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Capturing methane from the air would slow global warming. Can it be done?
This summer was the hottest ever recorded on Earth, and 2023 is on track to be the hottest year. Heat waves threatened people’s health across North America, Europe and Asia. Canada had its worst wildfire season ever, and flames devastated the city of Lahaina in Maui. Los Angeles was pounded by an unheard-of summer tropical…
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Climate Governance Commission, chaired by global and climate science leaders, presents urgent ‘to-do’ list for the planet
NEW YORK – Facing a “deepening planetary emergency” and “on a reckless path toward catastrophic climate change,” the world needs never-before-seen levels of collective wisdom, political courage, and accountability to change course, says a new report by the Climate Governance Commission. The report, “Governing Our Planetary Emergency,” presents fifteen actions – ten near-term proposals to…
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An Evening with Elizabeth Kolbert
Co-sponsored by the Department of English Visiting Writers Series Journalist and New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert traveled from Alaska to Greenland, visiting top scientists to get to the heart of the debate over global warming. Her book about mass extinctions, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, weaves intellectual and natural history with reporting in the field began as an article…
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At COP28, Nature-Based Solutions are Needed to Combat Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the leading bird conservation organization in the Americas, the National Audubon Society will join world leaders at the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) to call for a focus on nature-based climate solutions that address the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Audubon’s COP28 delegation will include CEO Elizabeth…
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Trinity to headquarter Climate+ joint centre
The new €41.3 million research centre will be the home of research, innovation, and policy development across the interlinked challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and water degradation on the islands of Ireland and Britain. The Climate+ Co-Centre, which will initially be funded over six years by Science Foundation Ireland, Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture,…
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New Study Uses Electronic Tags to Explore Relationship Between Fish Behavior and Offshore Wind Energy Construction
A new cooperative agreement between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will enable scientists to implement a first-of-its-kind study investigating fish behavior in response to offshore wind turbine installation and related construction activities. This study will use fine-scale positioning technology and be conducted at the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind…
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COP28: A crucial moment for climate action
Will governments commit to phasing out fossil fuels at COP28? Despite more than 80 countries supporting a fossil fuel phase-out commitment at COP27, it failed to gain enough support to be included in the final agreement. Now, WWF, and people around the world, are urging negotiators to prioritize this issue and include a clear commitment…
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How carnivorous Asian pitcher plants acquired signature insect trap
Possessing more than two complete sets of chromosomes can be a hindrance to long-term survival of a plant lineage, yet scientists are also finding evidence it’s likely behind some evolutionary innovation. Sudden inheritance of whole suites of extra gene copies can add redundancy to an organism’s regular sets of functions, actually permitting some of those…
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Newly discovered stem cell offers clues to a cancer mystery
Scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell in the spine that appears crucial to resolving a long-standing mystery: why far more cancer cells spread to the spine than to other bones in the body. When breast, lung and prostate cancers metastasize to multiple bones in the body, three to five times more cancer…
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Toxic chemicals in UK whales and dolphins are exceeding safe limits
The problem with POPs Many POPs were first developed in the twentieth century as part of a new wave of synthetic chemicals. At the time, they were seen as groundbreaking new compounds which could be used in stronger pesticides, longer lasting paint, and more fire-resistant furniture. However, the same properties that made these chemicals so…
