The Latest Breaking News from Climate Change

Heat-trapping microplastics found to play role in climate change

Scientists found that colored plastic particles, prevalent in the atmosphere, have a significant heat-trapping impact, particularly in areas with high plastic pollution. This discovery necessitates updates to climate models to account for this previously underestimated factor.

The Economic Times · May 9

‘The odds are not in our favour’: who sets the Doomsday Clock – and what can they tell us about the future of humanity?

With the war on Iran, Ukraine, AI and climate breakdown increasing the likelihood of a nuclear war, the clock stands closer to midnight than ever before. So who decides how many seconds we have left – and can we buy ourselves more time?

The Guardian - UK · May 9

Rare Cow Breeds That Farmers Are Trying to Protect

For centuries, cows have played an important role in human life. They have helped farmers with milk, farming work, manure, and even transportation in some regions. Over time, different countries developed their own native cow breeds based on local weather, food availability, and farming needs. These breeds slowly adapted to…

Times Pets · May 8

Hantavirus is on the rise in Argentina, where a stricken cruise ship began its journey

Argentina is investigating if it's the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, coinciding with a surge in domestic cases. Experts link the rise to climate change, which expands rodent habitats and increases disease transmission. The Andes virus strain, capable of human-to-human spread, is implicated in recent…

The Economic Times · May 7

Urban trees cool the world’s cities more than we thought – but we can’t rely on them alone

Cities and towns are usually 1–3°C hotter than the surrounding countryside, because asphalt, concrete and brick absorb heat from the sun and radiate it slowly. Some cities can be as much as 7°C hotter. This effect is known as the urban heat island.

The Conversation · May 6

At 75, Ted Turner told Fortune he gave himself 5 more years. He got 12—and spent them warning the world was ending

The CNN founder, who died Wednesday at 87, used a 2013 Fortune interview to handicap his own mortality and deliver a blunt warning about nuclear weapons, climate change, and overpopulation.

Fortune · May 6

Study says trees counter half the world's urban heating, but not in the places that need it most

Tree cover globally cools nearly half of the warming from built-up cities, but it’s doing it more in richer, cooler areas and less in hotter poorer areas where it’s needed most

The Independent UK · May 6

Gender emissions gap: Rich white men’s jobs, diets and hobbies found to be ‘bad for the planet’

Men were also found to have “less concern with climate change” and be “less ambitious and less active in environmental politics”.

Euronews · May 6

Warming seas can threaten the hidden relationship that supports seagrass meadows

On the western side of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, sits Myuna Bay, a quiet bay with meadows of seagrass waving beneath the water. The most common marine plant species you find there is Zostera muelleri. It has long ribbon-like leaves that grow from stems (called rhizomes) buried…

The Conversation · May 5

Heat-resistant corals could help reefs adapt to climate change

Austin Bowden-Kerby, a pioneer in coral reef conservation, spends many of his days gardening corals for reefs around Fiji and the Pacific. He grows corals in ocean nurseries. Once they’re healthy enough, he moves them to outer ocean areas with the hope they will replicate and grow.

The Conversation · May 5