The year 2024 was a record year, and not in a good way. In July, the Earth's average temperature was the highest in 175 years, with July 22 specifically being the hottest day on record. Last summer was the hottest since about 1880, this year's hurricane season kicked off with Beryl — the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record — and a report released in June confirmed that human-caused global warming is at an all-time high. However, scientists are not only worried about the record breakers in the headlines. As of this year, glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate due to all this human-caused heat, sea levels are rising irreversibly due to melting glaciers, coastal communities are being ravaged by storms made worse by such sea level rise combined with high temperatures, and animals are being displaced from their homes because the Earth is changing too, too fast. Just last month, we saw Hurricane Helene destroy cities and claim lives – and its power is indeed linked to climate change. (Monisha Ravisetti, more at msn.com)

Climate change affects health in many ways, including leading to death and disease from increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as heat, storms and floods, disruption of food systems and increases in animal, insect, food and water-borne diseases. Climate change also affects mental health.

Climate change undermines the social determinants of good health, such as livelihoods, equity and access to health care and social support structures. Climate change affects groups most at risk of vulnerability and disadvantage, such as women, children, minorities, poor people, migrants, the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions.

The short- to medium-term impacts of climate change depend on the level of risk and resilience in communities. In the long term, the effects will increasingly depend on actions taken now to increase resilience and address the root causes of climate change, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (More on reliefweb.int)

Nobody likes a rude awakening, especially if it's an intrusive climate change alarm clock. Plants, like people, need time to adapt to new conditions. But what happens when climate change hits the snooze button on the slow pace of development?

We are about to reveal the story of the Siberian arctic primrose, a hardy plant whose existence is threatened by rapid global warming and its efforts to adapt.

Arctic Siberian primrose

The Siberian primrose, perched on the frosty edges of the Bothnian Bay and the Arctic Ocean, has been fighting the snares for centuries and is always resilient.

However, climate change is a terrible enemy. How can plants adapt if they are chained to the ground, unable to move to a more favorable environment, and evolution seems to proceed slowly? (Sanjana Gajbhiye, more at earth.com)

New research shows that the Antarctic Peninsula's vegetation cover has increased more than 10-fold over the past four decades. The Antarctic Peninsula, like many polar regions, is warming faster than the global average, with extreme heat in Antarctica becoming more common.

A new study - by the Universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire and the British Antarctic Survey - used satellite data to assess how much the Antarctic Peninsula has been 'greening' in response to climate change.

The area of vegetation cover on the entire peninsula was found to have increased from less than one square kilometer in 1986 to nearly 12 square kilometers by 2021. (University of Exeter, more at phys.org)

The tables above focused on carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ). CO ₂ however, it is not the only greenhouse gas. Others, including methane and nitrous oxide, have so far had a significant effect on global warming.

The first interactive graph shows greenhouse gas emissions per inhabitant . It is measured as the sum of all greenhouse gases and is given by a metric called "carbon dioxide equivalents".

"Carbon dioxide equivalents" attempt to correct for the fact that one unit (eg a tonne) of a given gas does not have the same warming effect as another. We therefore multiply the emissions of each gas by its "Global Warming Potential" (GWP): this value measures the amount of warming that one tonne of that gas would produce in relation to one tonne of CO ₂ .

Another interactive graph shows where these emissions come from: the contribution of each sector. (More on ourworldindata.org)

There are a few points to keep in mind when considering these figures: These figures are based on 'production' or 'territorial' emissions (ie emissions from burning fossil fuels or making cement within a country's borders). It does not take into account emissions of traded goods (emissions based on consumption). Consumption-based emissions can be found later in this country profile. These figures focus specifically on emissions WHAT ₂ – not on total greenhouse gas emissions. Total greenhouse gas emissions and other greenhouse gas emissions can be found later in this country profile.

Annual emissions can be largely influenced by the size of the population - the per capita figures are shown above. (More on ourworldindata.org)

The Commission is today publishing further guidance and a stronger framework for international cooperation to support global stakeholders, Member States and third countries in their preparations to implement the EU's Deforestation Regulation. In view of the feedback received from international partners on the state of their preparations, the Commission also proposes to give the affected parties additional time for preparation. If approved by the European Parliament and the Council, the law would become applicable from 30 December 2025 for large companies and from 30 June 2026 for micro and small businesses. Since all implementation tools are technically ready, the next 12 months can serve as a phase-in period to ensure proper and effective implementation. (More on ec.europa.eu)

The rate of ocean warming has nearly doubled since 2005, and more than a fifth of the world's ocean surface will experience a severe heat wave in 2023, according to a report by the European Copernicus Observatory published on Monday. “Ocean warming can be seen as our global warming watchdog. It has been steadily increasing since the 1960s, and since about 2005 the rate of ocean warming has doubled," emphasized oceanographer Karina Von Schuckmann during a video conference presenting the 8th Copernicus State of the Oceans Report.

The oceans have warmed by 1.05 watts per square meter since 2005, compared with 0.58 watts per square meter in previous decades, according to the report. This work consolidates the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In 2019, these UN-commissioned climate experts considered it "likely" that the rate of ocean warming had "more than doubled since 1993". (More on leseco.ma)

Extreme weather events are by definition rare on our planet. Violent storms, heatwaves and even severe frosts illustrate what the climate is capable of at its worst. But what can be considered normal or not is changing. As the Earth's climate warms rapidly, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels, the range of possible weather conditions, including extreme conditions, is changing.

Scientists define "climate" as the distribution of weather events that can be observed in a given period, such as minimum and maximum temperatures, total precipitation, or the number of hours of sunshine. They derive statistical measurements such as average (or normal) temperature. (Simon H. Lee, University of St Andrews - Hayley J. Fowler, Newcastle University - Paul Davies University, Newcastle University, more at techno-science.net)

The new regulation requires European Union member states to monitor imports, exports and production of certain commodity products such as timber, cocoa, coffee, soybeans, oil palm, rubber and cattle. These commodities are considered to be the main drivers of global deforestation and forest degradation. The Act, which was prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture, also regulates the Act on Forests and the Act on Nature and Landscape Protection. (More on rokovania.gov.sk)

Planetary Boundaries Science (PBScience), a new initiative led by PIK Director Johan Rockström and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), supported by Planetary Guardians and other partners, has launched the Planetary Health Check (PHC), a first-of-its-kind scientific report and life health tool important organs of the Earth, which serve as the life support system of mankind. PHC combines pioneering Earth science, Earth observation data and multidisciplinary thinking to quantify the health of the planet and provide solutions to reverse the impact of human activity on the planet. (More on pik-potsdam.de)

A new survey of climate experts reveals that most believe the Earth is headed for a global temperature rise well above the 2015 Paris Agreement target of 1.5C to well below 2C. The study was published in Communications Earth & Environment . It also shows that two-thirds of respondents – all authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – believe we can achieve net zero CO2 emissions in the second half of this century ₂ . That suggests some optimism that mitigation efforts can begin to bend the emissions curve toward what would be needed to meet the Paris temperature target.

Most also recognized the potential for atmospheric CO removal ₂ , with the median response indicating the belief that this technology could remove up to five gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO) by 2050 ₂ ) annually. This is at the lower end of the expected range. necessary to meet the Paris goals. (Patrick Lejtenyi, Concordia University, more at phys.org)

Mental health has become an overlooked victim of the ongoing climate change debate. While we focus on the tangible losses – wildfires, rising seas and extreme weather – the silent impact on our mental well-being often goes unnoticed.

The time has come to face the question: Is a changing climate affecting our mental health in unprecedented ways?

The mental toll of extreme weather

Extreme weather fluctuations and unrelenting heat threaten not only the environment, but also put an enormous burden on mental health.

Communities around the world face the harsh reality of more frequent flooding from stronger storms and seemingly endless days with triple-digit temperatures. The psychological strain of these climatic events can be as intense as the heat itself. (Rodielon Putolm, more at earth.com)

This summer, Arctic sea ice retreated to near-record lows in the Northern Hemisphere, continuing a decades-long trend of shrinking and thinning ice cover in the Arctic Ocean.

This is the conclusion reached by researchers from NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).

More melting and less ice formation

The amount of frozen seawater in the Arctic changes throughout the year as the ice melts and refreezes between seasons. Scientists track these fluctuations to understand how the Arctic responds over time to rising air and sea temperatures and longer periods of melting.

Over the past several decades, satellites have consistently observed more melting during the summer and less ice formation in the winter. (Andrei Ionescu, more at earth.com)

Rationing may seem dramatic, but so is climate change. This may explain why support is quite high. One advantage of allocation is that it can be perceived as fair if it is (more…)

Agriculture accounts for 13.1 percent of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the 27 EU member states. The sector's emissions have fallen only slightly from 2021, with only a 4 percent fall at EU level expected by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, data from the European Environment Agency shows.

Ottmar Edenhofer, chairman of the European Scientific Advisory Committee on Climate Change, told the Financial Times last week that it would be "almost impossible" to achieve the Commission's target of cutting emissions by 90 percent by 2040 without a tax on agricultural emissions.

"The price signal is important because without a price signal it is very unlikely that we will be able to reduce emissions," Edenhofer said.

In June, Denmark became the first country in the world to agree to a law that would impose a carbon tax on its livestock emissions. (Philippa Nuttall, more at sustainableviews.com)

The International Space Station (ISS) is set to advance Earth monitoring and environmental research. An ISS National Laboratory®-sponsored payload placed on the Airbus-developed Bartolomeo platform will extend access to the space station's unique vantage point. This innovation will improve Earth observation and provide unprecedented research opportunities, providing a deeper understanding of our planet.

Earth observation with Bartolomeo

"Airbus is improving our ability to observe and understand our planet as well as democratizing access to space by allowing more research and technology demonstrations on the ISS than ever before," said Debra Facktor, head of US Space Systems for Airbus. (Rodielon Putol, more at earth.com)

Unrelenting 21st century climate change will accelerate arctic and subarctic thawing of permafrost, which may intensify microbial degradation of carbon-rich soil, methane emissions, and global warming. The impact of melting permafrost on future arctic and subarctic fires and the associated release of greenhouse gases and aerosols is less well understood. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the impact of future permafrost thaw on land surface processes in the arctic-subarctic region using the large CESM2 ensemble forced by the SSP3-7.0 greenhouse gas emissions scenario. By analyzing 50 greenhouse warming simulations that capture the coupling between permafrost, hydrology, and the atmosphere, we found that predicted rapid permafrost melting leads to massive soil drying, surface warming, and reduced relative humidity in the arctic-subarctic region. These combined processes lead to late 21st century nonlinear regime shifts in the coupled soil-hydrological system and rapid fire intensification in western Siberia and Canada. (In-Won Kim, Axel Timmermann, William R. Wieder, more at nature.com)

European farmers are facing a disastrous year due to extreme weather events caused by climate change. Droughts and floods ravaged agricultural regions across Europe, leading to widespread crop losses and livestock deaths. Although the European Commission has pledged €10 billion in aid for recovery efforts, it is worrying that land degradation is not considered a contributing factor to these crises. Agricultural economist Benedikt Bösel highlights the alarming link between soil health and extreme weather events. He says neglecting the soil's ability to absorb and store water leads to cycles of floods and droughts. Despite this obvious connection, discussions of land degradation are largely absent from post-crisis recovery plans. (of Business AM, more at fr.businessam.be)

Although both regions strive to achieve net zero emissions, their methods differ significantly, creating profound differences. The climate policy debate between the United States and Europe is gaining momentum as (more…)