Climate

    Green policies can restore stability to global trade, UN climate chief says
    23 May 2025

    Global trade is under strain due to the effects of climate change and a failure to act risks worsening food insecurity, economic instability and humanitarian crises, the UN’s senior climate official has warned. Speaking at the 2025 Nature Summit in Panama City on Tuesday, Simon Stiell used the Panama Canal as a potent example of how climate change has affected trade. Once a symbol […]

    Early drought and wildfire warnings for Northern Europe
    21 May 2025

    A drier and warmer start to spring has led to “unusual” wildfires in the UK, and a risk of drought across north western Europe, the continent’s climate service has warned. Most of the region which also encompasses the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany has been put “watch” or “warning” for drought – with some areas being placed on “alert” – by the EU’s climate monitoring service Copernicus, which […]

    ‘Where conflict, poverty and climate collide’: Number of internally displaced people tops 80 million
    18 May 2025

    With climate change displacing more people within the countries they live, here’s what experts say is needed to support them. Cyclones, floods and other disasters forced people from their homes 45.8 million times last year, official figures show, nearly double the annual average over the past decade. Virtually all of these internal “disaster displacements” were […]

    Rising temperatures lead to unexpectedly rapid carbon release from soils
    17 May 2025

    Globally, soils store more than twice as much carbon as the atmosphere. Therefore, carbon uptake and release by soils constitutes a strong regulator of atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). In the context of the ongoing anthropogenic climate change it is thus important to better understand the sensitivity of soil carbon, which […]

    Tokenizing the tree of life: Olive blockchain project sprouts in Dubai

    A bold vision to connect ancient agriculture with cutting-edge blockchain technology has been unveiled in the Middle East. At an invite only event held at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Global Olive Corporation (GOC) revealed its plan to tokenize 100 million olive trees worldwide, starting with a million already planted across Georgia. “This is the […]

    The controversial search for metals beneath the world’s deepest ocean
    14 May 2025

    US President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at kick-starting commercial deep-sea mining has sparked debate in environmental circles on what is the most appropriate next step. He is keen to search for metals used in renewable energy, batteries and computer microchips such as copper, cobalt, manganese and nickel. The mining could take place at depths of thousands of metres. The area most […]

    Saharan storms ‘threaten Europe’s solar power future’
    13 May 2025

    A growing atmospheric phenomenon is complicating Europe’s path towards climate and energy security targets, scientists have warned. Mineral dust carried on the wind from the Sahara could hamper Europe’s reliance on solar energy, the European Geosciences Union General Assembly (EGU25) heard. In their presentation at EGU25, Dr Gyorgy Varga and collaborators from Hungarian and European institutions said dust-laden skies disrupt […]

    More than one billion litres of water evaporate from UAE swimming pools each year, research suggests
    12 May 2025

    With its endless sunshine and sizzling temperatures, the UAE is the perfect place at which to kickback and enjoy an afternoon by the pool. But a new study suggests that the desire to take a dip consumes significant amounts of water, with more than a billion litres probably evaporating each year from the country’s pools. While the […]

    Air pollution levels falling across the Middle East, Abu Dhabi study finds
    11 May 2025

    Scientists in Abu Dhabi say stricter air quality controls, transitioning to renewable energy and monitoring vehicle emissions are behind a reduction in the levels of air pollution in parts of the Middle East. A study from Khalifa University (KU) in Abu Dhabi, using Nasa satellites, looking between 2003 and 2023, showed significant reductions after pollution levels increased during the first decade […]

    Chasing sand storms: How UAE climate teams are preparing for adverse weather
    09 May 2025

    Dust and sand storms have been sweeping the UAE in recent weeks, providing a challenge for weather and environment agencies that are working to forecast and prepare for their effects. On Thursday, the National Centre of Meteorology issued a fresh alert that winds reaching 45kph were blowing dust and sand, reducing visibility. Similar notifications have […]