UAE scientists have sounded the alarm over the uncertain future of dozens of at-risk wild varieties of staple crops, which could hold the key to strengthening the food chain against the growing threat of climate change. New research has highlighted that the Emirates is home to 87 crop wild relatives (CWRs), some of which possess genes which […]
“The latest planetary health check tells us that Earth is profoundly ill,” the UK Met Office’s chief scientist says. 2024 was the hottest in 175 years of observations, the World Meteorological Organisation’s latest landmark report has confirmed. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 are now at the highest levels in the last 800,000 years and globally, each […]
The global challenges created by climate change causing glaciers to melt will only get worse unless urgent action is taken to address the issue, experts have warned. Their remarks follow a report from the World Meteorological Organisation that revealed glaciers have experienced the largest loss of mass on record in the past three years. Saturday is […]
Scientists say they have invented a “carbon-negative” alternative to sand that could be used to build homes more sustainably. Made from seawater, the material invented by US scientists is described as a greener way of making cement and concrete, which typically contain sand. Researchers say the new material is as strong and can “permanently” lock […]
Brazil, which is hosting the Cop30 climate conference in the city of Belem later this year, knows all too well that all eyes will be on deforestation. The South American nation, which recently committed to slash greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 67 per cent by 2035 based on 2005 levels, says it is making […]
One of France’s first commercial-scale tidal energy pilot projects, NH1 is due to supply thousands of locals with clean electricity. A tidal farm featuring the world’s most powerful underwater turbines is being built off the coast of Normandy after winning EU funding. The NH1 tidal project from Normandie Hydroliennes will use four turbines to turn […]
Harnessing moisture from air, Northwestern University chemists have developed a simple new method for breaking down plastic waste. The non-toxic, environmentally friendly, solvent-free process first uses an inexpensive catalyst to break apart the bonds in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common plastic in the polyester family. Then, the researchers merely expose the broken pieces to […]
Microplastics made it more difficult for drugs to be efficient, researchers say. Bacteria exposed to microplastics can become resistant to antibiotics, a new study has found. Researchers from the US investigated how bacteria reacted when exposed to different concentrations of microplastics – small plastic pieces measuring less than five millimetres that are omnipresent in the […]
Climate change may lead to more precipitation and more intense floods. A new study shows that to understand the details of this relationship, it is important to distinguish between different types of rainfall and flood events — namely, between short-term events that occur on a time scale of hours, and longer-term events that last several […]
Since the satellite recording of ocean height began in 1993, the rate of annual sea level rise has more than doubled. Global sea levels rose faster than expected in 2024 as the world experienced its hottest year on record, a new study has found. This was due to an unusual amount of ocean warming combined […]