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    Key leaders skip Cop29 as they navigate net-zero backlash
    12 Nov 2024

    The opening days of a UN climate change summit are when royals, presidents and prime ministers take the podium and proclaim the green ideals that set the tone for two weeks of talks. But big names will be missing from the stage at the Cop29 talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, with even environmentally minded leaders in the West distracted by […]

    ‘It has been an honour’: UAE hands Cop presidency to Azerbaijan as crunch summit begins
    11 Nov 2024

    Cop29 has kicked off in Azerbaijan with the UAE handing over the presidency. It came during the opening plenary of the crucial talks in the country’s capital Baku. The baton passed to new Cop29 president Mukhtar Babayev, the country’s ecology and natural resources minister and who previously worked for the state oil company, Socar. Over the next two […]

    Indian climate guru calls for action at Cop29 to help world’s small farmers
    10 Nov 2024

    An Indian climate guru will urge leaders at Cop29 to allocate billions in climate finance for small farmers, so they can learn vital techniques to protect the soil and regenerate farm land to help tackle the climate crisis. Thousands of people representing governments around the world, companies, and environmental and human rights groups will gather in Azerbaijan […]

    What is Cop29 and why is it important?
    09 Nov 2024

    Tens of thousands of people representing governments around the world, companies, and environmental and human rights groups are gathering in Azerbaijan to discuss ways to address the threat of climate change. The UN’s annual climate summit, called the 29th Conference of the Parties, or Cop29, will be held in the capital Baku from November 11 to 22. The […]

    Planting trees in the Arctic could make global warming worse, not better, say scientists
    08 Nov 2024

    Tree planting has been widely touted as a cost-effective way of reducing global warming, due to trees’ ability to store large quantities of carbon from the atmosphere. But, writing in the journal Nature Geoscience, an international group of scientists argue that tree planting at high latitudes will accelerate, rather than decelerate, global warming. As the climate […]

    2024 ‘virtually certain’ to be hottest on record as temperature streak continues
    07 Nov 2024

    This year is “virtually certain” to be the warmest year on record, as the world continues its unprecedented temperature streak, the European Union’s climate change monitoring service has said. Last month was the second-hottest October on record after October 2023, with an average surface air temperature for the month of 15.25°C, 0.80°C above the 1991-2020 average. The figure also represented […]

    Bio-based fibers could pose greater threat to the environment than conventional plastics
    06 Nov 2024

    Bio-based materials may pose a greater health risk to some of the planet’s most important species than the conventional plastics they are designed to replace, a new study has shown. Such materials are increasingly being advocated as environmentally friendly alternatives to plastics, and used in textiles and products including clothing, wet wipes and period products. […]

    Cut meat production by 13% in wealthy countries ‘to slash global carbon emissions’
    05 Nov 2024

    A 13 per cent reduction in meat production in wealthy countries would remove three years’ worth of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the atmosphere, a study has found. Using remote sensors to calculate the amount of gas produced by livestock, researchers discovered that returning even a small portion of pastureland to forest would result in the removal of […]

    Fueling greener aviation with hydrogen
    04 Nov 2024

    Despite ongoing efforts to curb CO2 emissions with electric and hybrid vehicles, other forms of transportation remain significant contributors of greenhouse gases. To address this issue, old technologies are being revamped to make them greener, such as the reintroduction of sailing vessels in shipping and new uses for hydrogen in aviation. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Sustainable […]

    Earthshot Prize 2024: Prince William unveils plans for celebrations in Cape Town
    03 Nov 2024

    Prince William will travel to South Africa on Monday to begin the fourth annual award celebrating environmental innovation. The prize is awarded to ideas and initiatives that will help save the planet and will be held alongside a week of events. More than 400 nominations from across the African continent were made for the prize, which […]