Climate

    UAE study warns of threat to wild crops key to protecting food chain from climate change
    24 Mar 2025

    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 […]

    Nearly half of last year’s ‘unprecedented’ weather events were in Europe, WMO data shows
    23 Mar 2025

    “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 […]

    Melting glaciers could have serious consequences for the Middle East
    22 Mar 2025

    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 […]

    Your home could be built with ‘carbon-negative’ sand
    21 Mar 2025

    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 emphasises deforestation pledge amid negative Cop30 attention
    20 Mar 2025

    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 […]

    How climate change affects rain and floods
    16 Mar 2025

    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 […]

    ‘Faster and faster’: Why did global sea levels rise more than expected in 2024?
    15 Mar 2025

    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 […]

    What is an atmospheric river? Scientists say they are getting bigger, wetter and more frequent
    14 Mar 2025

    Atmospheric rivers can bring much needed rain to drought-struck places, but may be dangerous when they are strong and last long. As extreme weather events have hit the world hard in recent years, one meteorology term – atmospheric rivers – has made the leap from scientific circles to common language. Particularly in places that have […]

    From flood to drought: Cairo tops list of world’s ‘climate flip’ cities
    13 Mar 2025

    Flooded by the Nile for thousands of years, Cairo is facing increasingly severe drought as the world’s most extreme example of a phenomenon called “climate flip”. Riyadh, Jeddah and Khartoum are also in the grip of “drying trends” as the Middle East and North Africa take a pounding from climate change, a major study has found. Scientists working for the charity […]

    UAE breathes cleaner air, as levels of major pollutant fall
    12 Mar 2025

    Levels of a major pollutant in the UAE’s air have dropped significantly in a year, according to a report that ranks countries by air quality. While concentrations of the smallest type of particulate matter remain above levels recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the 2024 World Air Quality Report from Swiss company IQAir reveals that they have […]