COP28: countries have pledged to cut emissions from cooling—here"s how to make it happen
Cast your eyes over the statistics in a new report I helped author on staying cool in a warming climate and the urgency becomes clear: 1 billion people, mostly in Africa and Asia, are at high risk from extreme heat because they lack access to cooling.....»»
Team develops gene editing strategy for macroalgae Neopyropia
Neopyropia is an important economic macroalga and is one of the main macroalgae cultivation species in China, Japan, South Korea and other countries. As a critical juncture in the evolution of photosynthetic organisms, red algae to which Neopyropia b.....»»
European Green Deal is a double-edged sword for global emissions, analysis suggests
The European Union aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050 as part of the comprehensive Green Deal that was agreed upon four years ago. However, an analysis of the policy documents outlining the practical measures of the Green Deal shows that it will decre.....»»
Optimism fuels national productivity and innovation
A study of 42 countries over a 20-year span found one factor had a significant impact on investment in research and development. Economic optimism plays a crucial role in boosting national productivity and research and development, according to a new.....»»
Droughts likely to be even longer in the future due to climate change
Major climate reports may be underselling the risks of rising emissions. (credit: USGS) Droughts in the coming decades could be longer than projected by current climate models, a new study published Wednesday in Nature w.....»»
Assessing the environmental impacts of Brazil"s biofuel sector
Mathematical analysis reveals that within Brazil's agriculture and livestock industry, the biofuels sector is most heavily reliant on other sectors with high greenhouse gas emissions......»»
The relationship between emotions and economic decision-making differs across countries, multi-national analysis finds
When making economic decisions, humans can be driven by various factors, including their goals and emotions. Past studies have hypothesized that emotions play a crucial role in economic decisions, particularly those that involve risk or trade-offs be.....»»
India coal expansion risks massive methane growth: Report
India's plans to expand coal mining could double emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from its domestic coal sector by 2029, threatening its climate goals, a report warned Thursday......»»
More governments are promising a "right to disconnect"—but psychology affects how well we can unplug from work
The idea of a "right to disconnect" from work is gaining traction worldwide, with countries like France and Spain enacting laws to protect workers from the demands of the digital age. The UK government has also indicated it will do the same......»»
Due to AI fakes, the “deep doubt” era is here
As AI deepfakes sow doubt in legitimate media, anyone can claim something didn't happen. Enlarge (credit: Memento | Aurich Lawson) Given the flood of photorealistic AI-generated images washing over social media networks.....»»
People underestimate the income of the top 1%, researchers find
People selectively underestimate how rich the world's richest people are, according to a study. Increasing income inequality in many countries is driven by steep gains among the top 1% of earners. In the United States, support for policies that would.....»»
Scientists from 33 European countries join forces to generate reference genomes for the continent"s biological diversity
In a new publication, the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) announces the success of its pilot project. This initiative assembled a large collaborative network of scientists and institutions across 33 countries to produce high-quality reference.....»»
Disappearing scientists: Attrition and retention patterns of 2.1 million scientists in 38 OECD countries
Research has been showing that women scientists continue to disappear from science at a significantly higher rate and in higher percentages than men. This is what social scientists have thought for decades—but this is no longer the case today, acco.....»»
Lower shipping emissions may lead to higher global temperatures
Products that we depend on and use every day arrive by way of massive container ships to ports around the world. But the maritime shipping industry is also responsible for polluting the air and oceans with sulfur dioxide, which can negatively affect.....»»
AI Has Helped Shein Become Fast Fashion’s Biggest Polluter
The company nearly doubled its emissions in 2023, making it the worst actor in a notoriously unsustainable industry......»»
The promise of summer wheat in Zimbabwe
Africa currently imports around 40 million tons of wheat annually at a staggering cost of $15 billion. Most African countries rely heavily on wheat imports, with some importing up to 100% of their supply. However, countries like Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.....»»
African countries are adopting two houses of parliament to boost democracy. But that"s not always what happens
At independence, most African states had two legislative chambers—a lower and upper chamber—in their parliament. African leaders saw that as a colonial legacy and as inefficient, so most states removed the upper chambers. Before 1990, only two st.....»»
Amazon’s Shipping and Delivery Emissions Just Keep Going Up
A new report attempts to calculate how much damage shipping our Amazon orders is doing to the planet and how badly the company is missing its own targets......»»
Rapid loss of Antarctic ice after 2100 likely under current emissions, climate scientists find
A Dartmouth-led study by more than 50 climate scientists worldwide provides the first clear projection of how carbon emissions may drive the loss of Antarctica's ice sheet over the next 300 years......»»
Development strategies for using carbon-based catalysts in CO₂ conversion
One of the primary drivers of climate change, CO2 emissions, has reached over 35 million tons worldwide. With global annual temperatures still rising, reducing CO2 emissions has become a necessity. To turn this necessity into an opportunity, research.....»»
Team develops new tool to map fossil fuel emissions from space
University of Minnesota researchers have developed a new tool to measure ethane from space, leading to a better understanding of fossil fuel emissions worldwide. Ethane is commonly found in natural gas and is primarily used in plastics manufacturing......»»