ice Age, marking the beginning of the so-called Late Paleolithic period,” said Dr Hannes Lassmann, a researcher at the University of Tübingen.
“These early populations continuously inhabited the European continent, even during the so-called Last Glacial Maximum about 25,000 years ago, a time when glaciers covered much of northern and central Europe.”
“Archaeologists have long debated how climate change and the resulting new environmental conditions affected the demographics of hunter-gatherers at the time.”
“The limited number of available fossils and the often poor molecular preservation for ancient DNA analysis have made it very difficult to draw conclusions about the influence of climatic factors on migrations, population growth, decline and extinction.”
Because teeth make up a large part of the fossil record and preserve genetic traits in their morphology, Dr. Rathman and his colleagues compiled a large dataset of 450 dentitions dating from 47,000 to 7,000 years ago.
They focused on morphological features of the teeth – small variations within the dentition, such as the number and shape of cusps on the crowns, the pattern of ridges and grooves on the chewing surfaces, and the presence or absence of wisdom teeth.
“Because these traits are heritable, they can be used to trace the genetic relationships of Ice Age humans without the need for well-preserved ancient DNA,” Dr Lassman said.
“These features are visible to the naked eye, so we also looked at hundreds of publicly available photographs of the fossils.”
The results show that between about 47,000 and 28,000 years ago, during the Middle Glacial Period, populations from Western and Eastern Europe were well connected genetically.
During the subsequent Late Glacial Period, between 28,000 and 14,700 years ago, the researchers found no genetic link between Western and Eastern Europe.
Furthermore, the analysis shows that both regions have experienced significant declines in population size and loss of genetic diversity.
“This dramatic population shift was likely caused by major climate change,” Dr Rathman said.
“Temperatures during this period fell to their lowest values for the entire Upper Paleolithic, culminating in the Last Glacial Maximum, when ice sheets reached their maximum extent and covered large parts of northern and central Europe.”
“The worsening climate changed the vegetation from steppe to primarily tundra, affecting the habitat of prey animals and, consequently, the hunter-gatherers who depended on them.”
“Our findings support the long-held theory that humans were not only pushed southward by the advancing ice sheet but also isolated into isolated refugia with more favourable environmental conditions,” said Dr Judith Beier, also from the University of Tübingen.
Another notable finding of the study is the discovery that Western European populations became extinct during the transition from the Middle to Late Neoglacial and were replaced by new populations migrating from Eastern Europe.
After the Late Glacial Period, temperatures rose steadily again, the glaciers retreated, grassland and forest vegetation returned, and previously abandoned areas could be recolonized for the first time.
The team observed that during this period, the populations of Western and Eastern Europe, which had previously been isolated and significantly declining, began to grow again and migration between the regions resumed.
“Our new method makes it possible for the first time to reconstruct complex prehistoric demographic events using morphological data,” said researcher Dr Maria Teresa Vizzarri from the University of Ferrara.
“To our knowledge, this has never been accomplished before.”
“Our study provides important insights into the demographic history of Ice Age Europeans and highlights the profound impact that climatic and environmental change had on prehistoric human life,” Dr Lassmann said.
“If we want to tackle the complex environmental challenges of the future, we need to urgently learn from the past.”
of Survey results Published in the journal Scientific advances.
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Hannes Lassmann others2024. Human demography in Late Paleolithic Europe inferred from fossil dental phenotypes. Scientific advances 10(33);doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adn8129
This article has been edited based on the original release from the University of Tübingen.
Walking on hot red sand is hard work, especially when the temperature exceeds 40°C (104°F). After about 40 minutes you are soaked, dehydrated and exhausted. It is hard to imagine doing this for 40 days with all your gear, including 40 liters of water for five days, on a two-wheeled trolley. But that is exactly what my traveling companions did.
I'm in the Nahud Desert, a vast expanse of sand and rocky wilderness in northern Saudi Arabia, to experience the almost unbearable heat and meet up with 20 other people who are part of an expedition. Deep ClimateHe is dedicated to understanding how humans respond to extreme situations. “The aim is to study how humans adapt to new kinds of environments,” he says. Christian Clotteleader of the expedition and director of the French Institute of Human Adaptation.
This problem becomes even more pressing as the climate gets warmer: even in the most optimistic scenarios, heatwaves exceeding 40°C, as observed in southern Europe and across the United States over the past few months, will become the norm in many parts of the world.
So the question of what happens to our brains and bodies, and how well the human physiology can handle extreme heat, is a question that matters to millions of people. “We're going to see large swaths of densely populated areas rise to unprecedented temperatures that nobody has seen in historical climates,” he said. Tim Renton He is a researcher at the University of Exeter in the UK and recently co-authored a research paper titled “…
Parts of the US experienced heatwaves during the day that could cause heatstroke, with temperatures rising by 2.5C (1.4C) due to global warming caused by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. World Weather Attribution, The calculations were made Thursday by a group of scientists conducting a rapid, non-peer-reviewed study of climate factors.
“It’s like an oven out here, there’s no way I could be here,” said Magarita Salazar Pérez, 82, who lives in Veracruz, Mexico, in her home without air conditioning. Temperatures in the Sonoran Desert reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51.9 Celsius) last week, making it the hottest day in Mexico’s history, said Shel Winkley, a meteorologist at Climate Central and co-author of the study.
And it was even worse at night, which is what made the heatwave so deadly, said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who is leading the team investigating its causes. Climate change has caused nighttime temperatures to rise by 2.9 degrees Celsius (1.6 degrees Fahrenheit), making extreme nighttime heat 200 times more likely, Otto said.
Salazar-Perez said there isn’t the cool nighttime air that people are used to, and doctors say lower nighttime temperatures are key to surviving the heatwave.
A man holds his head in the heat at the Cogra nursing home in Veracruz, Mexico, on June 16, 2024.Felix Marquez/AP
At least 125 people have been killed so far, according to the Global Weather Attribution Team.
“This is clearly related to climate change, the level of intensity that we’re seeing, these risks,” said Karina Izquierdo, urban adviser at the Mexico City-based Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center and co-author of the study.
Otto said what’s worrying about this heat wave, which is still heating up North America, is that it’s no longer unusual. Previous research from the group has shown that extremely extreme heat waves Not possible without climate changebut not this heat wave.
“So in that sense it’s not unusual from a meteorological standpoint, but the impacts were really bad,” Otto told The Associated Press in an interview.
“The changes over the last 20 years, which feel like yesterday, have been so dramatic,” Otto said. Her research shows that heat waves are four times more likely now than they were in 2000, when temperatures were nearly 1 degree Celsius (half a degree Celsius) cooler. “It seems so long ago, like another world.”
While other international groups of scientists, as well as global carbon emission reduction targets adopted by countries in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, have noted that warming has been increasing since the pre-industrial era in the mid-1800s, Otto said comparing what is happening now to the year 2000 is even more shocking.
“We’re seeing the baseline shift, and what was once extreme but rare is becoming more and more common,” said Carly Kenkel, dean of marine studies at the University of Southern California, who was not involved in the team’s investigation. She called the analysis a “logical conclusion based on the data.”
Jorge Moreno drinks flavored water while working at a construction site in Veracruz, Mexico on June 17, 2024. Felix Marquez/AP
The study looked at the five hottest days and nights across a wide swath of the continent, including Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize and Honduras. In most areas, the five days were from June 3 to 7, and the five nights were from June 5 to 9, but in some places, the peak heat began as early as May 26, Otto said.
For example, San Angelo, Texas, recorded a record 111 degrees (43.8 degrees Celsius) on June 4. Between June 2 and June 6, Corpus Christi Airport's nighttime temperatures never dropped below 80 degrees (26.7 degrees Celsius), setting a new nighttime temperature record, with two days where the temperature never dropped below 85 degrees (29.4 degrees Celsius), according to the National Weather Service.
Between June 1st and June 15th, more than 1,200 Highest daytime temperature record The United States saw a flurry of records being broken and tied, with nearly 1,800 overnight high temperature records set, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
The team used both current and historical temperature measurements to contrast what’s happening now with past heatwave conditions, then used a scientifically-accepted method of comparing a hypothetical simulation of a world without human-made climate change with current reality to calculate how much global warming contributed to the 2024 heatwave.
Winkley said the immediate meteorological cause is high pressure that was parked over central Mexico, blocking storms and clouds that brought cold air, then moved into the southwestern U.S. and is now bringing hot air to the eastern U.S. Tropical Storm Alberto The storm formed on Wednesday and is heading toward northern Mexico and southern Texas, where it is likely to bring rain and cause flooding.
The heatwave is “exacerbating existing inequalities.” Rich and poor Izquierdo said the inequality is stark in the Americas, and Kenkel agreed: Nighttime heat is accentuated because the ability to stay cool with central air conditioning depends on how affordable you are, Kenkel said.
So, Salazar-Perez was feeling very uncomfortable during this heatwave.
Is removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere one of the best weapons against climate change? Climeworks, a Swiss company, believes so, as they have recently unveiled the world’s largest direct carbon capture and storage plant.
The new facility, Mammoth, will be located in Hellisheiði, Iceland, and will be nine times larger than Climeworks’ original plant, Orka. Mammoth’s goal is to extract 36,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, equivalent to removing approximately 8,600 cars from the road.
Powered by renewable energy, Mammoth captures carbon dioxide from the air and transports it to a facility where it is combined with water and injected deep underground. The carbonated water reacts with porous basalt rocks, transforming them into solid carbonate minerals that securely sequester the carbon underground for thousands of years.
The Mammoth Power Plant aims to have 12 of its 72 heat collection containers installed and fully operational by the end of 2024.
Climeworks co-founders and co-CEOs Christoph Gevaert and Jan Wurzbacher oversee the early stages of construction of the mammoth factory. Photo courtesy of Climeworks
Swiss mechanical engineers and Climeworks founders Christoph Gevaert and Jan Wurzbacher introduced the concept of a direct air capture plant in 2015. Since then, the company has expanded rapidly, with Orka and Mammoth just the beginning of their efforts to reduce atmospheric carbon levels.
Construction of the foundations for the maintenance floor at the Mammoth factory in Hellisheiði, Iceland, December 2022. Photo courtesy of Climeworks
Keeling Curve, a daily measurement from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, shows an atmospheric concentration of CO2 around 427 ppm, well above pre-industrial levels below 300 ppm.
An aerial view of the Mammoth Climeworks carbon capture plant as it nears its launch in December 2023. Photo: ClimeworksWorkers at the Mammoth factory monitor progress shortly after the start of operations in May 2024. Photo courtesy of ClimeworksA worker stands next to a nearly completed CO2 collection container tower in December 2023. Photo courtesy of Climeworks
Climeworks is developing third-generation direct air capture technology for a large-scale facility in the US, paving the way for additional carbon capture plants worldwide.
Collector containers at Climeworks’ Mammoth Factory in Hellisheiði, Iceland, May 2024. Photo: Climeworks
By expanding with facilities like Orka and Mammoth, Climeworks aims to achieve megatonne-scale carbon removal capacity by 2030 and gigatonne-scale capacity by 2050.
While the impact on atmospheric carbon levels remains uncertain, the technology is expected to play a significant role in shaping the planet’s future over the coming decades.
Rendering of Climeworks’ proposed third-generation carbon capture plant in the United States. Photo courtesy of Climeworks
High temperatures occur in Joshua Tree, California on June 5, 2024
Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Mexico has been hit by a severe heat wave caused by a massive heat dome that has been sweeping across the country for weeks and is now spreading north into the southern United States, causing extreme temperatures across a wide area.
What is a Heat Dome?
Heat dome is not a clearly defined scientific term, but is used by many weather forecasters. American Meteorological Society Define it “A mass of very hot air that occurs when high pressure in the upper atmosphere prevents warm air below from rising.” High pressure causes the air to warm up as it descends, resulting in clear skies. – Clouds form in the opposite situation, when rising air cools and water droplets condense..
These high pressure conditions mean more sunlight, which leads to more warming, drier soil, less evaporation, and fewer clouds and rain. This positive feedback means that the longer the heat dome stays in one place, the hotter and hotter it gets. Heat domes cause heat waves, but heat waves can also happen without them.
What causes a high pressure system to shut down?
The jet stream is a fast-moving band of wind in the upper atmosphere that normally helps move weather systems along the Earth's surface. But sometimes large loops can form in the jet stream, which can result in weather systems getting trapped in the loop. These blocking patterns can lead to extreme cold, extreme rain, or, in the case of a heat dome, extreme heat.
Temperature records were broken in several North American cities during the 2021 Heat Dome.
Joshua Stevens/NASA Earth Observatory
What is the lifespan of a heat dome?
It may last from a few days to a few weeks. For example: Extreme Heat Dome The storm lasted for almost a month across Canada and the northwestern United States in 2021. During this time, temperatures in British Columbia reached nearly 50 °C (122 °F), the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada.
Are heat domes becoming more popular because of global warming?
Generally, heat waves Becoming more frequent Although it is caused by climate change, most studies have not focused on heat waves caused by heat domes. There is much debate about how global warming will affect the planet. Block pattern that confines the heat dome in place. Research in 2023 They concluded that northwestern North America will experience an increase in “summer heat dome-like standing waves.”
Is the heat dome getting hotter because of global warming?
Yes, that is true. The world is currently about 1.5°C warmer than it was before the industrial revolution, so if a heat dome were to form today, surface temperatures could be higher than they were before. For example, One study concluded The extreme heat dome temperatures recorded in Canada in 2021 would have been “virtually impossible without anthropogenic climate change.” There is also evidence that the intensity of heat domes is outpacing the warming trend, suggesting that climate change is amplifying the intensity of heat domes.“The intensity of high temperatures associated with thermal dome-like atmospheric circulation is increasing faster than background global warming, both historically and in future projections,” it said. Research in 2023.
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