Humanity may not be better prepared for the impacts of climate change today than it was in the 1970s. He claims it new study led by researchers at Stanford University, which compares how vulnerable societies are to extreme weather now compared to 50 years ago. This research has yet to undergo peer review, and its conclusions run counter to what many climate policy experts have long assumed. If accurate, it means that additional wealth, technology, and climate skill have not meaningfully improved our defenses as the weather has become more severe. ( Jack Marley, more at theconversation.com)

The Gulf Stream, a strong ocean current that moves warm water from the Gulf of Mexico toward the East Coast, flows 12 to 50 miles off the coast of North Carolina. It helps fuel the state's vibrant seafood industry and plays an important role in weather systems not only in the state but also along the Atlantic.

The Gulf Stream is driven by what is known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC), one of the largest ocean circulation systems in the world. Imagine a giant hot tub stretching across the Atlantic Ocean.

Study from 2023 in the magazine Nature suggests that the entire AMOC system could collapse by mid-century, or even as early as 2025.

Scientists say this is due to climate change and that it would be catastrophic for the weather around the world. (Frank Graff, more at pbsnc.org)

The increasing frequency and severity of forest fires may lead to increased warming of the Earth's surface, according to an analysis of satellite data published in Nature. The findings highlight a previously overlooked factor that could influence future climate and fire dynamics. Wildfires are becoming more frequent and larger, with some areas such as the western US and eastern Spain seeing fires that have doubled or tripled in size in recent decades. Larger wildfires typically result in greater vegetation loss, but the effects of this increase in exposed land on climate have not yet been determined. (Nature Publishing Group, more at phys.org)

In May 2023, the European Union approved the directive (EU) 2023/1115, which concerns the availability of certain commodities and products linked to deforestation and forest degradation on the EU market and their export from the Union. (viac…)

Climate change has made downpours like those that caused devastating floods in central Europe this month twice as likely, a report said on Wednesday, as its scientific authors urged politicians to act to stop global warming.

The worst floods to hit central Europe in at least two decades have left 24 dead, cities strewn with mud and debris, damaged buildings, collapsed bridges and left authorities with a billion-euro repair bill.

A report from the World Weather Attribution, an international group of scientists that studies the effects of climate change on extreme weather events, found that the four days of rainfall brought by Storm Boris were the heaviest ever recorded in central Europe. (More on voanews.com)

Scientists using ice-breaking ships and underwater robots have found that Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier is melting at an accelerating rate and could be on an irreversible path to collapse, spelling disaster for global sea-level rise. Since 2018, a team of scientists making up the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration has been studying Thwaites – often called the “Doomsday Glacier” – up close to better understand how and when it might collapse.

Their findings, presented in a set of studies, provide the clearest picture yet of this complex, ever-changing glacier. The outlook is "bleak", the researchers said in a report published on Thursday, which reveals the key conclusions of their six-year research. (Laura Paddison, more at edition.cnn.com)

It is not clear whether it was environmental anxiety that motivated the brave fifteen-year-old Greta Thunberg, who went on strike at school in August 2018 to protest non-compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement. maybe yes (viac…)

Education is a decisive factor in solving the problem of climate change. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) assigns the parties to the convention the responsibility to conduct educational and public awareness campaigns on climate change and to ensure public participation in programs and access to information on this issue. Education can encourage people to change their attitudes and behaviour; it also helps them make informed decisions. In the classroom, young people can learn about the impact of global warming and learn how to adapt to climate change. Education strengthens all people, but especially motivates young people to be active. Knowing the facts helps eliminate fear of an issue that is often tinged with doom and gloom in the public arena. In this context, UNICEF tapped the minds and imaginations of children around the world to capture what it means to be a child growing up in an age of rapid climate change. ( More on www.un.org)

The Climate Shift Index (CSI) reveals how much climate change is affecting the temperature on a particular day. The index ranges from -5 to +5 with positive levels indicating temperatures that are increasingly likely due to climate change (negative scores indicating conditions that are increasingly less likely). For levels 2 or higher, the index is a multiple of how often a particular temperature will occur due to climate change. For example, a CSI level of 5 means that the temperature occurs 5 times more often compared to a world without human-caused carbon pollution. This temperature would be very difficult to encounter in a world without climate change – not necessarily impossible, just highly unlikely. (More on csi.climatecentral.org)

The climate crisis is the defining issue of our time. Currently, solving this problem should be at the top of every country's priority list. In this time of great unrest around the world, it may seem counterintuitive for him to take precedence, but frankly, if we don't act now, nothing else will.

As Greta Thunberg so accurately and succinctly puts it, it is an existential emergency. Last year was the hottest on record, with temperatures in the UK reaching 34.8°C. Forest fires have swept through Europe, hurricanes are increasingly out of season, and crops are destroyed by floods and droughts, pushing ecosystems to the brink.

In addition to the terrifying effects we can see and feel, there are those that are not visible but very present, including the disparity between rich and poor nations. The latter bear a disproportionately large part of the physical and financial burden of the climate crisis, but have contributed the least to it. Island states, smaller countries and coastal areas are at risk of complete inundation. Entire cultures could be lost along with the land, and entire populations are at risk of displacement. We are approaching tipping points where the drastic effects of the human-caused climate crisis will become irreversible . (More on independent.co.uk)

The goal of the European Union is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 within the framework of the comprehensive green agreement concluded four years ago. An analysis of the policy documents of the Green Deal reveals that (viac…)

The Commission has adopted four implementing regulations to align with the new rules in Regulation (EU) 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), which entered into force in March 2024. Implementing Regulation on the format of F-gas labels required on containers of F -gases, as well as on certain products and equipment with F-gases. These new rules will apply from 1 January 2025. Until then, the labeling requirement in Article 12 of the previous F-gas Regulation (EU) No. 517/2014. (More on climate.ec.europa.eu)

Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It affects our health in real time. This is how we will be influenced throughout our lives. "So understand that trying to avert catastrophic climate change is nothing more and nothing less than protecting our children and their children's future," Naidoo said.

This may sound alarming at worst or disturbing at best – but that doesn't stop it from being true.

It is clear that human activity is causing climate change (different from climate variability), making extreme climate events, including heat waves, heavy rainfall and drought, more frequent and severe. (Julia Evans, more at dailymaverick.co.za)

As the global community grapples with the urgent need to mitigate climate change, nature-based solutions have emerged as a promising strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resilience. Recent studies suggest that natural climate solutions are modeled to potentially provide the 37 % of cost-effective CO2 reductions needed by 2030 to have a 66 % chance of keeping warming below 2°C. Despite this potential, the implementation of nature-based solutions faces significant challenges, particularly in terms of financing, governance and integration into wider climate policies. (KATARÍNA RUHLANDOVA, more at earth.org)

"Risk" analyzes largely ignore the dangers of the climate crisis. Unless we wake up to them, they will soon overwhelm everyone else. The latest scientific analysis, based on evidence from the last ice age, suggests that there is a possibility that the Amoc could shut down at a surprising rate, and as early as the middle of this century, due to global warming and the subsequent influx of fresh water from the melting Greenland ice sheet.

If that were to happen, the consequences would be catastrophic. With the resulting hypothetical temperature drop of 10 to 15 °C, Britain's climate would change to that of Newfoundland. Agriculture would collapse and the entire landscape would change. Housing and infrastructure would have to be radically adapted to withstand the new climate. (Anatol Lieven, more at theguardian.com)

We've all heard that temperatures are rising. But in the southwest Pacific, around the Fiji archipelago, sea surface temperatures have reached an all-time high – the highest in more than six centuries – severely damaging corals in the region. This surprising discovery, revealed through coral research, comes from an international team of experts in climate science, demonstrating once again the serious consequences of rising temperatures.

In fact, the team's research suggests that the year 2022 was the warmest year in these regions since 1370. These findings were revealed while examining the massive colony Diploastera heliopora, a giant species of coral found in Fiji. (Sanjana Gajbhiye, more at earth.com)

Climate change is no longer a distant threat. Air pollution and the effects of climate change have a real-time impact on our health. This is how we will be influenced throughout our lives.

Scientists already know that climate change – which is undeniably driven by human activity – is making extreme weather events, including heat waves, heavy rainfall and drought, more frequent and severe.

Now, a recent collection of articles published in the Journal of Global Health has found that pregnant women, newborns, children, adolescents and the elderly face serious health complications due to climate change. However, despite the increased risks of these groups, their specific needs have been largely overlooked in efforts to respond to climate change. (Julia Evans, more at dailymaverick.co.za)

Central Europe is experiencing its worst flooding in twenty years, triggered by intense rain from Storm Boris, which has caused damage from Romania to Poland. On Tuesday, the number of victims in Poland, (viac…)

The World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Wellcome and the Rockefeller Foundation have therefore brought together more than 75 technical partners to support the development of scalable, reliable and interoperable systems for integrated climate-based health monitoring and promotion.

Held at WMO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland from 10-11 September 2024, the meeting convened sponsors and leading experts in health information systems, digital health, climate data and climate and health research and policy, as well as representatives ministries of health.

“We are at a unique moment where the convergence of climate science, technology and public health presents us with unprecedented opportunities. By combining the expertise of the meteorological community with that of the health community, there is enormous potential to support the most vulnerable," said Ko Barrett, WMO Deputy Secretary-General. (More on wmo.int)