Pakistan is already experiencing a pattern of devastating flood and drought brought on by climate change and deforestation, say the country's top climate scientists. Yet the government has failed to either tackle the problems, or prepare for future disasters.
… Saleem Shaikh | 6th August 2014 News Pakistan Climate Change Forests Water … devastating flood and drought brought on by climate change and deforestation, say the country's top climate scientists. Yet the government has …
As Brazil's climate gets drier, caused by deforestation in the Amazon and elsewhere, writes Jan Rocha, a Brazilian climate expert proposes five-point 'battle plan' to save the world's greatest tropical forest, before it's too late.
… | 22nd December 2014 News Brazil Forests Climate Change amazon-oxbow-manaus-cut.jpg As Brazil's climate gets drier, caused by deforestation in … and elsewhere, writes Jan Rocha, a Brazilian climate expert proposes five-point 'battle …
A failure to act to reduce the impacts of climate change could cost Europe almost €200 billion and 200,000 lives a year, writes Tim Radford. These 'conservative estimates' are published in a new European Commission study.
… Climate inaction could cost Europe 200,000 … a year Tim Radford | 16th July 2014 News EU Climate Changes Flooding Forests Health … A failure to act to reduce the impacts of climate change could cost Europe almost €200 …
New combinations of temperature, precipitation and light will drive changes in biodiversity with some unexpected consequences.
… Trees Forests Rainforests Conservation Climate Change Science & Systems … how Scotland’s native species will respond to climate change, according to new research. … are likely to react to these novel future climates.” Most previous studies have relied …
Paris has been awash with hype about 'CO2 recycling' and 'carbon neutral' or even 'carbon negative' technologies based on burning millions of trees, writes Rachel Smolker. But the alchemical notion that waste carbon can be spun into corporate gold is hitting serious reality checks. It's time to ditch the fantasies and progress the real solutions: like caring for land, soils, forests and grasslands.
… COP21's climate technofix: spinning carbon into gold … Rachel Smolker | 3rd December 2015 News COP21 Climate Change Fossil Fuels Biomass Ipcc … When the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) published their most recent …
The 'knowns' of climate change are already plenty scary enough, writes Bill Laurance. But far more worrying are the unknowns. And in a system as complex and convoluted as the global climate system there are lots of them, creating scope for many nasty surprises to emerge.
… The scariest part of climate change is what we don't know Bill Laurance | 4th August 2015 Comment Climate Science Forests … xingu-fires-2011-cut.jpg The 'knowns' of climate change are already plenty scary …
As millions join in climate marches and other actions around the world, writes Ronnie Cummins, the 'mainstream' focus on energy is missing the 55% of emissions that come from mismanaged land and destroyed forests. The key is to replace industrial agriculture worldwide with productive, regenerative organic farming that puts carbon back in the soil.
… Association | 21st September 2014 Activism Climate Change Farming Forests feedlot-cut.jpg As millions join in climate marches and other actions around the … not by pinning our hopes for survival and climate stability on hi-tech, unproven and …
The Drax power station in North Yorkshire is among Britain's greatest greenhouse gas emitters, writes Almuth Ernsting. Not only is it burning some 6 million tonnes of coal every year, it is also burning its way through forests in the USA and other countries as it converts to biomass-fired units, rewarded by £1.3 million a day in subsidies. Join the #AxeDrax protest this weekend!
… #AxeDrax: campaigners unite for climate justice against coal and biofueled … Almuth Ernsting | 18th October 2016 Activism Climate Change Emissions Energy Biofuels … forest destruction for bioenergy, and for climate justice will be protesting outside the …
Despite massive clearance of carbon-rich forests for palm oil, cattle ranching, soybeans and other cash crops, writes Tim Radford, a new study finds that the net volume of carbon stored in trees is increasing thanks to their growing numbers on grasslands, on abandoned farmland, and in China.
… Tim Radford | 18th May 2015 News Forests Climate Change woodland-australia-cut.jpg … Australian scientists, who report in Nature Climate Change that they used a new technique … by remote sensing scientist Yi Liu, of the Climate Change Research Centre at the …
'Climate Smart Agriculture' advocates were out in force at the just concluded climate talks in Bonn, writes Pavlos Georgiadis. But their finely crafted corporate message presents a real threat to genuine agroecological solutions to the interlinked food, farming and climate crises.
… | 24th October 2015 Comment Food Farming Climate Change Forests Unfccc COP21 oil-palm-borneo-cut.jpg 'Climate Smart Agriculture' advocates were out in force at the just concluded climate talks in Bonn, writes Pavlos …
The destruction of the world's wilderness is accelerating with a new clutch of mega projects from dams, roads and mines to large scale agriculture, write James Watson, Bill Laurance, Brendan Mackey & James Allan. It's cost-effective to put a stop to it right now for the carbon value of wilderness alone - never mind the biodiversity and indigenous peoples it safeguards.
… Wilderness needs immediate protection for climate - and much more James Watson Bill … James Allan | 16th September 2016 Comment Climate Change Forests Wilderness Conservation … of carbon. If we're to meet our international climate commitments, it is essential that we …
Scientists have found that the world's second greatest rainforest, the Congo, is losing its green, writes Tim Radford. As temperatures rise and rainfall reduces, the forest canopy is taking on a browner hue, and this could be an early signal of worse damage to come.
… 2014 News Forests Africa Amazon Congo Water Climate Change Ecology congo-forest-tree.jpg … it could reflect the forest's response to climate change. Scientists from Australia, … to understand these changes because most climate models predict tropical forests may be …
The loss of Indonesia's coastal mangrove forests for shrimp farming is a huge source of carbon emissions, writes Prodita Sabarini. But equally, a policy flip to preserve and recreate mangroves offers a major climate win.
… Stop mangrove destruction in Indonesia to slow climate change Prodita Sabarini | 8th August 2015 News Forests Indonesia Climate Change Emissions … and recreate mangroves offers a major climate win. Preventing the loss of Indonesian …
A recently obtained government document shows that Finland is lobbying to hide its emissions from forest loss.
… Finland endangers position as EU climate leader Staff Reporter | 17th October … land continues to store carbon and cool the climate. Without such measurements, a country … States earlier. Kelsey Perlman, Forest and Climate Campaigner at Fern, said: “The only …
As Paris prepares for COP21 in Paris, Marc Brightman finds that the city is in the grip of a benign but ignorant authoritarianism that is ready to trample on much-loved green spaces like the Bois Dormoy, reclaimed from dereliction by the multicultural local community, which represent real solutions to the global problems of food, climate, the future of our cities, and our place in nature.
… Paris must remember: climate solutions are small, local, green, and … Marc Brightman | 17th June 2015 News Cities Climate Change Unfccc Forests Commons Society … solutions to the global problems of food, climate, the future of our cities, and our …
At the New York Climate Summit, an international agreement has been struck to halve, then end deforestation around the world. It has the support of major forest countries, multinational corporations, forest campaign groups and indigenous peoples.
… Ecologist | 24th September 2014 News Forests Climate Change logging-trucks-liberia-cut.jpg … At the New York Climate Summit, an international agreement has … peoples participating in the United Nations Climate Summit in New York have pledged to …
Gaia Vince's remarkable book is far more than a litany of the problems of global warming and mass extinction, writes Robert Hunziker. It's also an inspiring account of how people can respond to such crises in wonderful, imaginative, creative ways, achieving seemingly impossible tasks from seeding glaciers in the Himalayas, to holding back the desert with dew.
… Robert Hunziker | 2nd June 2015 Reviews Climate Change Extinction Water Forests Peru … the former editor of the journal Nature Climate Change , the news editor of Nature and … adeptly explores human interference in the climate, but she also discovers human …
Thanks to massive deforestation along Brazil's Atlantic coast and the Amazon, São Paulo's reservoirs are at just 6% of their capacity and water rationing is in place. But this is just the beginning of a long term drying process that could be recreated around the world as forests are laid waste and hydrology disrupted.
… | 2nd March 2015 Comment Forests Water Climate Change Cities Brazil South America … to favor rain, which is what makes 'regional climates' so unique. According to Dr. Antonio … 's Jonathan Watts last October): "Vegetation-climate equilibrium is teetering on the brink …
The Amazon forest both depends on, and sustains, vast 'flying rivers' that carry humid air and clouds deep into the continental interior, writes Jan Rocha. But scientists fear the flying rivers are failing due to deforestation, fire and climate change.
… fail Jan Rocha | 20th September 2014 News Climate Change Forests Water Farming Science … are failing due to deforestation, fire and climate change. The unprecedented drought now … a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , first coined the phrase ' …
As Peru prepares to host UN climate talks, Global Witness exposes the murder of Peruvian eco-defenders - 57 killed since 2002, including indigenous leaders protecting their forests from illegal logging ignored by police and Government.
… were murdered. As Peru prepares to host UN climate talks, Global Witness exposes the … than a month before the country hosts the UN climate talks in Lima. Peru's Deadly … tragic reminders of a paradox at work in the climate negotiations" , said Patrick Alley, …
A 145,000 sq km area of peatland swamp forest has been discovered in the Congo Basin, writes Tim Radford, and it holds a record 30 Gt of carbon, equivalent to 20 years of US fossil fuel emissions. Now the race is on to protect it from damaging development that would emit that carbon over coming decades.
… January 2017 News Congo Forests Emissions Climate Change Science congo-cut.jpg A 145,000 … one of the most head-scratching problems in climate science: the arithmetic of the carbon … cycle vital both to all living things and to climate machinery. The second is a reminder …
Brazil's newly elected Dilma Rousseff is committed to completing the disastrous Belo Monte dam, writes Helle Abelvik-Lawson. Worse, she looks certain to press ahead with the industrialisation of the Amazon, with 61 hydroprojects in the pipeline. And new scientific findings about the massive climate impacts of tropical forest dams are not about to stop her.
… Brazil's giant dam programme is a climate disaster Helle Abelvik-Lawson … And new scientific findings about the massive climate impacts of tropical forest dams are … such as Iceland, hydro is a net benefit to climate change . Methane is a highly potent …
As economists and policymakers scramble to put a price on the stored carbon of rainforests, they could be missing the bigger (wetter) picture...
… Forests Amazon Rainforest Natural World Climate Change Copenhagen … the negotiations for a post-2012 agreement on climate change, it is vital to get one thing straight: as far as climate is concerned, especially when we …