A record 36.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are projected to be released into the atmosphere this year, as outlined in the 2023 Global Carbon Budget presented at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP28) held in Dubai. The annual report calculates how much greenhouse gas can be produced through human activity to keep below specified global warming trajectories, set in the Paris Agreement that was adopted in 2015. The report states that while many countries are reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions – 26 over the past year – progress is not on a fast e ..read more

A record 36.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are projected to be released into the atmosphere this year, as outlined in the 2023 Global Carbon Budget presented at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP28) held in Dubai. The annual report calculates how much greenhouse gas can be produced through human activity to keep below specified global warming trajectories, set in the Paris Agreement that was adopted in 2015. The report states that while many countries are reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions – 26 over the past year – progress is not on a fast e ..read more

Even the most remote place on Earth is beginning to crumble as the planet’s warming woes continue. When British Antarctic survey scientist Peter Fretwell spoke at the SCAR biology symposium in Christchurch, New Zealand, in July–August 2023, his words drew gasps of despair that later rippled around the world. SCAR – the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research – represents scientists working on research involving Earth’s great frozen southern continent. The Christchurch gathering was their first face-to-face conference since the COVID pandemic began. Peter, a cartographer renowned for mo ..read more

Nations will convene in Dubai next week in the full knowledge efforts to limit climate change are failing dismally. The latest United Nations report on the emissions gap warns the world is hurtling towards 2.5 to 2.9C of warming. That’s far beyond the Paris climate pact’s targets of 1.5 to 2C – targets meant to shield humanity from the worst effects of a warming world. Experts say the honeymoon is over after Labor’s election win 18 months ago, and the Australian government can expect serious scrutiny at the COP28 climate summit when it begins on Thursday. University of Queensland economics pro ..read more

What can a seal teach us about the deep ocean? A lot, it seems, especially if it’s wearing satellite-linked devices that resemble a natty little hat. “Deep-diving seals like Weddell and elephant seals provide us with a wealth of information on the structure of the ocean floor,” says Dr Clive McMahon, lead author of the new study published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment. Based at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), Clive leads the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) Animal Tagging sub-Facility. He also leads the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence i ..read more

World-class polar explorer and one of Australia’s most celebrated adventurers, Dr Geoff Wilson, will embark on his latest adventure: Project Zero. Joining him is his son, 22-year old Kitale, a filmmaker with adventure in his DNA. Geoff is an Australian Geographic Society Lifetime of Adventure awardee – honouring his six world records for expeditions across gruelling environments from snow to sand. Geoff says Project Zero is a “father and son’s journey to Antarctica and the far reaches of the globe to dispel the mis-truths of climate change”. Kitale and Geoff Wilson are embarking on a two-year ..read more

Biodiversity matters. We rely on nature for healthy food, clean air and water. Roughly half of the global economy depends on natural systems. But Australia is losing biodiversity at a cracking pace. Over the past 200 years, a species has become extinct every second year on average. This includes one in ten of Australia’s mammal species. Thousands of species that were once common and widespread are now rare. Halting and reversing species loss requires the support of the whole community. So we wanted to find out what Australians think about these issues and the potential solutions. We found most ..read more

An article published this week in the journal Nature Sustainability warns that, if Earth remains on its current trajectory of warming, a huge swathe of northern Australia, including our northern capital Darwin, will become exposed to extreme heat. The research, undertaken by a team from the UK, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and the US, looked at the cost of climate change in ethical terms. It found that the area of our planet where it’s neither too cold nor too hot for humans to live – known as the “human climate niche” – is already shrinking fast.  And that suggests t ..read more

A life-sustaining circulatory system for the deep ocean will quickly slow and may collapse entirely without emissions cuts this decade, Australian experts say. Australian scientists have made dire projections about what Antarctica’s melting ice will do to global ocean health without rapid emissions cuts this decade. Most people know fossil fuel use is warming the planet, melting polar ice caps and pushing up sea levels. But ice loss is also disrupting water circulation in the deepest parts of the ocean. Now, new modelling is pointing to a dramatic slowdown – and the possible collapse ..read more

The IPCC is the world’s official body for assessment of climate change. The panel has just released its Synthesis Report, capping off seven years of in-depth assessments on various topics. The report draws out the key insights from six previous reports, written by hundreds of expert authors. They spanned many thousands of pages and were informed by hundreds of thousands of comments by governments and the scientific community. Report authors consult each other before responding to comments from the floor, on 17 March 2023. Image credit: IISD/ENB The synthesis report confirms humans are unequivo ..read more