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Category: Climate Change

Amazon deforestation falls over 60% compared with last July, says Brazilian minister

Amazon deforestation falls over 60% compared with last July, says Brazilian minister

The Guardian reports: Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by at least 60% in July compared to the same month last year, the environment minister, Marina Silva, has told the Guardian. The good news comes ahead of a regional summit that aims to prevent South America’s largest biome from hitting a calamitous tipping point. The exact figure, which is based on the Deter satellite alert system, will be released in the coming days, but independent analysts described the preliminary data…

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19 ‘mass extinctions’ had CO2 levels we’re now veering toward, study warns

19 ‘mass extinctions’ had CO2 levels we’re now veering toward, study warns

Live Science reports: Within a human lifetime, concentrations of CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere could reach levels associated with 19 “mass extinctions” that have taken place in the last 534 million years, new research suggests. By 2100, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could rise to 800 parts per million by volume (ppmv) — almost double the concentration of roughly 421 ppmv recorded this year — if we fail to curb emissions from burning fossil fuels and converting land for agriculture. That would…

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Ocean heat record broken, with grim implications for the planet

Ocean heat record broken, with grim implications for the planet

BBC News reports: The oceans have hit their hottest ever recorded temperature as they soak up warmth from climate change, with dire implications for our planet’s health. The average daily global sea surface temperature beat a 2016 record this week, according to the EU’s climate change service Copernicus. It reached 20.96C (69.73F) – far above the average for this time of year. Oceans are a vital climate regulator. They soak up heat, produce half Earth’s oxygen and drive weather patterns….

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A Republican 2024 climate strategy: more drilling, less clean energy

A Republican 2024 climate strategy: more drilling, less clean energy

The New York Times reports: During a summer of scorching heat that has broken records and forced Americans to confront the reality of climate change, conservatives are laying the groundwork for a 2024 Republican administration that would dismantle efforts to slow global warming. The move is part of a sweeping strategy dubbed Project 2025 that Paul Dans of the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank organizing the effort, has called a “battle plan” for the first 180 days of a…

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‘Project 2025’: A plan to dismantle U.S. climate policy for next Republican president

‘Project 2025’: A plan to dismantle U.S. climate policy for next Republican president

The Guardian reports: An alliance of rightwing groups has crafted an extensive presidential proposal to bolster the planet-heating oil and gas industry and hamstring the energy transition, it has emerged. Against a backdrop of record-breaking heat and floods this year, the $22m endeavor, Project 2025, was convened by the notorious rightwing, climate-denying thinktank the Heritage Foundation, which has ties to fossil fuel billionaire Charles Koch. Called the Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, it is meant to guide the first…

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‘Era of global boiling has arrived,’ says UN chief as July set to be hottest month on record

‘Era of global boiling has arrived,’ says UN chief as July set to be hottest month on record

The Guardian reports: The era of global warming has ended and “the era of global boiling has arrived”, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, has said after scientists confirmed July was on track to be the world’s hottest month on record. “Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning,” Guterres said. “It is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C [above pre-industrial levels], and avoid the very worst of climate change. But only…

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As the world confronts the reality of the climate crisis, the GOP remains stuck in denial

As the world confronts the reality of the climate crisis, the GOP remains stuck in denial

HuffPost reports: Unless you’ve been living underground or have a vested interest in turning a blind eye to reality, you know that climate change has sent temperatures soaring to dangerous levels around the planet this summer. Two global climate organizations on Thursday confirmed that July is on track to be the single hottest month on record. It is also likely the hottest monthlong stretch in 120,000 years. Nearly 200 million people — 60% of the U.S. population — are currently…

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Modern ‘sixth mass extinction’ event will be worse than first predicted, says report

Modern ‘sixth mass extinction’ event will be worse than first predicted, says report

GrrlScientist writes: Tragically, the global mass extinction event that we find ourselves in the midst of will be even worse than originally predicted, according to a recent study (ref). The international team of scientists came to their conclusion after analyzing population trends data for more than 71,000 animal species — including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects — from around the world to see how their numbers have changed since record-keeping first began. Generally, scientists agree that an extinction…

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Deadly global heatwaves undeniably result of climate crisis, scientists show

Deadly global heatwaves undeniably result of climate crisis, scientists show

The Guardian reports: The human-caused climate crisis is undeniably to blame for the deadly heatwaves that have struck Europe and the US in recent weeks, scientists have shown. Both would have been virtually impossible without the global heating driven by burning fossil fuels, their analysis found. Another searing heatwave, in China, was made 50 times more likely by the climate crisis. The results make it crystal clear that human-caused global heating is already destroying lives and livelihoods across the world,…

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Gulf stream could collapse as early as 2025, study suggests

Gulf stream could collapse as early as 2025, study suggests

The Guardian reports: The Gulf Stream system could collapse as soon as 2025, a new study suggests. The shutting down of the vital ocean currents, called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc) by scientists, would bring catastrophic climate impacts. Amoc was already known to be at its weakest in 1,600 years owing to global heating and researchers spotted warning signs of a tipping point in 2021. The new analysis estimates a timescale for the collapse of between 2025 and 2095,…

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Antarctic sea ice in shockingly sharp decline

Antarctic sea ice in shockingly sharp decline

ABC News (Au) reports: This winter has confirmed what scientists had feared — the sea ice around Antarctica is in sharp decline, with experts now concerned it may not recover. Earlier this year, scientists observed an all-time low in the amount of sea ice around the icy continent, following all-time lows in 2016, 2017 and 2022. Usually, the ice has been able to recover in winter, when Antarctica is reliably dark and cold. But this year is different. For the…

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When Greenland was green: Ancient soil from beneath a mile of ice offers warnings for the future

When Greenland was green: Ancient soil from beneath a mile of ice offers warnings for the future

Water and sediment pour off the melting margin of the Greenland ice sheet. Jason Edwards/Photodisc via Getty Images By Paul Bierman, University of Vermont and Tammy Rittenour, Utah State University About 400,000 years ago, large parts of Greenland were ice-free. Scrubby tundra basked in the Sun’s rays on the island’s northwest highlands. Evidence suggests that a forest of spruce trees, buzzing with insects, covered the southern part of Greenland. Global sea level was much higher then, between 20 and 40…

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Tree keepers: Where sustaining the forest is a tribal tradition

Tree keepers: Where sustaining the forest is a tribal tradition

Fred Pearce writes: Mike Lohrengel looks up in awe at trees he has known for 30 years. “This is one of the most beautiful places I know. This forest has it all: the most species, the most diversity. Many trees I know individually. Look at this one behind us. It’s got a split way up there. I’ll never forget that tree till I die.” It is a love affair, for sure. But Lohrengel is no tree-hugger, out to preserve a…

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From scorching heat to deadly storms, Europe has no rest from ‘summer of hell’

From scorching heat to deadly storms, Europe has no rest from ‘summer of hell’

Politico reports: Europe is grappling with extreme weather from soaring temperatures in southern Italy to powerful storms in Croatia and Italy, piling pressure on emergency services and residents, and challenging tourists seeking some summer recuperation. Temperatures have consistently topped 40 degrees Celsius this week across southern and eastern European countries, and for some areas like Sicily there remains no respite. The Italian island was baking in 46 degrees Celsius on Saturday, according to the Met Office, with night temperatures of…

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Climate records tumble, leaving Earth in uncharted territory, say scientists

Climate records tumble, leaving Earth in uncharted territory, say scientists

BBC News reports: A series of climate records on temperature, ocean heat, and Antarctic sea ice have alarmed some scientists who say their speed and timing is unprecedented. Dangerous heatwaves in Europe could break further records, the UN says. It is hard to immediately link these events to climate change because weather – and oceans – are so complex. Studies are under way, but scientists already fear some worst-case scenarios are unfolding. “I’m not aware of a similar period when…

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Tipping points: Climate collapse could happen fast

Tipping points: Climate collapse could happen fast

Lois Parshley writes: Ever since some of the earliest projections of climate change were made back in the 1970s, they have been remarkably accurate at predicting the rate at which global temperatures would rise. For decades, climate change has proceeded at roughly the expected pace, says David Armstrong McKay, a climate scientist at the University of Exeter, in England. Its impacts, however, are accelerating—sometimes far faster than expected. For a while, the consequences weren’t easily seen. They certainly are today….

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