Rainfall will decrease markedly in the Middle East by 2040, sparking worsening food security, Oxfam warned on Wednesday, as it published a report warning of the humanitarian cost of increased water scarcity. The report, Water Dilemmas, describes how a water security crisis, in large part driven by global heating from greenhouse gas emissions, will fuel hunger and […]
On the heels of devastating weather across the US, President Joe Biden on Wednesday emphasised “the existential threat” of climate change, but dodged questions on whether he would declare a climate national emergency. When pressed about declaring a national emergency, Mr Biden sidestepped, asserting that “we’ve already done that … practically speaking”. “We’ve conserved more land, […]
A study has discovered there is less plastic littering the ocean than scientists previously thought, but what is there could persist for a long time. The study estimated that more than 95 per cent of plastic floating on the ocean are pieces bigger than 2.5cm. Most plastic particles in the ocean are very small and the total mass of these microplastics, […]
Sea temperatures reached record levels this week in the latest indication of the large-scale impact of climate change. The Copernicus Climate Change Service, EU’s Earth observation programme, said that average global sea surface temperatures reached 20.96°C – well above normal for this time of year. It comes shortly after Copernicus and others said that July was […]
Researchers in the UAE have released findings that could help scientists better understand the factors that are causing Antarctic ice to melt. Two studies led by scientists at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi shed light on a subject that is of critical importance to the future of the planet. “In our studies, we identified the atmospheric processes that are […]
US climate envoy John Kerry said on Tuesday that the threat posed by climate change to global security is impossible to contest. “It’s now indisputable that the climate crisis is one of the top security threats not just to the developed world but to the entire planet,” the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change told the […]
The first trial in several US climate change cases brought by youths began on Monday in Montana, where 16 young people are seeking to hold the state accountable for fossil fuel-friendly policies they claim exacerbate global warming and threaten their futures. Roger Sullivan, a lawyer for the young plaintiffs, painted a sweeping picture of the […]
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that the world is hurtling towards a climate change disaster, while criticising the global response as “pitiful”. Mr Guterres, who is hosting a climate summit in New York in September, noted that current policies would lead to a staggering 2.8°C temperature rise by the end of the century. […]
News this week about the planet rapidly approaching the critical global-warming threshold of a 1.5°C rise above pre-industrial levels has frightened and dismayed many. The report from World Meteorological Organisation scientists was published shortly after the world’s fourth-warmest April since records began in 1950 and months ahead of the Cop28 summit in the UAE. Although […]
Vulnerable Middle East countries affected by conflict should be offered easier access to global finance to help mitigate the effects of climate change, humanitarian experts said on Thursday. In a joint report focusing on Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Norwegian Red Cross said the combined effects of […]
