Climate change affects so many human systems that events in the news often have a climate connection. This feed will provide background notes and climate context on the latest science, weather, government, and business news.
One big question for negotiations at COP21 is whether to develop a long–term global goal for climate action, and if so, what that goal might look like. While all the long-term goals aim to avoid catastrophic climate change, each one proposes a different way to get there. Navigate the maze here.
The term “climate finance” refers to public and private mechanisms established to help fund countries in their efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Read on for details of the Green Climate Fund–the current focus of this work–and other finance initiatives.
North American and European bumblebee species face significant risks from climate change, according to research published in Science. Faced with rising temperatures, bumblebees have been unable to shift their range to higher latitudes.
Experts on climate change policy speak in support of the US contribution to the UNFCCC process and the Paris Agreement.
On March 19, 2015, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced that the maximum extent of Arctic sea ice cover this winter was the lowest ever recorded: 5.61 million square miles (14.54 million square kilometers) on February 25.
Persistent extreme weather linked to climate change has triggered more and more natural catastrophes since 2000, according to insurance giant Munich Re, from extreme wintertime blizzards and springtime floods to prolonged drought and severe summer heat, with costs rising to billions of dollars.
On Wednesday February 25, 2015, the European Commission published the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) of the European Union, a detailed description of the effort the EU will offer to undertake in cutting greenhouse gas emissions as part of an international agreement on tackling climate change.
2014 was 0.69°C (1.24°F) above the 20th century average of 14.1°C, making it the hottest year on record since NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center began taking measurements in 1880. The record surpassed the previous hottest year record, shared by 2005 and 2010, by 0.04°C (0.07°F). As the Earth heats up, new temperature records are increasingly common.
2014 has seen unprecedented heat and experienced devastating extreme weather events, some of which have already been linked to climate change.
2014 also witnessed an unprecedented level of support for climate action, from people on the streets demanding change to heads of state reaching record accords.
On Sunday, December 14, 2014, UN climate negotiations closed in Lima, Peru with negotiators agreeing to text that will form the basis for a new international agreement expected next year in Paris. The Lima decision sets the foundation for a Paris agreement that can move the world closer to a clean energy pathway that avoids catastrophic impacts of global warming.