Scientists have built a solar-powered desalination system without the need for expensive batteries that could secure vast amounts of low-cost drinking water for millions around the world. The innovative plant, which was designed by MIT researchers, responds quickly to subtle changes to the level of sunlight – such as a passing cloud – to better utilise the […]
Rich countries cannot dictate that poorer ones should use fewer cars in the name of tackling climate change, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said. Mr Scholz told a sustainability summit on Monday not to set itself “against growth” but seek “prosperity for all” in the battle to save the planet. He said Germany was inviting about $20 billion of […]
A human rights-based approach to coral reef protection could ensure governments are held to account for safeguarding marine ecosystems and empower local and Indigenous communities to demand sustainable solutions and climate justice, a new study suggests. An estimated one billion people rely on healthy coral reefs globally for food security, coastal protection and income from […]
A new survey of climate experts reveals that a majority believes the Earth to be headed for a rise in global temperatures far higher than the 2015 Paris Agreement targets of 1.5 to well-below 2°C. The study was published in the Nature journal Communications Earth & Environment. It also shows that two-thirds of respondents — all […]
A new study documents how Southern Californians are chronically being exposed to toxic airborne chemicals called plasticizers, including one that’s been banned from children’s items and beauty products. Plasticizers are chemical compounds that make materials more flexible. They are used in a wide variety of products ranging from lunchboxes and shower curtains to garden hoses […]
More than 2.7 billion people globally live in areas vulnerable to coastal or inland flooding, research by risk analysis group Moody’s has found. The proportion of people exposed to flood risk has also steadily increased since 1975, driven in part by climate change and urbanisation, the research said. The Middle East and South Asia, researched together […]
The Middle East will experience more frequent “extreme rainfall events” due to climate change, researchers say. A report into the regional impact of global warming has predicted increasingly intense monsoons, stronger storms and ever more extreme temperatures this century. By comparing results from a number of recent studies, researchers have built a picture of how climate change […]
Britain will become the first country in the G7 to scrap coal production on Monday, in a move that coincides with the closure of the last blast furnace at one of the world’s biggest steelworks in Wales. The coal plant at Uniper’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar in England’s Midlands will cease operating, ending 140 years of coal production in Britain, as […]
The UAE and Ghana have announced a $30 million partnership for nature-based community development and climate solutions. The agreement sets out six areas for investment including biodiversity, reforestation and agroecology – a type of sustainable farming – that can deliver climate and community benefits. State news agency Wam reported on Sunday the partnership also seeks to focus on gender equality and […]
Pesticides, heavy metals, micro- and nanoplastics in the soil and environmentally harmful chemicals can have a detrimental effect on the cardiovascular system, according to a review paper published today in Nature Reviews Cardiology. The article provides an overview of the effects of soil and water pollution on human health and pathology and discusses the prevalence of […]
