Climate Change News

Nearly 90% of the permafrost in Arctic soils could melt, and the run-off could alter global currents and accelerate global warming

The Greenland ice cap could disintegrate many times faster than predicted, NASA's Jim Hansen has warned

NASA's James Hansen accuses the White House of trying to prevent him speaking out after he called for swift cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases

Since 2000 less sunlight has been reaching Earth's surface, say solar physicists, though paradoxically this drop has not cooled the planet

Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservatives and Canada's new prime minister, was openly against the protocol - has his stance softened?

A new NASA report promotes 2005 from the second hottest year on record by taking more account of warming in the Arctic than previous studies

Solar panels, plug-and-go wind turbines, and a whole range of micro-generators are about to turn the electricity industry on its head

The cold, barren tundra, home to little more than a velvety carpet of moss and lichen, could become dominated by bush and forests within decades

Just as the world starts to take carbon emissions seriously, along creeps another environmental crisis - and the reactive nitrogen threat could be worse

Solar panels, plug-and-go wind turbines, and a whole range of micro-generators are about to turn the electricity industry on its head

The first meeting of the six-nation Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate predicts a doubling of carbon emissions by 2050

A strong correlation has been found between the timing of frog extinctions and changes in sea surface and air temperatures in tropical mountains

Assurances are made at the first meeting of the six-nation partnership, but US and Australian officials are criticised for continuing to refuse emissions limits

Living plants have been disgorging millions of tonnes of the potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere every year - without anybody noticing

New computer models boost the idea that the cold spell that chilled Europe 8200 years ago followed a flood of glacial water into the Atlantic Ocean

The ominous phrase "tipping point" entered the vocabulary of climate science - a stark warning that global warming may soon spiral out of control

Emissions reached a new high in 2004, prompting renewed calls for urgent action - US officials note the country's "greenhouse gas intensity" fell

In the cold light of day, what did Montreal really deliver? The answer seems to be little more than an agreement to carry on talking

The US signed up for future talks only after winning a stipulation that the dialogue will not open any negotiations leading to new commitments

Talks ended at the Montreal meeting with a deal to begin negotiating tougher greenhouse gas targets after Kyoto, but sceptics complain nations have simply agreed to carry on talking

The puffs of ice crystals that appear where ice and sea meet may not be solely responsible for the seasonal dip in ozone near the poles

Countries will propose changes to labelling rules at World Trade Organization talks in Hong Kong

There is an obvious way to work out how much the rainforest is worth. So why has no one thought of it before?

A bitter controversy is raging over whether global warming is making hurricanes stronger. reports

So asks a group of developing nations at an international climate meeting this week - they want rich countries to help pay conservation costs

The Atlantic heat conveyor that warms western Europe seems to be slowing. Is a mini ice age on the cards?

Formal talks begin in Montreal over how to limit emissions of greenhouse gases after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012 - battle lines are already hardening

Lonnie Thompson has spent 30 years on ice, and believes his ice cores show that the tropics, and not the poles, drive climate variability

An energy analyst has claimed that the UK government's plan to derive one-fifth of the nation's energy from renewables by 2020 is not feasible

The disappearance of the creatures from Jellyfish Lake in Palau may herald severe weather events caused by El Niño and La Niña

Algal growth in remote Arctic lakes suggests that entire freshwater ecosystems are altering in response to climate change

The clean, green car of the future will cruise the highway on a tankful of powdered metal - welcome to the new Iron Age

Noah Diffenbaugh is a climate scientist predicting a least a doubling of both extremes of rain and drought across the US by the end of the century

A puzzling shift in glacial cycles that occurred nearly one million years ago could be explained by fluctuating greenhouse gas levels

New research reveals the shrinking ice shelves could already be the principal cause of rising sea levels

Ice cover in the Arctic Ocean has receded to a record low, despite an increase in clouds shading it from the sun

talks to the science fiction writer Kim Stanley about his latest book, , in which he continues his exploration of a world ravaged by climate change

A study of Irish bogs has thrown doubt on claims that global warming is being caused by increased solar activity

Using the most accurate radar instrument of its kind, CryoSat will reveal the rate at which Arctic sea ice may be thinning - shedding light on the potential effects of global warming

Forget Kyoto. spoke to Myles Allen, the University of Oxford academic who believes the only way to turn around global warming is to sue the pants off the oil companies

After four years of record lows in the extent of sea ice, researchers say the trend can no longer be blamed on short-term variability

Hurricane Catarina hit Brazil in March 2004 and was the first and only hurricane ever recorded in the South Atlantic - global warming may be to blame

The growing industry is in danger of swamping all efforts to cut greenhouse emissions elsewhere, a new study suggests

Climate predictions may have to be rethought, following the discovery that warming may have a bigger effect on air pressure than realised

It's here. If we don't react then war, pestilence and famine will follow close behind, says R K Pachauri

Since the 1970s, the number of the most powerful hurricanes has near-doubled - Katrina-strength cyclones could become the global norm

Think climate change is the problem of big business and industry? Think again. reveals how you can combat climate change

Vast quantities of carbon are being released by UK soils, a new study finds, reducing its effectiveness as a CO sink and nullifying Kyoto cuts

Like it or not, coal is here to stay. But that does not have to be a disaster for the climate, suggests Bennett Daviss

The US, China and Australia have all signed up to a six-nation pact to use technology to halt climate change, but what will it mean for the world?

Every year the world consumes energy equivalent to about 10 billion tonnes of crude oil, but what is the breakdown, and what is the future?

When it comes to global emissions of carbon dioxide, the world is in a serious hole. So is it time to start digging? explains

How do you keep an energy-hungry developing country from turning into a carbon-spewing monster? went to find out

The US-backed, technology-based alternative to the Kyoto protocol could lead to real progress in the fight against greenhouse gases - if it works

While president Bush's government bypasses the Kyoto Protocol, nine of his states appear ready to agree on their own Kyoto-like emissions targets

Campaigners have seized upon the world's shrinking glaciers as proof of global warming. But there is more to it than that, reports Fred Pearce

The US lakes, the largest concentration of fresh water on the planet, is thawing earlier each spring, new analysis reveals

Three independent studies have shown that climate sceptics who claim the Earth is not warming have been using faulty data to make their point

The world's largest frozen peat bog - a million square kilometres - is melting, according to Russian researchers just back from the area

As the European drought continues, two research groups have warned that it will unleash large amounts of CO into the environment

'Dynamic device control' could allow fridges and other appliances to reduce their energy use at peak hours, reducing a country's CO emissions

The world's largest coal producers will share technology for limiting emissions of greenhouse gases, but agree no legally binding targets

In 1879, US environmental icon John Muir entered an unexpected Alaskan bay in his canoe - it had been covered by a glacier just 100 years before

While the G8 leaders deal on African aid and debt relief was broadly welcomed, their position on climate change was generally dismissed as a fudge

The G8 communiqué on climate change from Gleneagles last week was a disgrace - politicians must engage with curbing emissions

Climate change is a "serious long-term challenge" requiring "resolve and urgency", the group agreed, but made no specific commitments to act

A scientific meeting set up by G8 chair Tony Blair concluded that climate change was a "clear and present danger" - but have the politicians heard the message?

The oceans are gradually turning into a vast "fizzy drink" - the transformation could be catastrophic for ocean life

Increases in temperature could be much worse than feared, says a new study - the new predictions hinge on how little warming has been felt so far

There is no proof that climate change has increased the number of Atlantic hurricanes, but they are getting wetter and more powerful

Scientists have been intimidated into a polite silence about climate change. It is time they spoke out, for all our sakes, argues Mark Lynas

A former senior US official accuses the White House of subverting the findings of climate change assessments to serve political goals

The permafrost that makes the lakes watertight is melting as a result of global warming, allowing the water to drain away

David Bellamy looks likely to lose two prestigious posts after making controversial claims about the veracity of man-made climate change

Pattern of changes in ocean temperatures almost perfectly match simulations of human effects on regional climate, ruling out natural causes

Science academies all over the world have jointly issued a stark warning on climate change ahead of the G8 summit in July

While national governments quibble and drag their feet on global warming, government at city level is forging ahead all over the world

President Bush must be bemused. He shields US industry from limits on greenhouse gas emissions but his cities pledge to meet Kyoto-style targets anyway

A Swedish nuclear plant closes, honouring a 1980 referendum to phase-out nuclear power - but in today's climate, only 10% of Swedes want it closed

Those who deny the existence of global warming often rely on somewhat error-prone satellite information - a proposed probe could improve accuracy

Radical alternatives to the current programme for limiting greenhouse emissions are on the table as negotiations for the post-Kyoto era begin

Apparently not, suggests a new computer model, which finds a destination's economic development and population growth are more important

The great ecology challenge Jacques Chirac, president of the French Republic, calls on us to reverse our collision course with biodiversity before the extinction rate reaches the point of no return

Talks begin on how to limit greenhouse gas emissions after 2012 - when the Kyoto Protocol ends - but some nations want to tear up the current blueprint

From 2007, New Zealanders will pay NZ$15 for emitting a tonne of carbon dioxide or its equivalent in other gases

In a bizarre twist to the climate change saga, cutting smog in industrialised nations is actually accelerating global warming

Wind farms could damage some bird populations if they are not carefully sited, concludes a review of all the impact studies so far

The Earth is storing up trouble by absorbing more energy from the Sun than it is emitting back into space, according to new models

The efforts of industrialised nations to cut smog pollution has had a bizarre side-effect - accelerating global warming

The big money's behind an ambitious plan to build zero-emission power stations that burn coal or gas

The first real-world experiments on the effects of rising carbon dioxide and ozone on key food crops suggest significant drops in yields

Researchers' worst fears over melting in Antarctica have been realised, according to a key survey, and global warming may be involved

Dozens of major cities around the world are at risk from a previously ignored aspect of global warming - the salt-pollution of underground water

Far from being a blot on the landscape, wind farms are an asset - especially when you look at the alternative, says David Suzuki

Warmer seas and hotter land are having an impact on Australia's birdlife, according to a comprehensive review

Greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft over Europe rose by 70% between 1990 and 2002 - politicians are considering a trade in emissions permits

Within 10 years, climate change will be irreversible, concluded the climate science meeting in the UK last month - were politicians not listening?

Satellite observations have been used for the first time to detect ground-level emissions of methane - a potent greenhouse gas

As temperatures around the world rise, individual ants may shrink while ant colonies boom in size - perfect for successful rampages

So warns the director of the climate change programme at WWF - China, India and Nepal may be among the worst hit if key rivers shrink

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions will not stop climate change due to a time lag in the oceans' response to atmospheric warming, warn new studies

Traditional fuels such as wood and crop waste are the prime cause of climate change in south Asia, according to new research

Michael Crichton's stories shape people's view of the world and his next book declares global warming a huge conspiracy - how could he get it so wrong, asks Jeremy Leggett

The largest ever survey of Arctic lakes shows that most have suffered dramatic ecological changes in the past 150 years - when recent warming began

Hydroelectric dams produce significant amounts of CO and methane - some produce more greenhouse gases than fossil fuel power plants

New figures suggest that 2004 was actually cooler than 2003, which was cooler than 2002 - but they were still two of the hottest years on record

Global warming is a fantasy dreamed up by climate scientists, say the sceptics. Could they possibly be right, asks Fred Pearce

Set certain changes in motion and they will carry on whether we slash emissions or not - lists the risks

Time is running out, and fast. That was the message from climate experts at an international climate conference in the UK

The climate change conference suggests scientific peer pressure may have led to gross underestimates of the potential scale of global warming

When temperatures soar, coral reefs might create cool shade by releasing chemicals into the atmosphere that promote cloud formation

To have half a chance of stopping the world warming by 2°C, greenhouse gas emissions need to fall by up to 70% by 2050, a new study suggests

The massive west Antarctic ice sheet, previously assumed to be stable, is starting to collapse, scientists warn

A major conference is aiming to help define the levels that would trigger "dangerous" climate change - but it could be "mission impossible"

Earth could be even more sensitive to global warming than imagined, and if CO levels double as some expect, temperatures could rocket

A massive modelling study produces an upper extreme of 11°C warming - suggesting the Earth may be far more sensitive to CO than thought

The fraction of the Earth suffering drought has more than doubled in the past 30 years - rising temperatures and climate change are implicated

The world has its first carbon trading scheme. Is it the way to cut greenhouse gases and slow global warming?

On 16 February, the long-awaited protocol will come into force, with 30 industrialised countries signed up to reduce their greenhouse emissions

The world now has its first carbon trading scheme. Is this the way to cut greenhouse gases and slow global warming?

The climate change protocol comes into force in February, but the US and other countries are hindering talks about what should follow

Pollutants like ozone are fundamentally changing the way clouds form - the newly discovered mechanism may be having "large climate effects"

A two-pronged attack on laziness and obesity could significantly slow global warming if applied to the Americans who drive rather than walk or cycle

Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the oceans could be offset by warmer waters, which will make coral grow faster, scientists suggest