Climate

    A ‘Pandora’s box of ills’: What are the UN chief’s climate priorities for 2025?
    20 Jan 2025

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reminded the world that every year since the Paris Agreement has been the hottest on record. Humanity has opened a “Pandora’s box of ills” which risks upending “our very existence”, according to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Laying out his priorities for the year in a speech to the General […]

    Rising carbon dioxide levels ‘incompatible’ with halting global warming, study finds
    19 Jan 2025

    Rising rates of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are incompatible with keeping global warming below 1.5°C, a Met Office study has warned. Using measurements taken at Mauna Loa, Hawaii stretching back to 1958, concentrations of the key greenhouse gas rose at their fastest annual levels in 2024, exceeding Met Office predictions for the year. At Mauna Loa, a […]

    Earth’s oceans are ‘perilously close’ to tipping point, marine biologist says
    16 Jan 2025

    Sylvia Earle, one of the world’s most famous oceanographers and marine biologists, has raised the alarm over the stark threat posed to ocean ecosystems by climate change and rampant overfishing. Dr Earle, 89, holds the record for the deepest untethered walk on the sea floor at a depth of 1,250 feet and was the first woman […]

    President Sheikh Mohamed and Azerbaijan leader discuss global climate fight in UAE meeting
    14 Jan 2025

    President Sheikh Mohamed and his Azerbaijan counterpart Ilham Aliyev called for collective global action to combat the threat of climate change during high-level talks in Abu Dhabi on Monday. The two leaders explored ways to bolster collaboration in renewable energy and the environment during discussions held at Qasr Al Shati in the UAE capital. Mr Aliyev is on […]

    ‘The future is in our hands’: Climate scientists share solutions as 2024 declared hottest on record
    12 Jan 2025

    Experts say the world is now ‘teetering on the edge’ of passing the crucial 1.5°C warming limit. 2024 was the warmest year on record and the first calendar year where the global temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Scientists had suspected 2024 would clinch the record and […]

    Billions face arid future as climate change turns land to desert
    11 Jan 2025

    More than three quarters of the Earth have become irreversibly drier over the past three decades, according to a UN report which says there is an existential crisis that could affect billions more worldwide. About 77.6 per cent of Earth’s land was under drier conditions during the three decades up to 2020 compared to the 30 years […]

    Could the UAE and rest of Gulf see more rain? New data shows close to 19% rise in rainfall over 20 years
    10 Jan 2025

    Severe storms that swept through the UAE last year unleashed the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the UAE. But is the amount of rain increasing in the region year on year? New data has revealed an 18.8 per cent increase in rainfall across the six member countries of the GCC- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – between […]

    Weather extremes ‘wreaking havoc’ on global water systems
    07 Jan 2025

    Scientists say climate extremes wreaked havoc on the global water cycle last year, leading to flooding and droughts around the world that displaced millions and cost the global economy billions. Last year, half of the world’s population experienced their warmest year yet. Air temperatures were 1.2ºC warmer than at the start of the century and 2.2ºC above […]

    China is driving an electric vehicle revolution. But is it good news for the climate?
    06 Jan 2025

    China’s EV boom offers climate hope, but market dominance risks new environmental challenges. Ten years ago, you would be forgiven for assuming the snowballing climate crisis was low-down on China’s priority list. Accounting for approximately 11.9 billion metric tonnes of emissions in 2023 alone, the country has been the largest global emitter of CO2 since […]

    How building ‘green walls’ can cut indoor pollution and promote more productive offices
    05 Jan 2025

    Cities across the globe have long harnessed the power of nature by integrating more green spaces in urban development plans to boost the environment, as well as improve well-being. But research in the UAE has underlined how creating additional green spaces should not be merely confined to streets and parks, but can be crucial to cultivating healthier, happier […]