CO2

Concentration of CO2 in atmosphere hits record high

Geneva - AFP

The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has hit a new high, the UN said Monday, warning that drastic action is needed to achieve targets set by the Paris climate agreement. "Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surged at a record-breaking speed in 2016 to the highest level in 800,000 years," the World Meteorological Organization said. Read more

As Paris climate goals recede, geoengineering looms larger

Berlin - Muslimchronicle

Even if you are terrified of heights, jumping out of a plane with a makeshift parachute may begin to look like a good idea once you know the aircraft is running out of fuel. That, arguably, is akin to the mindset of climate scientists and policymakers brainstorming in Berlin this week on how to compensate for humanity's collective failure toRead more

NGOs slam UN aviation agency plan

New York - Muslimchronicle

Nearly 100 environmental and poverty fighting groups jointly released a letter Tuesday slamming a UN proposal that backs large-scale use of biofuels in commercial planes. Extensive burning of biofuels would vastly expand the production of palm oil, which critics say drives deforestation, higher CO2 emissions and conflicts with indigenous peoples displaced from their land. The UN's International Civil Aviation OrganizationRead more

Permafrost more vulnerable than thought

Paris - Arab Today

Frozen, sub-Arctic wastelands loaded with planet-heating greenhouse gases are more susceptible to global warming than previously understood, scientists warned on Monday. Even stabilising the world's climate at two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels -- the daunting goal laid down in the 196-nation Paris Agreement -- would melt more than 40 percent of permafrost, or an area nearlyRead more

It’s the hottest in 115,000 years

New York - Arab today

The global temperature has increased to a level not seen for 115,000 years, requiring daunting technological advances that will cost the coming generations hundreds of trillions of dollars, according to the scientist widely credited with bringing climate change to the public’s attention. A new paper submitted by James Hansen, a former senior Nasa climate scientist, and 11 other experts statesRead more

'Angry' Australian summer weather smashes records

Sydney - Arab today

Australia endured a summer of record-breaking extremes, scientists said Wednesday, with climate change tipped to increase the frequency and severity of such phenomena. Intense heatwaves, bushfires and flooding plagued the December-February summer season with more than 200 records broken over 90 days, the independent Climate Council said in a report. "Climate change -- driven largely by the burning ofRead more

China launches carbon dioxide

Beijing - Arab Today

China on Thursday launched a satellite to monitor carbon dioxide levels, state media said, making the Asian giant the third country to track the potent contributor to global warming from space. The TanSat probe will allow China to keep a close eye on greenhouse gas emissions and give it a "louder voice" in future negotiations on carbon reduction, according toRead more

Canada to phase out coal power

Ottawa - Arab Today

Canada will shutter its coal-fired power plants by 2030 as part of its strategy to cut greenhouse gas emission under the Paris climate accord, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna announced Monday. The plants, located in four provinces, produce about 10 percent of Canada's total CO2 emissions, and closing them will remove the equivalent in emissions of 1.3 million cars from roads,Read more

German government in last-minute agreement on climate plan

Berlin - AFP

The German government on Friday reached agreement on a long-delayed plan to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, clinching a deal ahead of next week's high-level global climate talks in Morocco. The agreement ends months of bickering in Chancellor Angela Merkel's left-right coalition and spells out CO2 emission reduction targets for all the country's economic sectors, although those forRead more

Climate science: Bad news gets worse

Paris - Arab Today

Diplomats from 196 nations gather from Monday for 12-day UN climate talks tasked with charting a path for capping global warming at "well below" two degree Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial era levels. Here are some key climate measures from 2015 and 2016 which suggest why that may be difficult: - +2.8C (5.0F) - Earth is on track for aRead more