US climate envoy John Kerry has told the BBC a UN climate summit in the UK this November is “the last best chance” to avert the worst environmental consequences for the world. He said years were lost on the climate issue under President Donald Trump, “who didn’t believe in any of it”. Dozens of world […]
Getty Images Despite the pandemic, almost two thirds of people around the world now view climate change as a global emergency. That’s the key finding from the largest opinion poll yet conducted on tackling global warming. More than a million people in 50 countries took part in the survey, with almost half the participants aged […]
Getty Images The Bank of England has been criticised by MPs for providing finance to carbon-intensive companies without attaching environmental strings. The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has written to the Bank’s governor, urging him to ensure any firms receiving Bank finance should disclose their climate-related activities. The letter adds to the drumbeat for change in […]
Getty Images A scientist has shed new light on the origins of Charles Darwin’s “abominable mystery”. The famous naturalist was haunted by the question of how the first flowering plants evolved. Darwin feared this inexplicable puzzle would undermine his theories of evolution, says Prof Richard Buggs. Forgotten historical documents show a rival scientist was arguing […]
Reuters US Special Envoy on climate change John Kerry has said the country will now push for rapid action after four years of “reckless behaviour” under Donald Trump. Mr Kerry said that withdrawing the US from the Paris agreement had threatened people’s futures all over the world. One of President Biden’s first acts following his […]
An issue with hydraulic systems led to the premature shutdown of a key test for Nasa’s new “megarocket”. Officials said the way components had been set up to respond in the test was “a little conservative” and that this led to the early stop. Contrary to earlier concerns, there was no sign of damage to […]
More than 200 years after the electric eel inspired the design of the first battery, it has been discovered that they can co-ordinate their “zaps”. Researchers working in the Amazon filmed eels gathering in packs to herd prey, then stunning them with a synchronised electric shock. “It was really amazing – we thought these were […]
NASA / Jude Guidry The four main engines of Nasa’s new “megarocket” are to be fired in unison for the first time, demonstrating the launcher’s raw, explosive power. The Space Launch System (SLS) is part of the agency’s Artemis programme, which aims to put Americans back on the lunar surface in a few years. The […]
Global meteorological agencies agree that 2020 was a scorching year but they are divided on just where it ranks in the temperature records. For Nasa, last year is in a statistical dead heat with 2016 as the warmest year. Others, including the UK Met Office, believe it is second in the rankings dating back to […]
Getty Images US greenhouse gas emissions tumbled below their 1990 level for the first-time last year as a result of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. A preliminary assessment from research group Rhodium says that overall emissions were down over 10%, the largest fall since World War II. Transport suffered the biggest decline, with emissions […]