Global Warming

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Global warming is producing a rapid loss of plant species -- according to estimates, roughly 600 plant species have died out since 1750 -- twice the number of animal species lost. But which species are hit hardest? And how does altered biodiversity actually affect interactions between plants? Experts from the…

Extreme fire seasons in recent years highlight the urgent need to better understand wildfires within the broader context of climate change. Under climate change, many drivers of wildfires are expected to change, such as the amount of carbon stored in vegetation, rainfall, and lightning strikes. Quantifying the relative importance of…

A climate protester’s flag in Düsseldorf, Germany Ying Tang/NurPhoto/Shuttersto​ck Last month, researchers confirmed that 2024 was the first year to see global average temperatures rise more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. It was a symbolic moment, given the world’s collective goal, set in 2015 under the Paris Agreement, to keep…

Cows and buffaloes wade into the polluted Yamuna river on a smoggy morning in New Delhi, India. — Reuters/File Many of the world's biggest polluter nations have missed a UN deadline to set new climate targets as efforts to curb global warming come under pressure following US President Donald Trump's…

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In 2024, annual average global air temperatures surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time, triggering extreme weather events like record-breaking rainfall and flooding events in the Sahara Desert and extreme summer heat waves across the planet. However, global warming will not stop at this level. Based…

January saw deadly wildfires sweep through parts of Los Angeles as the planet got warmer. (Image credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) Last month was the hottest January on record, climate scientists have announced — despite the onset of a cold climate pattern in the Pacific and parts of the…

A dramatic reduction in sulfur pollution from shipping has unintentionally contributed to recent global warming, offering a real-world experiment in marine cloud brightening — one of the leading geoengineering ideas. The 2020 shipping regulations cut sulfate emissions, improving air quality but also reducing cloud reflectivity, allowing more heat to reach…

January 2025 was the hottest on record – a whole 1.7°C above pre-industrial levels. If many climate-watchers expected the world to cool slightly this year thanks to the natural “La Niña” phenomena, the climate itself didn’t seem to get the memo. In fact, January 2025’s record heat highlights how human-driven…