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How to Turn Climate Into a Working-Class Issue Under Trump
Male mosquitoes to be genetically engineered to poison females with semen in Australian research
Approach could be used to limit outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, which results in 390m cases annually worldwide
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Toxic male mosquitoes will poison females with their semen in a new population control method developed by Australian researchers.
The method involves genetically engineering males to produce spider and sea anemone venom proteins, which they inject into females during mating, reducing their lifespan.
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Continue reading...‘Forever Chemicals’ Reach Tap Water via Treated Sewage, Study Finds
Biden Bans New Oil and Gas Drilling Along Most U.S. Coasts
Biden bans new drilling in US coastal waters weeks before Trump handover
Ban includes entire Atlantic coast, eastern Gulf of Mexico, Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington, and part of Bering Sea
Joe Biden has banned offshore drilling across an immense area of coastal waters, weeks before Donald Trump takes office pledging to massively increase fossil fuel production.
The US president’s ban encompasses the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington, and a section of the Bering Sea off Alaska.
Continue reading...‘He was prescient’: Jimmy Carter, the environment and the road not taken
The ex-president was a pioneer on renewable energy and land conservation but his 1980 defeat was a ‘fork in the road’
When a group of dignitaries and journalists made a rare foray to the roof of the White House, Jimmy Carter had something to show them: 32 solar water-heating panels.
“A generation from now,” the US president declared, “this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.”
Continue reading...Climate crisis ‘wreaking havoc’ on Earth’s water cycle, report finds
Global heating is supercharging storms, floods and droughts, affecting entire ecosystems and billions of people
The climate crisis is “wreaking havoc” on the planet’s water cycle, with ferocious floods and crippling droughts affecting billions of people, a report has found.
Water is people’s most vital natural resource but global heating is changing the way water moves around the Earth. The analysis of water disasters in 2024, which was the hottest year on record, found they had killed at least 8,700 people, driven 40 million from their homes and caused economic damage of more than $550bn (£445bn).
Continue reading...Ripe for the picking? Irish wine on the up – but ‘nobody will retire rich’
Global heating has made conditions more favourable for growing grapes – and finding the right variety is key
Heard the one about Irish wine? Like its English counterpart, it is no longer a joke, with more than a dozen vineyards now producing bottles to emulate those of the terroirs of France, Spain and Italy.
At about €60 (£50) a bottle and produced in small quantities, it is far from a commercial activity, but efforts over the last 10 years have produced what one retailer described as an “arguably very fine” rosé.
Continue reading...‘It’s not just alerts, it’s a state of mind’: How a wildfire monitoring app became essential in the US west
Watch Duty – which began in California and has expanded across 14 states – alerted the public to more than 9,000 wildfires in 2024
Cristy Thomas began to panic as she called 911 for the second time on a warm October day but couldn’t get through. She anxiously watched the plume of black smoke pouring over her rural community in central California get larger.
Then she heard a familiar ping.
Continue reading...From Trump tariffs to AI: the big economic questions facing governments in 2025
The main issues confronting policymakers around the world seem particularly portentous this new year
January is always a time for new beginnings and fresh thinking. But with Donald Trump heading for the White House and a new(ish) Labour government in charge of a faltering UK economy, the onset of 2025 seems especially portentous.
Forecasting is a mug’s game, as former Bank of England governor Mervyn King used to say about predicting exchange rates; but here are some of the big economic questions to ponder, as the new year gets under way:
Continue reading...Is America Just Going to Abandon Its Towns Falling Into the Ocean?
‘Ironic’: climate-driven sea level rise will overwhelm major oil ports, study shows
Ports including in Saudi Arabia and the US projected to be seriously damaged by a metre of sea level rise
Rising sea levels driven by the climate crisis will overwhelm many of the world’s biggest oil ports, analysis indicates.
Scientists said the threat was ironic as fossil fuel burning causes global heating. They said reducing emissions by moving to renewable energy would halt global heating and deliver more reliable energy.
Continue reading...House Republicans Pledge Drilling and Make It Easier to Shed Federal Land
The week around the world in 20 pictures
The New Orleans truck attack, hunger in Khan Younis, the plane crash in Seoul and new year’s celebrations: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists
• Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing
Continue reading...‘A look into the future’: TV drama about Danish climate refugees divides opinion
Families Like Ours has become national talking point but some scientists say events depicted could not happen
Featuring scenes of huge crowds boarding ferries, protest and desperation as six million Danes become climate refugees and life as they know it rapidly collapses, the new TV series by the Oscar-winning director Thomas Vinterberg is a potential “look into the future”, he says.
Familier som vores (Families Like Ours) – a drama which depicts a flooded Denmark shut down and evacuated – has been viewed nearly 1m times and become a national talking point. At its premiere at the Venice international film festival, it evoked tears, shouts and a standing ovation, with one critic describing it as “grimly prophetic”.
Continue reading...After Fierce Lobbying, Treasury Sets Rules for Billions in Hydrogen Subsidies
Is pistachio the new pumpkin spice? Why production of the nut is booming in California
The trendy green nut is drought-resistant and sustainable – making it appealing to farmers and consumers alike
Pistachios have long polarized the world’s taste buds – the flavor is bold, nothing like the subtlety of an almond or a walnut. You either love them or hate them.
But one side of the pistachio debate appears to be reigning supreme. Pistachios were named nut of the year in 2023, unsurprising to anyone who had an eye on pop culture. Pistachio is now a popular flavor of latte. Pistachio butter and cream became food trends on social media. Vibrant pistachio green even made several appearances on the runway, with fashion designers being inspired by the unique, earthy hue.
Continue reading...El Canal de Panamá tiene un gran problema, pero no es China ni Trump
Weatherwatch: The need to wake up to sea level rise in the UK
Policymakers and insurers act as if Britain’s coastlines are fixed, but the waters are advancing faster than before
The increasing speed of sea level rise hardly seems to register with policymakers in Britain – even though with the UK weather getting more violent, destructive storm surges are increasingly likely. The future looks bleak for properties on fast-eroding cliffs and large areas of rich agricultural land on the east coast, already at or even below sea level.
The evidence that things are rapidly getting worse is clear. Sea levels have risen 24cm (9in) (7ft 3in) since 1880 but the rise has accelerated from an average of 1.4mm a year in the 20th century to 3.6mm annually by 2015. Previous conservative estimates of sea level rise of 60cm by the end of this century now look very optimistic and on current emission levels will be 2.2 metres by 2100 and 3.9 metres 50 years after that.
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