environment

They are supposed to be the climate-savers’ gold standard — the key data on which the world relies in its efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions and hold global warming in check. But the national inventories of emissions supplied to the United Nations climate convention (UNFCCC) by most countries are anything but reliable, according to a growing body of research. The data supplied to the UNFCCC, and published on its website, are typically out of date, inconsistent, and incomplete. For most countries, “I would not put much value, if any, on the submissions,” says Glen Peters of the Centre for International Climate Research in Norway, a longtime analyst of emissions trends. The data from large emitters is as much open to questions as that from smaller and less industrialised nations. In China, the uncertainties around its carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal are larger than the total emissions of many major industrial coun...

Canada’s air pollution levels last year were worse than those in the United States for the first time since an air quality firm in Switzerland started publishing its assessments in 2018. The sixth World Air Quality report published Tuesday by Goldach, Switzerland-based IQAir says raging wildfires were a major influence on Canada’s drop in air quality in 2023, The Canadian Press reports. While the report found Canada on average still has some of the least polluted air, public health experts have repeatedly warned about the health dangers of more intense wildfire seasons, fuelled by human-caused climate change. “Air pollution is a silent killer,” said Dr. Samantha Green, a family physician with Unity Health Toronto and associate professor at the University of Toronto who was not involved with the report. “It’s a problem that I think we’re not used to thinking about, but that we need to be thinking about more.R...

The Environment Agency has lifted the suspension notice it issued to Walleys Quarry landfill site saying it is satisfied the steps required have been completed. Walleys Quarry is no longer prohibited from accepting and disposing of non-inert waste specified in its permit. The Environment Agency said it will now assess the effectiveness of the action taken to reduce fugitive emissions of landfill gas from the areas of the site identified in the Notice. Between 4-10 March, the Environment Agency received 694 odour complaints regarding Walleys Quarry. Aaron Bell, MP for Newcastle-Under-Lyme, criticised the decision and said it was “not welcome” and called on the Environment Agency to close the site. Leader of Newcastle Borough Council Simon Tagg labelled the decision “unbelievable” and echoed Bell’s call for Walleys Quarry to be closed. Walleys Quarry in Newcastle-under-Lyme has been subject to numerous complaints over foul-smelli...

The world experienced an average of 26 more days of extreme heat over the last 12 months that would probably not have occurred without climate change, a report said on Tuesday. Heat is the leading cause of climate-related death and the report further points to the role of global warming in increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather around the world. For this study, scientists used the years 1991 to 2020 to determine what temperatures counted as within the top 10 percent for each country over that period. Next, they looked at the 12 months to May 15, 2024, to establish how many days over that period experienced temperatures within — or beyond — the previous range. Then, using peer-reviewed methods, they examined the influence of climate change on each of these excessively hot days. They concluded that “human-caused climate change added — on average, across all places in the world — 26 more days of extreme heat...

Perched on sea-ice off Canada’s northern coast, parka-clad scientists watch saltwater pump out over the frozen ocean. Their goal? To slow global warming. As sea-ice vanishes, the dark ocean surface can absorb more of the Sun’s energy, which accelerates warming. So the researchers want to thicken it to stop it melting away. Welcome to the wackier side of geoengineering – deliberately intervening in the Earth’s climate system to try to counteract the damage we have done to it. Geoengineering includes more established efforts to lock up planet-warming gases, such as planting more trees and burying carbon underground. But more experimental measures aim to go a step further, seeking to reduce the energy absorbed by the Earth. Many scientists are strongly opposed, warning that such attempts distract from the critical step of cutting carbon emissions and risk doing more harm than good. But a small number of advocates claim the...