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Melting Permafrost Releases Greenhouse Gases, Intensifying Climate Change Risks

Melting Permafrost Releases Greenhouse Gases, Intensifying Climate Change Risks

Rising global temperatures are causing permafrost in Arctic and high-mountain regions to thaw, leading to the release of significant amounts of organic carbon stored within the frozen ground. This organic carbon, when exposed to microorganisms after thawing, breaks down and releases greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide and methane, into the atmosphere. This process creates a feedback loop where increased greenhouse gas emissions contribute to further warming, which in turn accelerates permafrost thaw. The hazards of melting permafrost extend beyond atmospheric changes, causing ground collapse, landslides, and coastal erosion, which destabilize infrastructure and disrupt ecosystems. Examples include the expanding Batagaika Crater in Siberia and major landslides in northeastern Siberia, demonstrating how permafrost degradation reshapes landscapes and exposes ancient carbon.

The world's largest oat milk producer has joined an unusual climate journalism campaign

The world's largest oat milk producer has joined an unusual climate journalism campaign

The world’s largest producer of oat milk, Oatly, is pushing its customers and their governments to act on climate change, in a new milk carton campaign that's taking off in Europe and is expected in the United States within the next few months

Scientists Warn of Underestimated Global Warming Due to Natural Feedback Loops

Scientists Warn of Underestimated Global Warming Due to Natural Feedback Loops

A new study published in Environmental Research Letters reveals that natural systems could amplify global warming by 20 to 30% over the 21st century, a factor largely missing from current climate models and policy decisions. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that the planet is on track to exceed the critical 1.5°C global warming threshold in the coming years, leading to increased risks such as deadly heatwaves, floods, and crop failures. While human activities like deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions are the primary drivers of climate change, this research highlights the significant, often overlooked, contribution of naturally induced greenhouse gas emissions triggered by warming itself. Examples include increased wildfires, thawing permafrost releasing ancient carbon, and warming wetlands and lakes emitting more methane. These natural feedback loops are already occurring and are expected to become more significant as global temperatures rise.

Carbon Impacts Tracer Tool Holds Fossil Fuel Projects Accountable for Environmental Damage

Carbon Impacts Tracer Tool Holds Fossil Fuel Projects Accountable for Environmental Damage

A new tool called the Carbon Impacts Tracer has been developed to estimate the environmental damage caused by individual fossil fuel projects. This tool allows for the quantification of a project's carbon dioxide emissions and their subsequent contribution to global warming. By linking emissions to temperature increases, the tracer can then estimate specific consequences such as melting glaciers, heat-related deaths, and coral reef damage. This development aims to provide a clearer understanding of the human and environmental costs associated with new fossil fuel initiatives, challenging the argument often made by companies and governments that individual projects have only a minimal impact on global emissions. The tool uses scientific research to calculate expected carbon dioxide production, estimate the resulting temperature increase, and then assess the damage caused by that additional warming. Currently, it can cover impacts related to unfamiliar levels of heat, heat-related deaths, crop loss, melting ...

University of Washington Research Links Past Fossil Fuel Emissions to Decades of Future Climate Disasters

University of Washington Research Links Past Fossil Fuel Emissions to Decades of Future Climate Disasters

A new study from the University of Washington reveals that carbon dioxide emissions from the world’s 178 largest oil, gas, coal, and cement producers will continue to warm the planet for decades, increasing the probability of future extreme weather events. Published in PLOS Climate, the research indicates that even if global greenhouse gas output ceased immediately, the atmosphere would retain enough carbon dioxide to keep Earth’s temperature approximately 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Dargan Frierson, an associate professor of atmospheric and climate science at the University of Washington, emphasized that a stable future requires an end to fossil fuel burning. Researchers used the Finite Amplitude Impulse Response (FaIR) climate model to simulate global temperatures through the year 2500, isolating the influence of emissions generated by major producers through 2024. The study highlights a persistent accountability gap, showing that the warming attributable to these legacy emissions rem...

Federal Study Warns Donlin Gold Mine Dam Failure Poses Risk to Lives and Fish Habitat in Alaska

Federal Study Warns Donlin Gold Mine Dam Failure Poses Risk to Lives and Fish Habitat in Alaska

A new analysis by federal regulators indicates that a major dam failure at the proposed Donlin Gold mine in rural Western Alaska could lead to catastrophic flooding, rendering one village uninhabitable, contaminating drinking water, and causing lasting damage to fish habitats. This hypothetical disaster is detailed in a draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Donlin Gold mine. The SEIS, mandated by a 2024 court order, evaluates potential outcomes from dam breaches releasing 5.4%, 13.3%, and 27% of the total tailings volume. The previous 2018 study by the Corps had understated the risks, analyzing only a 0.5% release. Mine opponents, including the Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition, argue that even the 27% scenario is insufficient and that a full spill analysis is necessary.

Past Emissions from Major Carbon Producers to Drive Decades of Continued Global Warming, Study Finds

Past Emissions from Major Carbon Producers to Drive Decades of Continued Global Warming, Study Finds

A new study from the University of Washington reveals that past emissions from the top 178 oil, gas, coal, and cement producers, referred to as 'carbon majors,' will continue to impact the environment and increase the likelihood of extreme weather events for decades. Even if greenhouse gas emissions were to cease immediately, the Earth is projected to remain approximately 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial temperatures. Dargan Frierson, a UW associate professor of atmospheric and climate science, states that continued warming is expected until fossil fuel emissions are completely halted, emphasizing that a stable future requires no fossil fuels to be burned at all. The research utilized the Finite Amplitude Impulse Response (FaIR) model to simulate global climate through 2500 under various emissions scenarios. The study highlights that carbon majors have released over a trillion tons of carbon dioxide, a significant portion of which will persist in the atmosphere, trapping heat for millennia. This per...

China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development Emphasizes Global Collaboration for Green Transition

China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development Emphasizes Global Collaboration for Green Transition

The China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), an international high-level policy advisory body, is emphasizing the critical role of cooperation in driving a global shift towards clean energy and addressing environmental challenges. Huang Runqiu, Chinese executive vice-chairperson for CCICED and China's minister of ecology and environment, highlighted the deepening triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution, which pose severe challenges to sustainable human development. He noted the growing global aspiration for advancing green transition. Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, underscored that addressing climate change is both a moral imperative and an economic and strategic necessity. He pointed out Canada's progress in clean electricity grids, methane reduction, and nature conservation, and stated that CCICED's recommendations have significantly contributed to China's green transition. The cou...

Residents near Maui wildfires show elevated metals linked to impacted lung health, study says

Residents near Maui wildfires show elevated metals linked to impacted lung health, study says

A new study finds that metal mixtures found in smoke, ash and debris after the 2023 Maui wildfires affected human lung health

Swiss glaciers lose over 5% of ice volume in 2026 as heat waves, low winter snow accelerate thaw

Swiss glaciers lose over 5% of ice volume in 2026 as heat waves, low winter snow accelerate thaw

Experts report that glaciers in Switzerland have lost 5.5% of their ice volume this year due to heat waves and low winter snowfall

Trump's US, Greenland deal changes less than it seems | Opinion

Trump's US, Greenland deal changes less than it seems | Opinion

President Trump's new U.S., Denmark, Greenland agreement adds bases and blocks Russia and China. But Copenhagen was offering much of it already.

Denmark, at UN, says Greenland pact benefits all parties involved

Denmark, at UN, says Greenland pact benefits all parties involved

The security agreement signed by the U_S_, Denmark and Greenland last week “strengthens the defense of Greenland, the NATO area, and the American continent."