The last 30 years of European summers have been the hottest in thousands of years, writes Alex Kirby, and we had better start getting used to it - most of all in the Mediterranean and the Arctic, where a 1.5C global temperature rise could be amplified to 3.4C and 6C respectively.
… Europe's summers hottest for 2,000 years - and you … The last 30 years of European summers have been the hottest in thousands of … 3.4C and 6C respectively. The unusually hot summers in Europe over the last three decades …
Rising temperatures in the Arctic are reaching further south to the lakes and forests of Finland, writes Alex Kirby. But the warming is not affecting summer temperatures - it's concentrated into the colder months, causing a shorter, less severe winter.
… Alex Kirby. But the warming is not affecting summer temperatures - it's concentrated into … average in March, April and May. In the summer months, however, the temperature rise …
As nuclear projects using the EPR design run into long delays and huge costs overruns, industry hopes are pinned on the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor, writes Chris Goodall. But with eight AP1000 projects around the world going the way of the EPR, is it really a wise choice for the UK's Moorside nuclear site?
… Vogtle', two AP1000s) and South Carolina ('Summer', two AP1000s). I focus here on the … three-year delays have also happened at Summer in South Carolina, where serious cost … these: How many of the problems at Vogtle, Summer and elsewhere are inherent to the …
Thanks to the windy, sunny weather conditions on Saturday, the UK's output of renewable power reached an all-time record level of 43%, writes Chris Goodall. At the same time power from coal reached a low of just 7%, it what may be a record low contribution.
… mix completely. An inspiring moment! Summer days that are both windy and sunny are …
Solar is already the cheapest available power across large swathes of the tropics, writes Chris Goodall - its cost down 99.7% since the early 70s. Soon it will be the cheapest electricity everywhere, providing clean, secure, affordable energy for all.
… our needs is to convert surplus power in the summer and during winter gales into easily … storage and technologies that turn surplus summer power into green gases and oils will …
There's a simple thing we can do to cut everybody's electricity bills, reduce pollution and 'keep the lights on' when demand peaks on dark winter evenings, writes Chris Goodall - phase out power-guzzling halogen bulbs and replace them with LEDs that use a fraction of the power. So let's do it!
… households. Research work published over the summer showed how power needs varied for a …
The National Grid's forecast for UK power supply this winter relies on overstating the availability of increasingly unreliable nuclear power stations, writes Chris Goodall. Realistic estimates of nuclear, gas and coal power station availability shrink the 'safety margin' to zero.
… at 81% availability, in its report in mid-summer. The Ofgem document actually predates …
Scientists analysing more than three decades of weather data for the northern Alaska outpost of Barrow have recorded an astonishing 7°C temperature rise, writes Alex Kirby - and the likely cause is the decline in Arctic sea ice.
… In 2014, the city experienced the coolest summer day recorded - 14.5°C. So one …
Climate change probably caused the savage drought that struck Syria nearly a decade ago, writes Alex Kirby - and helped to trigger the civil war that has so far claimed over 200,000 lives.
… of moisture from soils during the hot summers. Other researchers have observed the …
The Earth is on an unavoidable path towards a 1.5°C temperature rise by mid-century, says a new World Bank report. And as Alex Kirby reports, it could reach 4°C by 2100 unless immediate action is taken - with dire impacts on the planet's poorest people.
… flows will lead to less water resources in summer months and high risks of torrential …
French energy giant EDF will today give the formal go-ahead for the Hinkley C nuclear power station in Somerset, writes Chris Goodall. But that's no reason for the UK to sign up to a disastrous deal that will cost us over £1 billion per year for 35 years - money that should be used to support the green technologies of the future.
… for electricity falls as low as 19 GW in summer compared to the 55 GW of renewables. So …