An new design of tidal power turbines will generate power at a third the price of current technologies, write Alex Kirby & Oliver Tickell, even at a lower price than offshore wind - without endangering marine life.
… can operate in shallower and slower-moving water than current designs. Kepler Energy , … in the Bristol Channel." Suitable for shallow water, fish-friendly The new Transverse Horizontal Axis Water Turbine (THAWT) will use the latest …
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.
… would be severe: failing harvests, shifting water resources, rising sea-levels, and … 4°C of extra heat on agricultural production, water resources, ecosystem services and … and changing rainfall will damage harvests, water supplies and biodiversity. In Brazil, …
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.
… 2015 News Climate Change War Middle East Water Farming syria-poppies-cut.jpg Climate … anthropogenic warming. Government stuck with water-intensive cash crops The government has also encouraged water-intensive export crops such as cotton, …
Thanks to climate change the southern Amazon rainforest is "drying out", say US researchers.
… 2013 News Amazon Forest Rainforest Climate Water Rain Thanks to climate change the … But Professor Fu and her colleagues say the water stored in the forest soil at the end of …
The latest IPCC report urges a dash for gas to allow us to reduce the burning of coal, including shale gas from fracking. But as Alex Kirby reports, their calculations appear to be based on an arithmetical flaw.
… and energy program. He believes that wind, water and solar power can be scaled up … heating/cooling, etc.) from wind, water, and sunlight" , known as WWS. He …
A common marine worm key to the richness of many coastal ecosystems is being damaged by the increasing ocean acidification that was thought to imperil mainly shellfish and coral, writes Alex Kirby. It's an unwelcome sign of more unexpected ecological changes to come.
… - the lower the pH, the more acidic the water) of the planet's oceans is dropping … increasing. Since carbon dioxide dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, the seas are … land, and they bring oxygen down to the underwater sediments. The discovery that they too …
Glaciers around the world are melting on a scale without precedent in recorded history, writes Alex Kirby. Measurements of over 5,000 glaciers show that they have been retreating so fast so far this century that even if climate is stablised, the ice losses will continue for years to come.
… | 7th August 2015 News Climate Change Science Water ufem_stock-glacier-cut.jpg Glaciers … the 16th century. Glaciers provide drinking water for millions of people , as well as …
With rising population and food demand far outstripping supply, the Sahel is vulnerable to a new humanitarian crisis, writes Alex Kirby. Rainfall is expected to increase with climate change, but higher temperatures will overwhelm the benefits.
… Alex Kirby | 5th November 2014 News Africa Water Climate Change … from the villages we visited was the lack of water. "I think that if a drought occurs with …
A new UN report warns of a threefold increase in extraction of the Earth's primary materials between 1970 and 2010, writes Alex Kirby. The boom in the production of minerals, ores, fossil fuels, timber and biomass and will be to intensify climate change, increase air pollution and reduce biodiversity.
… increase the acidification of the world's waters , the eutrophication of its soils and waters , worsen soil erosion, and lead to …
Scientists at the UK Met Office say all the evidence supports the theory that the exceptionally wet and stormy winter affecting much of Britain is caused at least in part by climate change.
… Radio: "We know that warmer air holds more water ... As scientists we always go back to …
Global CO2 concentrations have reached a historic new base of 400 parts per million, writes Alex Kirby, and are unlikely to fall below that level - 40% higher than the pre-industrial era - for many centuries to come. The WMO released the news just as the UK commits to a new London runway.
… leading agency on weather, climate and water, says the globally averaged …
Coal consumption in China is likely to dwindle rapidly, writes Alex Kirby, leaving its own mining sector and foreign coal exporters in serious trouble. Australia and Indonesia are at greatest risk as China may soon stop importing any coal at all.
… Policy responses to the air pollution and water scarcity crises reducing the …
Despite promises to phase out subsidies to the coal, oil and gas industries, a new report G20 governments are still providing them with massive financial help, writes Alex Kirby. The UK alone is spending over £1.2 billion per year to support fossil fuel exploration and production at home and abroad.
… tax breaks for exploring in riskier, deep-water fields in the North Sea have benefited …
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.
… say, the north wind picks up stored heat from water that is no longer ice-covered in late …
A detailed update of key climate indicators by hundreds of scientists reveals that 2014 saw rises in temperatures, sea levels and greenhouse gases to record levels, writes Alex Kirby.
… Oscillation (ENSO), a periodic warming of the water in the central and eastern Pacific that …
Rising temperatures will result in more snow falling in Antarctica, and the build-up of ice will reduce sea level rise from other sources. But as the extra weight of ice makes Antarctica's glaciers flow faster, the continent will still be a net contributor to sea level rise.
… ocean. Furthermore even slight warming of the waters lapping Antarctica will make it easier …
The East Antarctic ice sheet is thought by most scientists to be stable, reports Alex Kirby. But a German team says it has found how a large part of it could in time melt unstoppably, causing a long term 4 metre rise in global sea levels.
… existing observations do not indicate warmer water inflow towards the Wilkes ice sheet …
Evidence stretching back 40,000 years shows that global warming will increase drying in a region of East Africa where drought already causes humanitarian crises, writes Alex Kirby - dashing earlier hopes of increased rainfall.
Warming world means more drought in Horn of Africa Alex Kirby | 18th October 2015 News Climate Change Africa War Science drought-ethiopia-cut.jpg Evidence stretching back 40,000 years shows that …
The plight of much of the world's wildlife seems 'worse than ever', writes Alex Kirby. To blame is unsustainable human consumption, which is driving habitat loss, climate change and the illegal wildlife trade.
… by an average of just over half, with freshwater species suffering a 76% decline, almost … of human health and our demands on food, water and energy." The Report argues for the …