At this time of year, as the sun rises over Antarctica, a “hole” opens up in Earth’s ozone layer. But the hole will continue to open each year for…Continue readingThe ozone hole above Antarctica will keep opening up each spring for decades to come: Why that still matters
Tag: emissions
Passenger traffic at European airports reached pre-Covid levels in the first half of this year, according to industry data, driven by a rise in leisure and family travel. “Flight…Continue reading‘Flight shame is dead’: concern grows over climate impact of tourism boom
Eni has started gas production from the Argo Cassiopea field, the most important gas development project in Italy. The gas, coming from one of the four subsea wells drilled…Continue readingEni starts gas production from Argo Cassiopea field in Strait of Sicily
The time has come to accept that climate policy has failed, and that the 2015 landmark Paris agreement is dead. We let it die by pretending that we could…Continue readingThe overshoot myth: you can’t keep burning fossil fuels and expect scientists of the future to get us back to 1.5°C
Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of fossil fuels. While this coal and gas is burned beyond our borders, the climate-warming carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions affect us…Continue readingDug up in Australia, burned around the world—exporting fossil fuels undermines climate targets
The study found that compact cities, characterized by high density, mixed land use, and efficient public transportation, produce significantly lower carbon emissions. “Contrary to what we might initially think,…Continue readingResearchers highlight the carbon-saving potential of compact cities
US oil and gas facilities are pumping out four times more planet-warming methane gas than estimated by regulators. Data published by the Environmental Defense Fund on Wednesday estimates leaks,…Continue readingUS emissions of planet-warming gas far exceed estimates
Global emissions of methane, a powerful planet-heating gas, are “rising rapidly” at the fastest rate in decades, requiring immediate action to help avert a dangerous escalation in the climate…Continue readingGlobal methane emissions rising at fastest rate in decades
A proposal to create Germany’s biggest motorway has sparked a backlash, with critics fearful the “monstrosity” will increase climate-damaging emissions, worsen noise pollution and harm biodiverse habitats. The recommendation…Continue readingHighway to hell? Plan for Germany’s biggest motorway sparks anger
May 2024 was the warmest May on the books, marking a full year of record-high monthly temperatures, NASA scientists found. Average global temperatures for the past 12 months hit…Continue readingNASA analysis confirms a year of monthly temperature records
The world faces a “staggering” surplus of oil equating to millions of barrels a day by the end of the decade, as oil companies increase production the International Energy…Continue readingWorld faces ‘staggering’ oil glut by end of decade, energy watchdog warns
Some of the world’s most profitable – and most polluting corporations – have invested in carbon offset projects that have fundamental failings and are “probably junk”, suggesting industry claims…Continue readingCorporations invested in carbon offsets that were ‘likely junk’, analysis says
In announcing Australia’s support for fossil gas all the way to 2050 and beyond, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pushed his government’s commitment to net zero even further out…Continue readingSleight of hand: Australia’s Net Zero target is being lost in accounting tricks, offsets and more gas
Climate campaigners have accused Scottish ministers of being “inept” and “short-termist” after they scrapped Scotland’s target to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030. Màiri McAllan, the Scottish net…Continue reading‘Reprehensible retreat’: fury as Scottish ministers scrap carbon emissions pledge
A report by Global Energy Monitor found that coal power capacity grew by 2% last year, driven by an increase in new coal plants across China and a slowdown…Continue readingWorld’s coal power capacity rises despite climate warnings
On 18 March, 2022, scientists at the Concordia research station on the east Antarctic plateau documented a remarkable event. They recorded the largest jump in temperature ever measured at…Continue reading‘Simply mind-boggling’: world record temperature jump in Antarctic raises fears of catastrophe
Australia’s main carbon offsets method is a failure on a global scale and doing little if anything to help address the climate crisis. Research by 11 academics found the…Continue readingAustralia’s carbon credits system a failure on global scale
Pointing to the still paltry share of renewable energy in global supply, the head of Saudi Aramco described the current energy transition strategy as a misguided failure. “In the…Continue readingSaudi Aramco CEO calls energy transition strategy a failure
The data supplied to the UNFCCC, and published on its website, are typically out of date, inconsistent, and incomplete. For most countries, “I would not put much value, if…Continue readingNations Are Undercounting Emissions, Putting UN Goals at Risk
Big Oil used an industry conference this week to argue against a rapid transition to green energy, as fossil fuel companies are emboldened by high demand and record profits…Continue readingOil executives talk down rapid shift to green energy as profits boom
Six leading international datasets used for monitoring global temperatures and consolidated by WMO show that the annual average global temperature was 1.45 ± 0.12 °C above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900)…Continue readingWMO confirms that 2023 smashes global temperature record
Planet-heating methane released by the fossil fuel industry rose to near record highs in 2023 despite technology available to curb this pollution at virtually no cost, the International Energy…Continue readingMethane emissions from energy sector rose in 2023: IEA
Three people have been charged after climate activist Deanna “Violet” Coco and others allegedly used a truck to cause traffic chaos on Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge. Extinction Rebellion members…Continue readingThree charged after climate activist Deanna ‘Violet’ Coco and others block traffic on Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge
The world is off track to meet its climate goals and the public is to blame, Darren Woods, chief executive of oil giant ExxonMobil, has claimed. As the world’s…Continue readingFury after Exxon chief says public to blame for climate failures
Energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rose to a record level in 2023. CO2 emissions from energy rose by 1.1% in 2023, increasing by 410 million tonnes to a record…Continue readingEnergy-related carbon dioxide emissions hit record levels in 2023: IEA
Scientists analysed 300 years of ocean temperature records from marine sponges and discovered global warming has increased by 0.5˚C more than was previously estimated. In the study, published in…Continue readingMarine sponges reveal global warming has already exceeded 1.5 degrees
Limiting average global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels has been the gold standard for climate action since at least the 2015 Paris…Continue readingNew study says the world blew past 1.5˚C four years ago
The president of the COP28 climate summit will continue with his oil company’s record investment in oil and gas production, despite coordinating a global deal to “transition away” from fossil fuels.…Continue readingCOP28 president says his firm will keep investing in oil
A climate activist has been jailed for six months after pleading guilty to taking part in a peaceful slow march protest on a London road. The sentence handed to…Continue readingJust Stop Oil activist jailed for six months for taking part in slow march
Global consumption of coal reached an all-time high in 2023, the IEA energy watchdog said Friday, as Earth experienced its hottest recorded year. The International Energy Agency reported that…Continue readingCoal use hits record in 2023, Earth’s hottest year
Climate agreement may fail to result in falls in oil and gas production. The world’s largest oil producers have saluted the COP28 agreement’s focus on an “orderly” move away…Continue readingBig oil welcomes COP28 call to move away from fossil fuels in ‘orderly’ way
Australia passed breakthrough climate laws in March this year, 10 months after a new centre-left Labor government under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took office. Even as the Albanese government…Continue readingAustralia is preparing to burn – more fossil fuels
Nearly 200 nations meeting in Dubai on Wednesday approved a first-ever call for the world to transition away from fossil fuels. The biggest-ever COP meeting hosted more than 88,000…Continue readingDubai summit adopts world-first ‘transition’ from fossil fuels
New analysis finds the last time the air contained 420 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide was between 14-16 million years ago, when there was no ice in…Continue readingCurrent carbon dioxide levels last seen 14 million years ago
Rishi Sunak, David Cameron and King Charles are just three of the more than 70,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries at the latest UN climate summit in Dubai, COP28.…Continue readingWhy are people still flying to climate conferences by private jet?
The COP28 climate talks have been flooded with announcements hyping controversial carbon credits before rules for them have been hammered out, with environmental groups fearing “greenwashing” on a massive…Continue readingControversial carbon credits flood COP28, yet still no rules
Many of the gravest threats to humanity are drawing closer, as carbon pollution heats the planet to ever more dangerous levels, scientists have warned. Five important natural thresholds already…Continue readingEarth on verge of five catastrophic climate tipping points, scientists warn
Saudi Arabia is driving a huge global investment plan to create demand for its oil and gas in developing countries, an undercover investigation has revealed. Critics said the plan…Continue readingRevealed: Saudi Arabia’s grand plan to ‘hook’ poor countries on oil
Saudi Arabia’s energy minister has slammed the door shut to agreeing to phase down fossil fuels at the UN’s COP28 climate talks, setting the stage for difficult negotiations in…Continue readingSaudi Arabia says ‘absolutely not’ to oil phase down at COP28
The world is on track to have burned more coal, oil and gas in 2023 than it did in 2022, according to a report by the Global Carbon Project,…Continue readingGlobal carbon emissions from fossil fuels to hit record high
The president of COP28, Sultan Al Jaber, has claimed there is “no science” indicating that a phase-out of fossil fuels is needed to restrict global heating to 1.5˚C, the…Continue readingCOP28 president says there is ‘no science’ behind demands for phase-out of fossil fuels
Total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020 were 54.5GtCO2e, and grew to 57.4 in 2022. The emissions gap for 2030 is defined as the differencebetween the estimated total…Continue readingEmissions Gap Report 2023
Germany’s finance minister, withdrew his party’s support for a crucial agreement between the governing parties to phase out the nation’s coal-burning power plants by 2030. “Until it is clear…Continue readingShifting Political Winds Threaten Progress on Europe’s Green Goals
Germany’s top court has ruled the government broke the law with a €60bn off-budget fund, throwing Berlin’s plans for financing its energy transition and climate policy into disarray. The…Continue readingGerman top court strikes down €60bn climate funding
According to a new paper by scientists from a dozen institutions, the world’s average temperature will surpass 1.5°C above preindustrial times within the next several years—much faster than most…Continue readingWorld temperatures will blow past Paris goals this decade
The world’s fossil fuel producers are planning expansions that would blow the planet’s carbon budget twice over, a UN report has found. Experts called the plans “insanity” which “throw…Continue reading‘Insanity’: petrostates planning huge expansion of fossil fuels
The remaining budget for a reliable chance (83%) of not exceeding 1.5˚C global warming has been expended – After making all these changes, our best (50%) RCB estimate starting…Continue readingRemaining Carbon Budget
Plastics-related carbon footprints of China’s transportation, Indonesia’s electronics industry and India’s construction sector have increased more than 50-fold since 1995. In 2015, plastics caused 4.5% of global greenhouse gas…Continue readingGrowing environmental footprint of plastics driven by coal combustion
Most coastal communities will encounter 100-year floods annually by the end of the century, even under a moderate scenario where carbon dioxide emissions peak by 2040, a new study…Continue readingCentury’s end may bring annual 100-year floods
Two women climbed in the dark down the banks of the Greenbrier River in West Virginia on Thursday morning and locked themselves to a massive drill, stopping work on…Continue readingUS climate scientist risks felony by chaining herself to pipeline drill
Greenhouse gas concentrations, global sea level and ocean heat content reached record highs in 2022, according to the 33rd annual State of the Climate report. “People are causing the…Continue readingInternational report confirms record-high greenhouse gases, global sea levels in 2022
The pace at which the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has jumped three-fold in five decades. Annual growth in global mean carbon dioxide averaged across the last decade…Continue readingPace of increase in CO₂ concentration has increased three-fold
China is approving new coal power projects at the equivalent of two plants every week. In 2022 the government approved a record-breaking 106 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power…Continue readingChina continues coal spree despite climate goals
U.S. oil production — already the highest in the world — is on track to set a new record this year, and will probably rise even more in 2024.…Continue readingThe U.S. is pumping oil faster than ever. Republicans don’t care.
The “crazy” extreme weather rampaging around the globe in 2023 will become the norm within a decade without dramatic climate action, the world’s leading climate scientists have said. The…Continue readingDramatic climate action needed to curtail ‘crazy’ extreme weather
Demand reached an all-time high of 103mn barrels a day in June driven by better than expected economic growth in OECD countries, strong summer air travel and surging oil…Continue readingGlobal oil demand hits record and may move higher, says International Energy Agency
EasyJet’s strong third-quarter financial performance, which beat analysts’ expectations, was boosted by a 22 per cent rise in ticket yields year on year, as passengers continue to pay high…Continue readingEasyJet predicts record summer profits as travel boom continues
The world is shifting towards a superheated climate not seen in the past 1m years, prior to human existence, because “we are damned fools” for not acting upon warnings…Continue reading‘We are damned fools’: scientist who sounded climate alarm in 80s warns of worse to come
Carbon emissions from China are growing faster now than before COVID-19 struck, data show, dashing hopes the pandemic may have put the world’s most polluting nation on a new…Continue readingChina is pumping out carbon emissions as if COVID never happened. That’s bad news for the climate crisis
The sea is becoming greener due to changes in plankton populations, analysis of Nasa images finds. When comparing these changes in colour with those hypothesised from a computer model…Continue readingWorld’s oceans changing colour due to climate breakdown, study suggests
Soaring greenhouse gases, ubiquitous microplastics, pervasive “forever chemicals”, the global upheaval of animals, even old mobile phones and chicken bones—all have been put forward as evidence that the world…Continue readingSigns of the human era, from nuclear fallout to microplastics
“The world just had the hottest week on record, according to preliminary data,” the WMO said in a statement, after climate change and the early stages of the El…Continue readingLast week the hottest worldwide on record: UN
Scientists say human activity has so fundamentally altered the geology, atmosphere and biology of the earth that it has entered a new geologic epoch known as the Anthropocene. On…Continue readingEvidence in Canada lake indicates start of new Anthropocene epoch
UN secretary-general António Guterres attacked oil and gas industry attempts to justify fossil fuel expansion with carbon capture technology as “proposals to become more efficient planet wreckers”, in a…Continue readingUN chief attacks oil and gas industry ‘planet wreckers’ over fossil fuel expansion
The global warming effect of leaked hydrogen is almost 12 times stronger than CO2, shows a new study by CICERO, a climate research center, published in Communications Earth &…Continue readingNew study estimates global warming potential of hydrogen
Climate experts criticised the G7 group of advanced economies for failing to commit to tougher action on fossil fuels after Germany and Japan prevailed on the continued use of…Continue readingG7 disappoints on climate progress without deadlines on gas and coal use
There is a paradox at the heart of our changing climate. While the blanket of air close to the Earth’s surface is warming, most of the atmosphere above is…Continue readingThe Upper Atmosphere Is Cooling, Prompting New Climate Concerns
“The human fingerprints in temperature changes in the mid to upper stratosphere due to CO2 increases are truly exceptional because they are so large and so different from temperature…Continue readingAtmospheric research provides clear evidence of human-caused climate change signal associated with CO₂ increases
Communities around the world emitted more carbon dioxide in 2022 than in any other year on records dating to 1900, a result of air travel rebounding from the pandemic…Continue readingCarbon dioxide emissions reached a record high in 2022
Risks are cascading and underestimated, new climate extremes recorded, and the conclusion.Continue readingFaster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 3
2°C degrees is not a point of system stability, we are heading towards 3°C or more, and system-level change and tipping points are happening faster than forecast.Continue readingFaster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 2
Record emissions, the 1.5°C target, what about overshooting 1.5°C and cooling back to that level by 2100?, and the likelihood of achieving the 2°C target.Continue readingFaster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 1
Buildings, industry and transport drive estimated 1.3% increase, in conflict with Paris targets.Continue readingUS greenhouse gas emissions rose again in 2022 despite climate goals
DfT refuses to publish emission figures, which campaigners say could make new road projects unviable.Continue readingUK government blocks release of CO₂ figures behind transport plan
The analysis, by the Global Carbon Project, calculates Earth’s “carbon budget“, which is how much CO₂ humans have released, and how much has been removed from the atmosphere by…Continue readingGlobal carbon emissions at record levels with no signs of shrinking
Before President Biden lambasted oil companies for excess profits and threatened to slap a “windfall tax” on them, several of his top energy advisers privately attempted to woo that…Continue readingBiden courted oil companies before threatening them with windfall tax
The building and construction sector’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions have rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic to an all-time high. The sector accounted for more than 34% of energy…Continue readingClimate change emissions from buildings and construction hit a new high
Passenger traffic reached 74% of pre-pandemic levels in September as people rushed back to travel following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)…Continue readingGlobal air travel rebounds to 74% of pre-pandemic levels
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, stated:Continue readingUN: World is on ‘highway to climate hell’
There is “no credible pathway to 1.5C in place”, the UN’s environment agency has said, and the failure to reduce carbon emissions means the only way to limit the…Continue readingUN: ‘No credible pathway to 1.5˚C in place’
Pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions will lead to global heating of 2.5˚C, a level that would condemn the world to catastrophic climate breakdown, according to the United Nations.…Continue readingUN: Current emissions pledges will lead to catastrophic climate breakdown
Approximately 90 world leaders are attending COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6 to 18, 2022. However, key figureheads from some of the globe’s most polluting States are…Continue readingLeaders of world’s largest emitters a no-show at COP27
ExxonMobil’s Uaru development is targeting approximately 1.319 billion barrels of oil. MODEC has won a contract to undertake engineering and design for a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel…Continue readingMODEC wins contract for FPSO of ExxonMobil’s Uaru oil project
The Ugandan government has secured support from the African, Caribbean, Pacific -European Union (ACP-EU) for proceeding with the East African crude oil pipeline project (EACOP), a 1,443km (896 mile)…Continue readingUganda secures support from ACP-EU for East African crude oil pipeline
The fossil fuel industry is experiencing a remarkable rebound, with sudden momentum behind more than 80 projects that range from coal-fired power plants to hulking gas export terminals, many…Continue readingFossil fuel projects were stalled a year ago. Now they’re making a comeback.
MidOcean Energy, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company formed and managed by EIG, has agreed to acquire the stakes of Tokyo Gas in four integrated LNG projects in Australia…Continue readingMidOcean to acquire Tokyo Gas’ stakes in Australian gas projects for $2.1 billion