When we think about climate feedback loops in the Arctic, thawing permafrost releasing huge quantities of methane is usually the first that comes to mind. But now researchers have discovered that the weathering of sulfide minerals like pyrite, or fool’s gold, is also generating carbon dioxide, and the process is speeding up as the region […]
climate change
How to Produce Hydrogen Gas as Cleanly as Possible
Green hydrogen? More like electrification with extra steps. As humanity works to slash greenhouse gas emissions and stem the pace of planetary warming, scientists, governments, and industry leaders are looking for low-carbon alternatives to fuel the future. Alongside renewables such as solar and wind energy, hydrogen gas is bubbling to the forefront as a fuel […]
‘Fire clouds’ from super-hot wildfires are on the rise as Earth warms
Intense blazes burning in the United States and Canada are creating their own thunderstorms, which can spark more fires. The monstrous fires that are now charring vast areas of western North America aren’t just colossal and fast-moving, they have also created their own thunderstorms — an example of exotic fire behaviour that scientists say is […]
Can Animals Evolve Fast Enough to Keep Up with Climate Change?
Maybe. The world is always changing, leaving plants and animals everywhere to adapt to new habitats and living conditions. Evolution offers a pathway for life to adapt to these changes, but it takes time. So as human-caused climate change increases the rate at which the environment is changing, the big question is, can evolution keep […]
Why are the Canadian wildfires so bad this year?
Hot, dry weather and human carelessness have led to a huge burnt area — and to choking haze affecting millions of people. Smoke from wildfires raging in eastern Canada has been filling lungs and turning skies orange across the northeastern United States, most dramatically in New York City and the surrounding area, for the past […]
Underground fungi absorb up to a third of our fossil fuel emissions
Researchers estimate that plants transfer more than 13 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide each year to mycorrhizal fungi, which grow around their roots. The relationships between plants and the fungi that colonise their roots are responsible for locking away a huge amount of carbon underground – maybe equivalent to more than one-third of global emissions from […]
Rising Sea Levels Will Isolate People Long Before They’re Underwater
Time and tide wait for no man. Neither does sea level rise. The Chignecto Isthmus—the low marshy strip connecting New Brunswick and Nova Scotia—may be one of the most vulnerable places in Canada to sea level rise. At just 21 kilometers wide, the interprovincial land bridge is battered on its southwestern flank by the famously […]
How Increasing Wildfires Could Transform the Arctic
Wildfires, and the nutrients they bring, could make the Arctic Ocean more productive. In August 2014, the Arctic Ocean near the North Pole was suddenly awash with microscopic life—gripped by an algae bloom that covered the Laptev Sea, a large chunk of the East Siberian Sea, and part of the open Arctic Ocean. In a […]
Turning city planning into a game
Ursula Eicker lets people play around while designing the cities of the future. Ursula Eicker builds ‘digital twins’ of cities, and she hopes to someday build one for yours. Her research team creates sophisticated computer models to explore how building materials, energy sources and people’s mobility patterns affect the energy use and carbon emissions of […]
The scientists who switched focus to fight climate change
Four researchers describe how they found different ways of responding to the planet’s biggest threat — from quitting tenure to overhauling their academic programme. It was during a car journey to California in temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 °C that Sophie Gilbert decided she needed to make a major career change. Driving to visit family from […]