About the Anthropocene

The dominant influence on Earth’s climate & environment is human activity fuelled by the world energy system. This has been identified as a new geological…

For Your Phone and EV, a Cobalt Supply Chain to a Hell on Earth

The race for high-tech metals has sparked a cobalt boom in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has come at a steep human cost.…

More than 90% of world’s salt marshes likely to be underwater by 2100, study concludes

Melting Antarctic ice predicted to cause rapid slowdown of deep ocean current by 2050

New research by Australian scientists suggests 40% slowdown in just three decades could alter world’s climate for centuries.

Environmental ‘tragedy’ as fires burn through one-fifth of Northern Territory national park in Australia

More than 100,000 hectares burned in MacDonnell Ranges area, which has been declared a federal priority for threatened species conservation.

Plastics cause wide-ranging health issues from cancer to birth defects, landmark study finds

First analysis of plastics’ hazards over life cycle – from extraction to disposal – also shows ‘deep societal injustices’ of impact.

The squeeze on powering the open road

The proposed US goal to double electricity transmission lines and build a separate electric vehicle charging network while also expanding solar and wind production to…

Deep-sea mining for rare metals will destroy ecosystems, say scientists

Businesses want to trawl for nickel, manganese and cobalt to build electric cars and windfarms.

Petronas partners with Phoenix Petroleum to explore opportunity in the Phillipines

Under the MOU, PETRONAS and Phoenix Petroleum will conduct a joint feasibility study to take the collaboration to the next phase of execution.

At Menindee, NSW, Australia, the lifeblood of the people has turned to bitter sludge

The fight for a healthy Darling-Baaka River is becoming a ‘recurring nightmare’ for the communities that depend on it.

‘Like you’re in a horror movie’: pollution leaves New Zealand wetlands irreversibly damaged

Ecologists say some bodies of water may already have passed the tipping points from which they may never recover.

More than half NSW forests lost since 1750 and logging ‘locking in’ species extinction, study finds

Report says 435,000 hectares have been degraded through logging since 2000, affecting 244 threatened species.

‘Vampiric’ water use leading to ‘imminent’ global crisis, UN warns

“If nothing is done, it will be a business-as-usual scenario—it will keep on being between 40 percent and 50 percent of the population of the…

‘Uncharted territory’: South Sudan’s four years of flooding

Four straight years of flooding, an unprecedented phenomenon linked to climate change, has swamped two-thirds of South Sudan but nowhere more dramatically than Bentiu, a…

Sea ice may soon disappear from the Arctic during the summer months—and it has happened before

Decline of more than 500 species of marine life on Australian reefs ‘the tip of the iceberg’, study finds

Increasing ocean temperatures present ‘existential threat’ with knock-on effects for ecosystems and commercial fisheries, researchers say.

PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina inaugurate India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) today in a virtual mode. The…

Newfoundland and Labrador proceeds with phase II review of current offshore oil and gas interests

“As we look to the province’s future, it is reasonable to look at the assets of the province and determine their potential. That is why…

JGC, Hyundai win downstream FEED contract for Papua LNG project

The Papua LNG project will have an LNG liquefaction capacity of around four million tons per year (Mtpa). It will be built near the existing…

Sempra launches Port Arthur LNG project

Sempra announced that it reached a positive final investment decision (FID) for the development, construction and operation of the Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 project…

Drought caused 43,000 ‘excess deaths’ in Somalia last year, half of them young children

A new report released by the Somalian government suggests that far more children died in the country last year due to the ongoing drought than…

ExxonMobil starts operations at $2bn Beaumont refinery expansion project

Following the expansion through the addition of a third crude unit, the total crude refining processing capacity of the Beaumont refinery in Texas, US has…

Nato and EU chiefs mount show of strength at North Sea gas platform

US set to become world’s largest LNG exporter

Mountain forests are being lost at an accelerating rate, putting biodiversity at risk, warns study

Worryingly, the rate of mountain forest loss seems to be accelerating: the annual rate of loss increased by 50% from 2001–2009 to 2010–2018, when we…

Costs of Trans Mountain expansion project in Canada spiral to $22.5bn

US approves contentious oil drilling project in Alaska

Confirmed: Global floods, droughts worsening with warming

I’ve watched the Murray-Darling for 30 years and I’ve never seen carp numbers like this

Rise in ocean plastic pollution ‘unprecedented’ since 2005

Oil giant Saudi Aramco records historic $161bn profit in 2022

Iconic Nile River Delta faces existential threats, according to new study

To help dry-forests, fire needs to be just the right intensity, and happen more than once

One blaze can’t restore species composition to its historical norm in a forest that evolved amid frequent, low-severity fires, the scientists found. “Landscapes have likely…

TotalEnergies and partners launch FEED for Papua LNG project in PNG

The project partners have decided to move ahead with a concept that calls for the installation of four electrical liquefaction trains with a combined capacity…

Ex-Shell chief Ben van Beurden’s pay jumped to £9.7mn last year

Rise of 53% came as oil group’s profits hit record $40bn in tumultuous year for energy markets. It brings van Beurden’s total compensation from Shell…

Extreme wildfires are turning the world’s largest forest ecosystem from carbon sink into net-emitter

The new study showed a significant increase in emissions from boreal fires over the past two decades. Things were particularly dramatic in 2021, when they…

‘Everyone should be concerned’: Antarctic sea ice reaches lowest levels ever recorded

Indonesia breaks ground on $2.6bn Mentarang Induk hydropower project

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said: “Since the source of energy is green, the products that will be produced later in the Industrial Park Area…

New disease caused by plastics discovered in seabirds

Natural History Museum scientists say plasticosis, which scars digestive tract, likely to affect other types of bird too.

Sea level rise poses particular risk for Asian megacities

The study showed that internal climate variability could increase sea level rise in some locations by 20–30% more than what would result from climate change…

Fighting for their lives: the world’s forests in figures

Rising seas eating away at Honduran fishing village

Carbon dioxide emissions reached a record high in 2022

China ramps up coal plant approvals despite emissions pledge: report

A total of 106 GW of new coal power projects were approved in 2022—the equivalent of two large coal plants per week.

Sea ice in Antarctic at record low: US data center

Satellites observe speed-up of glaciers on the Antarctic peninsula

Study of Yellow River flooding over past 1,000 years shows human activities made flooding worse

Counting the cost of Uganda’s east Africa oil pipeline – in pictures

Oil companies plan to pump crude oil from Lake Albert, Uganda to the coast of neighbouring Tanzania, with the goal of producing 1.4bn barrels over…

All fish tested from Michigan rivers contain ‘forever chemicals’, study finds

Car pollution kills more Australians than crashes, new research finds

The University of Melbourne study estimated that 11,105 people die prematurely from transport emissions, many more than past figures.

Health impact of tyre particles causing ‘increasing concern’, say scientists

Far more tiny particles now come from tyres than are emitted from exhausts.

Ecosystem collapse ‘inevitable’ unless wildlife losses reversed

Scientists studying the Permian-Triassic mass extinction find ecosystems can suddenly tip over.

Alarming toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in animals’ blood – study

Analysis says hundreds of animals are contaminated with dangerous compounds linked to cancer and other health problems.

Revealed: scale of ‘forever chemical’ pollution across UK and Europe

Faster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 3

Faster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 2

Faster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 1

Air India unveils ‘historic’ orders for 470 Boeing, Airbus jets

Scientists warn that many dangerous feedback loops make climate action more urgent

Climate, ice sheets & sea level: the news is not good

Parts of Earth’s ice sheets that could lift global oceans by meters will likely crumble with another half degree Celsius of warming, and are fragile…

Building higher islands could save the Maldives from sea-level rise, says study