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Climate
‘Moving to the mountaintops’: rising seas displace tens of thousands in Papua New Guinea
Gulf province councillor says growing numbers are leaving, in what climate activist describes as a ‘humanitarian crisis’
Two years ago fisher Siri James lived on the southern coast of Papua New Guinea, in a small village near Pariva beach. But as the tides continued to rise, James was forced to move further in from the shore.
“It’s not easy moving inland, I was born and raised by the seas, I am a fisherman. I know the flow of tides and currents, I know when the wind will come strongly and when it will rain – but now I don’t understand why everything is changing,” says James, who is in his early 40s.
Continue reading...What If Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan Lived In This Alternate Timeline?
Ecuador optó por la energía hidroeléctrica. Luego los ríos se quedaron sin agua
Essex county council sends 95% of non-recycled waste to landfill, data reveals
Seven local authorities in England have waste figures highlighted as government launches circular economy measures
New government data published on Monday showed that 95% of non-recycled waste in Essex is sent to landfill, as ministers launched their plans for a circular economy.
The data revealed that seven local authorities in England reported sending more than 40% of their residual waste to landfill in 2022 to 2023, with Essex county council at the top of the list.
Continue reading...All the 1 January changes coming to Australia in 2025: Centrelink increases, import bans and pay rises
Bigger Austudy and carer allowance payments, higher Medicare safety net thresholds and mandatory corporate reporting on climate also ahead
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With the new year comes new policies, laws, taxes and reforms. Here’s everything to know about changes on 1 January, 2025 that could affect you.
Continue reading...This New Year, Resolve to Green Up Your News Feed
Hydropower Was Ecuador’s Answer to Climate Change. Until the Drought Hit.
World endures 'decade of deadly heat' as 2024 caps hottest years on record
UN secretary general, António Guterres, says ‘we must exit this road to ruin’ in annual new year message
The world has endured a “decade of deadly heat”, with 2024 capping 10 years of unprecedented temperatures, the UN has said.
Delivering his annual new year message, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, said the 10 hottest years on record had happened in the past decade, including 2024.
Continue reading...These 10 Charts Will Help You Understand 2024
2024’s most costly climate disasters killed 2,000 people and caused $229bn in damages, data shows
Analysis of insurance payouts by Christian Aid reveals three-quarters of financial destruction occurred in US
The world’s 10 most costly climate disasters of 2024 caused $229bn in damages and killed 2,000 people, the latest annual analysis of insurance payouts has revealed.
Three-quarters of the financial destruction occurred in the world’s biggest economy, the US, where climate denier Donald Trump will become president next month.
Continue reading...From climate denial to gothic movies to ‘treat culture’ … what to expect in 2025
The new US president will almost certainly bring unpredictability but several themes will dominate the year ahead. Observer writers offer their guide on what lies ahead in politics, film, fashion, sport and more
The only thing that can be predicted with absolute certainty about Donald Trump’s second term as US president is that it will be unpredictable. Trump does not really know what he wants to do on a range of issues. He talks a good game, which is how he got re-elected. But he often seems to decide policy on the basis of what the last person he spoke to told him. Is he serious about mobilising the military to carry out mass deportations of “illegal” migrants? Will he use the justice department to hunt down political enemies and media critics? Will he impose sweeping tariffs on foreign imports and trigger a global trade war? Or will he act with greater circumspection, using these threats as bargaining tools? Who knows? He doesn’t yet.
Continue reading...Chris Riddell on what little cheer lies ahead for 2025 – cartoon
Genocide, climate crisis, global recession, Nigel Farage, AI… and the return of President Donald Trump
Continue reading...I Won’t Feel Good About Flying Until the Airlines Solve This
‘They’re stuck’: Cape Cod seeing more whale, turtle and dolphin strandings
Changing tides have led to an increase of beached marine life, whom rescuers scramble to save before they die
While Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is known as a popular vacation destination in the north-east US, it has built a reputation for an entirely different reason this year: animal strandings.
Dolphins, whales, sea lions and turtles are turning up in large numbers on the beaches of the famous peninsula in a phenomenon that has experts scrambling to execute more rescue operations than ever before. The cause? Changing tides.
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‘We need dramatic social and technological changes’: is societal collapse inevitable?
Academic Danilo Brozović says studies of failed civilisations all point in one direction – today’s society needs radical transformation to survive
For someone who has examined 361 studies and 73 books on societal collapses, Danilo Brozović’s conclusion on what must happen to avoid today’s world imploding is both disarmingly simple and a daunting challenge: “We need dramatic social and technological changes.”
The collapse of past civilisations, from the mighty Mayan empire to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), has long fascinated people and for obvious reasons – how stable is our own society? Does ever-growing complexity in societies or human hubris inevitably lead to oblivion? In the face of the climate crisis, rampant destruction of the natural world, rising geopolitical tensions and more, the question is more urgent than ever.
Continue reading...7 People (and One Coyote) Who Made New York City a Better Place in 2024
The week around the world in 20 pictures
Russian airstrikes on Christmas Day, the aftermath of the fall of Assad, remembering the Indian Ocean tsunami and a Boxing Day swim in Scotland: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists
• Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing
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