💨 Coastal wetlands are key ecosystems that play a significant role in the global carbon and nitrogen cycle. They have traditionally been considered a small source of methane (CH₄). Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that has a significant (more…)

🧊 The Arctic is currently at the epicenter of dramatic global change. Unprecedented warming and its intensification in the region are leading to rapid sea ice retreat and irreversible losses (more…)

🦋 Cities around the world are collaborating to share nature observations as part of the City Nature Challenge 2025. Why participate? Nature is all around us! Knowing what species are in our city and where they are helps us study and protect them, but the only way to do that is if all of us – scientists, land managers, and the community – work together to find and document nature in our area.

By joining the City Nature Challenge, you will not only learn more about your local nature, but you can also make your city a better place – for you and other species!

(More on citynaturechallenge.org)

⚡ Lightning strikes near the geographic North Pole are raising troubling questions about our changing climate. This was evident in August 2019, when atmospheric conditions aligned in a way few could have imagined.

The researchers discovered 342 lightning strikes, with 122 in a single storm that passed over the ice and reached within about 43 kilometers of the North Pole.

Jianqiu Zheng and colleagues at the University of Science and Technology of China analyzed the event and found that it was associated with an unusual influx of warm air. (Jordan Joseph, more on earth.com)

🇪🇺 The EU LIFE programme, which has funded more than 6,000 green projects since 1992, is a key instrument supporting the European Union's policies on the environment, nature conservation and climate. (more…)

The world is on track to exceed the temperature targets set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. A growing number of scientists and experts say that to achieve long-term climate goals, carbon dioxide (CO₂) will need to be removed from the atmosphere later this century. Governments, energy companies and hundreds of startups around the world are investing billions of dollars in carbon removal strategies. By some estimates, the world could need to remove more than 6 billion tons of CO₂ per year.

There are three main approaches to carbon removal:

1. Direct capture from the air: Large-scale facilities can extract CO₂ directly from thin air. While this is the simplest method on an industrial scale, it is also the most expensive, costing around $600 to $1,000 per ton of CO₂. Several large direct capture facilities are planned in the US. For example, a consortium of Occidental Petroleum and Carbon Engineering plans to launch the world’s largest facility in West Texas, which is expected to capture 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year. The captured carbon is often pumped and stored underground.
2. Ocean modifications: The oceans have the potential to absorb more carbon than usual. One approach is to increase the alkalinity of seawater. The $10 million LOC-NESS project, set to begin in the coming months off the coast of Massachusetts, will test this method by pouring a solution of an alkaline material (sodium hydroxide) into the water. The scientists hope to demonstrate that it is possible to monitor and quantify the CO₂ absorbed. If this method could be scaled up even a small fraction, coastal countries could collectively remove a billion tons of CO₂ per year. Other ocean methods include fertilizing the water with iron to promote phytoplankton growth or growing seaweed.
3. Improving carbon removal on land: The cheapest way is to plant more forests, but trees are not a permanent solution due to the risk of logging or fires. More permanent methods include converting plant matter into biochar, a carbon-rich material that is added to the soil. Experiments are also being conducted with applying silicate-rich minerals, such as basalt, to agricultural fields. These minerals react with CO₂ and water to form stable bicarbonate ions that enter the ocean and lock up carbon. Agricultural waste, forest residues, and purpose-grown crops also have the potential to be converted into long-lasting products like building materials. These techniques could potentially eliminate carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. up to 800 million tons of carbon per year at a price of under $100 per ton of CO₂.

Despite growing investment, the carbon removal industry faces obstacles. These include insufficient international standards, a lack of formal commitments from governments, and policy changes, such as the cuts in US research funding under the Donald Trump administration. There are also scientific questions about whether the technologies can deliver on expectations. In addition, some methods, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), can have negative impacts, such as requiring large amounts of fresh water and fertilizer or damaging biodiversity. There are also concerns that carbon removal could lead companies and countries to justify further emissions rather than transitioning to clean energy.

Experts emphasize that while carbon removal technologies are important for the future, there are no easy ways to large-scale carbon removal. This means that global leaders must accelerate efforts to halt emissions now, rather than relying on future generations to solve the problem. It is crucial that science keeps pace with private sector activities and validates the effectiveness and impacts of these new approaches. Spring

The research was published in nature.com

Study deals with probabilities of triggering climate tipping points (TPs) 🥵 for five scenarios of shared socio-economic development (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways – SSPs) (more…)

Severe and prolonged drought 🏜️ continues to plague much of Africa, with far-reaching consequences for the environment, economies and societies across the continent. Large regions in northern, southern and central-west Africa, as well as northern Madagascar, are experiencing severe droughts due to two or more years of below-average precipitation and above-normal temperatures These are the findings new message Global Copernicus Drought Observatory , which is run by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).

Drought conditions have a significant impact on the environment, economies and societies in affected regions, threatening food security, agricultural production and water resources. ( More on joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu)

2024 was the warmest year on record in Europe, with significant differences in climate conditions between the east and the west. The European Climate Report climate change (ESOTC) 2024 , jointly published by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), offers a unique look at Europe's climate over the past year, going beyond temperatures to look at a wide range of variables and themes.

Since the publication of the first edition in 2018, the flagship ESOTC report has evolved into a rich source of data and information with a strong visual focus. For the first time, this eighth edition includes: ""Graphic Gallery", in which has gathered around 130 maps to paint a comprehensive picture of Europe's climate. The summary report is also rich in images and includes a series of additional infographics.  (More on climate.copernicus.eu)

A document titled „Climate‐Induced Polar Motion: 1900–2100„ by Mostafa Kiani Shahvandi and Benedikt Soju examines the impact of climate change, specifically barystatic processes, on the movement of the Earth's rotational axis relative to the crust, called polar motion. The authors examine this phenomenon over the period from 1900 to the end of 2100.

🎯 Research objective

The main objective of the study is to examine how barystatic processes will affect polar motion in the 21st century under different climate scenarios.. Bariostatic processes include continental and oceanic mass redistribution caused by melting polar ice sheets (Greenland and Antarctica), global glaciers, and changes in terrestrial water storage (TWS). The paper builds on previous studies that have shown the increasing influence of mass redistribution at the Earth's surface on polar motion. Previous analysis of the impact of bariostatic processes was limited to the period 1900–2018, and the future contribution was not explored.

📊 Climate scenarios used

The study analyses climate-induced polar motion under different climate scenarios, namely Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) and Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP). For overall barystatic processes, the study analyses scenarios in detail RCP2.6 (optimistic) and RCP8.5 (pessimistic), because they represent the approximate lower and upper limits of climate change in the 21st century, and thus provide a range of possible paths of the Earth's rotational axis under the influence of these processes.

⚙️ Research methodology

The study methodology uses data from two periods: 1900–2018 and 2019–2100. For the earlier period, the results of a previous study based on changes in the mass of ice sheets, glaciers and TWS are adopted, which explain most of the observed polar motion. For the later period (2019–2100), polar motion is calculated using the sea level equation on a rotating Earth and available projections for individual barystatic processes.

🧊 The projections include data for the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5, for global glaciers under multiple RCP and SSP scenarios, and for TWS under selected SSP scenarios. A multimodal ensemble approach is used for the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. For TWS, the average is made across the three SSP scenarios because they exhibit similar behavior and their impact is smaller than for other processes. However, it is important to note that the TWS projections may not capture all relevant components, such as quasi-decadal variability, and are less accurate than data from the period 1900–2018.

📌 Main findings

Main findings show that climate-induced polar motion is sensitive to the choice of climate scenario:

• Under optimistic scenario RCP2.6 the rotational pole could be moved by approximately 12 meters given its location in 1900.
• Under pessimistic scenario RCP8.5 could result in a displacement of more than twice that, approximately 27 meters considering the year 1900.
• In the period 2019-2100 the path of the future rotational pole shows a westward drift compared to a relatively stable, trendless trajectory during the 20th century.
• Under the RCP2.6 scenario, the direction of the western drift is more to the west (longitudes ≥45°W), while under the RCP8.5 scenario, the impact of significant melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet shifts the pole more to the east (longitudes ≤30°W).

🧩 Contributions of individual barystatic processes

The most important contribution to this movement has melting of polar ice caps:

• Melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is the main contributor and drives the rotational pole predominantly westward. This influence is more than twice as large under the RCP8.5 scenario as under RCP2.6. The drift caused by Greenland is nonlinear.
• Under the RCP8.5 scenario, another significant contributor is melting of the Antarctic ice sheet, which causes a shift towards the east.
• Melting global glaciers it also contributes to polar motion, although to a lesser extent.
• Changes in terrestrial water supplies (TWS) they have the smallest contribution to the overall trend, although they are a likely cause of quasi-decadal oscillations.

🛰️ Implications for technology and the Earth

The study results have significant implications:

• Reduced predictability of polar movement may affect the operational accuracy of applications such as spacecraft navigation and telescope orientation.
• Shifts in polar motion can also reduce the accuracy of determining the Earth's gravitational field from satellite gravimetry.
• Measurable global deformations of the Earth they can reach up to 2.8 cm in mid-latitudes.
• Polar tides could lead to global changes in gravity.

⚖️ Taking other factors into account

The authors also note that other factors besides climate-induced polar motion may also contribute significantly:

• Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) – although important, under RCP8.5 it may be outweighed by the impact of climate change.
• For the highest accuracy, it is also necessary to take into account core dynamics and seismic processes.

Overall, the study provides estimates of the possible evolution of polar motion under the influence of climate change and its potential consequences for positioning in space, deformation of the Earth's surface, and sea level change. Dependence on climate scenario highlights the uncertainty associated with the future evolution of polar motion, particularly due to the challenges in predicting climate trends. Spring

Climate change and biodiversity loss are two interconnected crises that have common roots in our economic, social and political systems that prioritize profit over sustainability. Addressing these crises requires deep systemic change that goes beyond incremental adjustments and requires a transformation of our fundamental values and the ways in which society functions.

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🌍 Linked crises: Climate change and biodiversity loss

These two crises are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. Climate change is causing extreme weather events that destroy habitats, while biodiversity loss is weakening the ability of ecosystems to absorb carbon and regulate climate. For example, the massive coral bleaching that has affected 84% of the world’s reefs is a consequence of climate change-induced ocean warming, threatening marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions of people.

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🔄 The need for systemic change

Current approaches to addressing these crises are often fragmented and symptom-focused. However, as the article on Climate Change News, a real solution requires a systemic change that involves rethinking our economic models, our ways of producing and consuming, as well as our values and priorities. This means moving from an economy based on constant growth and consumption to one that respects ecological limits and promotes sustainability. It also means strengthening justice and equality so that all people have access to the resources and opportunities necessary for a dignified life.

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🌱 Examples of positive changes

There are examples of communities and countries already taking steps towards systemic change. In El Salvador, for example, farming communities are improving their resilience to climate change through ecological practices such as tree planting and rainwater harvesting.

These initiatives show that it is possible to create sustainable and resilient societies that live in harmony with nature.

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🧠 The role of technology and innovation

Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) can play a significant role in protecting biodiversity and addressing climate change. AI is being used to monitor species, analyze big data, and predict environmental trends.

However, it is important that these technologies are used responsibly and ethically, considering their environmental impacts and potential risks.

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⚠️ Risks of technocratic solutions

Some proposed solutions, such as geoengineering, which involves manipulating the climate through technology, are controversial. For example, the UK is planning small outdoor experiments to test technologies to temporarily cool the planet.

However, these approaches carry risks and can distract from the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity through natural means.

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🤝 Joint action and engagement

Addressing the climate and biodiversity crises requires concerted action at all levels of society. Individuals, communities, businesses and governments must work together to implement sustainable practices, protect nature and promote justice.

Each of us can contribute to systemic change through our everyday decisions, such as choosing green products, reducing waste, and supporting sustainability-focused policies.

Climate change and biodiversity loss are interconnected crises that require deep systemic change. Addressing these challenges is not just about technology or individual decisions, but about transforming our social systems towards sustainability, justice, and respect for nature.

It is time to act and together create a future in which people and nature thrive together. Spring

Climate change communication faces a phenomenon known as “climate silence,” where, despite growing scientific certainty and increasingly frequent extreme weather events, most people either don’t talk about the crisis or talk about it very rarely. A new study published in PLOS Climate examined what factors drive discussion about global warming and identified “pro-climate social feedback” as a means to break this silent loop.

🌡️ Why climate change communication is important

Climate change is a long-term change in weather patterns caused mainly by human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels. Open discussion helps to raise awareness of the risks, gain social support for action, and facilitate political decision-making.

🤐 The phenomenon of "climate silence" and the spiral of silence

The term “spiral of silence” was coined by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann to explain why people are reluctant to express opinions that are considered unpopular. In the context of climate change, this leads to a decrease in the frequency of discussions and a decrease in the visibility of the topic in the media.

📈 Key findings of the PLOS Climate study

• Surveys from 2020 and 2021 with over 3,000 respondents were analyzed.
• Most variables (e.g., media exposure, personal motivation) correlated with more frequent discussions.
• Confidence in scientific knowledge, faith in consensus, and conviction in the human cause of climate change did not contribute directly to the discussion.
• Concerns were the main trigger for discussions.

⚠️ The worry factor and negative behavior patterns

Concerns about the future of the planet are a major driving force, but over-presenting facts without emotional context can lead to a sense of helplessness and trivializing the topic as too distant.

🛠️ Strategies for effective communication

1. Share personal stories and local examples that transcend the abstractness of the topic.
2. Strengthen social consensus with data on broad support for climate action.
3. Encourage “pro-climate social feedback” – encourage your community to talk openly about climate change.
4. Engage trusted voices (local leaders, teachers, doctors) to increase people's willingness to discuss and act.

Technological and political solutions to reduce emissions are essential, but without open communication, public discourse will remain weak. By breaking the climate silence with empathy, stories, and shared commitment, we can achieve global cooperation. Every conversation counts – now is the time to speak up and act! Spring

Recent scientific studies reveal that the oceans are absorbing heat significantly faster than previously thought. According to research published in Scientific American the oceans are warming by about (more…)

Between 1985 and 1989, warming of 0.06°C per decade was observed, while from 2019 to 2023, sea surface temperatures increased by 0.27°C per decade. This suggests that sea surface temperatures have been rising 4.5 times faster since 2019 than in the late 1980s.

The study calculated monthly average global sea surface temperature using global satellite data records produced through ESA's Climate Change Initiative (CCI). The dataset used observations from 20 infrared radiometers on board satellites, including ESA's ERS-1, ERS-2, Envisat, Copernicus Sentinel-3 and two microwave radiometers, from 1980 to 2023 to provide a globally accurate temperature trend. (More on esa.int)

The year 2024 saw the fastest annual increases in CO₂ concentrations since direct measurements began, and the highest levels of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in recorded history. This record increase led to a temporary breach of the 1.5°C threshold in 2024 and an increase in greenhouse gas radiative forcing of more than 50 % since 1990. The impacts include extreme weather events, global ocean warming, and significant health risks for both ecosystems and people. Fossil fuel combustion and massive forest fires remain the main sources of emissions, with global carbon emissions reaching new highs with no signs of slowing. Achieving the Paris goals requires immediate and deep emission reductions, protection of natural carbon sinks, and deployment of CO₂ capture and storage.

📈 Record increases in greenhouse gases

Between January 1, 2023 and January 1, 2024, global CO₂ concentrations increased by 2.83 ± 0.08 ppm, one of the highest annual increases in NOAA's measurement history since 1958. NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory.
Atmospheric CO₂ levels reached about 420 ppm in 2023, 151 ppm above pre-industrial levels in 1750, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Methane (CH₄) reached 265 ppm above pre-industrial levels and nitrous oxide (N₂O) reached 124 ppm, which together with CO₂ account for most of the increase in radiative forcing. World Meteorological Organization.
Between 2022 and 2024, the largest two-year increase in CO₂ concentration at the Mauna Loa Observatory in the history of measurements occurred, reflecting an accelerating rate of increase NOAA.

🩺 Impact on Earth's health and human health

Increased radiative forcing by greenhouse gases increased by 51.5 % from 1990 to 2023, amplifying global warming and extreme weather library.wmo.int.
2024 became the warmest year in NOAA's observational history, with a deviation of +1.29 °C above the 1901–2000 average ncei.noaa.gov.
Increased temperatures are contributing to more frequent and intense heat waves, which, according to the WHO, increase mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Ocean warming – trapping 90 % of the Earth system’s excess heat – is leading to rising sea levels, acidifying water and damaging coral reefs ncei.noaa.gov.

🔥 Main reasons for the increase

The dominant source is the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, which releases millions of tonnes of CO₂ per day. Large-scale forest fires, partly driven by extreme heat and drought, are also increasing methane and CO₂ emissions, with forest fire emissions exceeding the 10-year average by 16 % in 2023. There is also a negative feedback loop from melting permafrost, which releases ancient organic carbon in the form of methane and CO₂ research.noaa.gov.
The global increase in the use and leakage of methane from oil and gas networks is also contributing to the increase in emissions. NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory.

⚠️ Historical milestones and alarming values

CO₂ concentrations are now at their highest in at least 800,000 years, confirmed by the WMO based on ice cores. For the first time on record, global temperatures temporarily exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in 2024, raising concerns about the sustainability of the Paris Agreement. The combination of extreme temperatures accelerating glacier loss and rising sea levels has not been seen in 175 years.

🛠️ The path to recovery

International agreements must establish legally binding and ambitious targets for reducing fossil fuel emissions, including phasing out coal-fired power generation. World Meteorological Organization.
Protecting and restoring forests, wetlands and other natural carbon sinks are essential to sequester hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO₂ annually. Carbon capture (CCS) and direct CO₂ removal (DAC) technologies must be deployed industrially and massively funded library.wmo.int.
A critical shift to renewable energy sources – solar, wind, geothermal – requires trillions in investment and political will in every country. NOAA.

⏳ Record increases in greenhouse gases combined with extreme warming in 2024 are a clear signal that the Earth is approaching dangerous climate thresholds. Without immediate and large-scale global action to reduce emissions, protect natural reservoirs, and innovate technologies, the risk of irreversible changes – from rising sea levels to massive health crises – is increasing exponentially. The time to act is now. Spring

2024 was the warmest year on record in Europe, with significant differences in climate conditions between the east and the west. The European Climate Report climate change (ESOTC) 2024 , published jointly by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), offers a unique look at Europe's climate over the past year, going beyond temperatures to look at a wide range of variables and themes. (More on climate.copernicus.eu)

Cities across Europe are facing increasing risks from floods, heatwaves, storms and fires – but effective adaptation starts with understanding. A new series of quick guides on natural hazards, developed by Mission Projects REGILIENCE, IMPETUS, ARSINOE and TransformAr, provides clear and actionable information to support local and regional authorities in preparing, responding and building resilience to these threats.

Each guide focuses on a specific hazard and features practical and accessible content, including infographics, checklists, case studies and key resources. These user-friendly tools are designed to turn knowledge into action – starting with the newly released Flash Floods guide, which is available in nine languages. ( More on climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu)

Document deals with the concept of soil organic carbon saturation (SOC) and proposes a new SOC risk index for European agricultural soils. The introduction highlights the importance of soil as (more…)

Global food systems are responsible for about one-third of the greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet each year. Agriculture is also by far the largest driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss. Producing less meat, using less synthetic fertilizers, stopping food waste and integrating nature into farms are among the ways that scientists say can reduce the environmental damage caused by food production.

However, some critics of these approaches point to possible trade-offs, such as lower yields compared to “conventional” forms of intensive agriculture.

Different terms are used to describe these “climate-friendly” farming practices.

Some of these practices have established definitions and are evidence-based, while others are buzzwords whose meanings vary depending on the source. Many share similar approaches. (More on carbonbrief.org)

 

Global CO emissions ₂ in 2024 they increased by 0.9 % compared to the previous year and reached 36.3 Gt CO ₂ These ongoing emissions are further depleting remaining carbon budgets, with some estimates suggesting that the 1.5°C budget will be exceeded within the next 5 years – and may already have been.

Key points

• Global emissions averaged 99.3 Mt CO ₂ per day, with the largest increase coming from India and Russia and a slight decrease from China.
• Global non-fossil energy development increased by 6.2 %, corresponding to estimated emissions of 9.8 Gt CO ₂ in the range of 4 (i.e. eliminated) in 2024.
• 0 – 205 Gt CO ₂ remains from the carbon budget to limit warming to 1.5°C, indicating that permitted emissions have already been exceeded or could be exhausted within 5.1 years; 860–955 Gt CO2 remains from the 2°C budget, which could be exhausted within 21.3–23.7 years (with a probability of 67 %).

(Zhu Deng, Biqing Zhu, Zhu Liu, more at nature.com)