The Japanese Meteorological Agency has announced that this past July was the warmest on record, a finding reinforced by preliminary NASA data. This means July was likely the hottest of any month on record, and puts 2015 safely on track to beat 2014 as the hottest year on record.
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.
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 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.
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are gathering in Lima, Peru to lay the foundation for the for the global climate deal that will be finalized in Paris next year.
Climate change is no longer a niche political issue. Recent events such as the drought in California and Superstorm Sandy have brought extreme weather to the forefront, and people are searching for information on climate and weather connections. Voters, reporters and debate moderators are increasingly asking questions about climate change.
Existing analysis from respected military leaders recognizes the potential threat from climate change as no less than massively destructive and an enormous risk to national security.
The world’s largest oil and gas companies have sky-high budgets, top scientists in their employ, and an incentive to plan for the long term due to their massive investments in permanent infrastructure. They are neither altruistic nor clueless, and they are taking climate change seriously. This includes planning ahead for a future with strong climate policies
One thing scientists are still working to figure out is exactly how much warming each ton of CO2 causes. This is called the climate’s “sensitivity” to CO2.
It has fallen upon climate scientists to develop the technical sophistication and to employ the research methods necessary to understand climate variables, how they change across time and space, and the degree of human-caused climate disruption.
Noted climate scientist Michael Mann discusses the scary reality that human greenhouse gas emissions are currently overcoming natural forcings, as well as the current confusion around surface warming, climate models, and natural variability.
A new special issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society investigates the climate change connections of a wide variety of extreme weather events.
Working Group III (WGIII) covers pathways and scenarios for mitigating climate change. This overview pulls out notable findings from the WGIII Summary for Policymakers (SPM).
Working Group II (WGII) covers the impacts and vulnerabilities caused by climate change and discusses pathways for adaptation.
AR5 reflects advances in science that point to increased levels of certainty on issues already raised and provides greater detail on measurements and projections.
Above-average temperatures in Sochi are causing delays, injuries, and more at Olympic skiing and snowboarding events.
Right now, the eastern United States is seeing a cold snap, which could cause some to wonder whether the world is still warming