Climate Change

Climate Crisis: Greece’s Record Rainfall, Flooding, are part of a Mediterranean trend to more Dangerous Weather

By Ioanna Stamataki, University of Greenwich | – Recent images of the devastating flash floods caused by Storm Daniel in Greece hit close to home literally and figuratively. As a Greek who has completed a PhD and worked for the past eight years on flash floods, the scenes unfolding across my homeland are painfully real: […]

Climate Crisis

Past three Months Hottest on Record, as UN SecGen Warns “Climate Breakdown has begun.”

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The World Meteorological Organization reports the results of a study by the European Union-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which found that the past three months were the hottest 90-day period in recorded history. UN Secretary-General António Guterres responded to the report by saying, “Our planet has just endured a […]

Climate Crisis

How Recycling could solve the Shortage of Minerals essential to Clean Energy

The Conversation

By Serasu Duran, University of Calgary; Atalay Atasu, INSEAD; and Clara Carrera, INSEAD | – (The Conversation) – What do silver, silicon and gallium have in common? These expensive raw materials are essential components of our various solar energy technologies. What about neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium? These rare earth metals are used to build the […]

Climate Crisis

Evidence that Gas and Oil are Bad for Our and the Planet’s Health is Piling Up, but Governments turn a Blind Eye

The Conversation

By Melissa Haswell, University of Sydney; David Shearman, University of Adelaide; Jacob Hegedus, University of Sydney; and Lisa Jackson Pulver, University of Sydney | – (The Conversation) – We are seeing deadly heat and fires circle the world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns we are fast running out of time to secure a […]

Climate Crisis

Climate Crisis: North America’s Summer of wildfire Smoke — 2023 was only the Beginning

The Conversation

By Charles O. Stanier, University of Iowa; Gregory Carmichael, University of Iowa; and Peter S. Thorne, University of Iowa | – Canada’s seemingly endless wildfires in 2023 introduced millions of people across North America to the health hazards of wildfire smoke. While Western states have contended with smoky fire seasons for years, the air quality […]

Climate Crisis

Idalia: DeSantis may not want to “politicize” Climate Change, but Climate Change is determined to Politicize DeSantis

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on being asked about human-caused climate change, said he did not want to “politicize the weather.” Of course, it is not the weather that is at issue but climate, which is long-term and repeated weather patterns. DeSantis ducked the question because Koch Industries and ExxonMobil etc. […]

Afghanistan

Afghanistan is among Top 10 Countries facing Severe Climate Impacts, and Must not be Excluded from Talks: UN

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service ( RFE/ RL ) – A top UN official expressed concerns that Afghanistan has been excluded from global discussions on climate change, despite being among the top 10 countries worldwide facing climate-related issues. Afghanistan has been excluded from the UN’s global climate summit talks since the Taliban takeover in 2021. Roza […]

Climate Crisis

Rising Temperatures mean more Air Conditioning and Electricity Use: Rooftop Solar is the perfect Solution

The Conversation

By Tom Rogers, Nottingham Trent University; Amin Al-Habaibeh, Nottingham Trent University; Angelines Donastorg Sosa, Coventry University; and Vahid Vahidinasab, Nottingham Trent University | – On June 12 this year, the UK’s last remaining coal-fired power station was awoken from a 46-day slumber to meet demand for electricity to run air-conditioning units. These were rare circumstances […]

Arctic

How analyzing ancient and modern Polar Bear Samples Reveals the Full Scope of Global Heating

The Conversation

By Jennifer Routledge, Trent University | – The global climate is changing and the Arctic is warming rapidly. These are objectively true statements that most people have come to accept. But it is also true that Earth’s climate has never been stagnant and climate anomalies have been frequent throughout the past. How then, do we […]