Veille 2.1

“New Scientist” commence l’année avec un tunnel vers l’enfer, un projet pharaonique qui vise à accéder aux entrailles de la Terre. Le magazine britannique en fait sa couverture.

Referring to the Paris Agreement’s target of keeping Earth from warming no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution, the number has become a rallying cry for climate advocates and scientists, who say the goal is humanity’s best bet on avoiding the most catastrophic outcomes of climate change by the end of the century. Venturing even 0.5 degrees past that threshold could drastically increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather, biodiversity loss, famine and water scarcity, as well as make it more likely that tipping points accelerate warming further, climate scientists say.

the starkest warning yet that human activity is pushing Earth into a climate crisis that could threaten the lives of up to 6 billion people this century, stating candidly: “We are afraid of the uncharted territory that we have now entered.” Writing in the journal Biosciences, the coalition of 12 researchers, spanning North America, Europe and Asia, state in unusually stark language: “As scientists, we are increasingly being asked to tell the public the truth about the crises we face in simple and direct terms. The truth is that we are shocked by the ferocity of the extreme weather events in 2023.”

Alors que la mer Méditerranée et l’Atlantique Nord connaissent des records de chaleur, une zone dans l’océan Pacifique se refroidit, depuis maintenant trente ans. Un mystère que les scientifiques s’échinent à comprendre pour évaluer au mieux l’impact de cette “langue froide”, qui pourrait faire basculer notre avenir climatique.

Eleven of the 20 largest economies got a C or worse on a renewable energy report card, which assessed their plans to reach net zero and their targets for producing and using renewable energy

More than three-quarters of the world's largest rainforest has become less resilient to drought since the early 2000s, with areas near humans and with lower rainfall being the worst hit

L’algue du partenariat symbiotique qui constitue les lichens s’adapte aux évolutions du climat à un rythme extrêmement lent, suggère une nouvelle étude.

Rapidly rising levels of atmospheric methane are "very bad news for humanity and the planet," warned one observer.

How we can harness the staggering diversity of trees to lock away more carbon

The new top scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration wants the famed space agency to become a leading voice on climate change science, too.

The UK is one of the world's most nature-depleted countries - in the bottom 10% globally and last among the G7 group of nations, new data shows. It has an average of about half its biodiversity left, far below the global average of 75%, a study has found.

A UN analysis today revealed a bleak upward trajectory for global carbon dioxide emissions, despite new CO2-curbing plans by scores of countries, including major emitters such as the US and the European Union’s 27 member states.

Around 13,000 researchers have called for urgent action to slow down the climate emergency as extreme weather patterns shock the world. They listed three core measures.

The list of extremes in just the last few weeks has been startling: Unprecedented rains followed by deadly flooding in central China and Europe. Temperatures of 120 Fahrenheit (49 Celsius) in Canada, and tropical heat in Finland and Ireland. The Siberian tundra ablaze. Monstrous U.S. wildfires, along with record drought across the U.S. West and parts of Brazil.

As scientists gather online to finalize a long-awaited update on global climate research, recent extreme weather events across the globe highlight the need for more research on how it will play out, especially locally.

More than half the world’s rivers stop flowing for at least one day per year, according to the first detailed global map of river flow. More rivers than that are expected to run dry if climate change and water management issues aren’t addressed.

InfluenceMap, a think tank that monitors corporate lobbying around climate change, reveals: while the 10 European airlines looked at for this report have received around €30 billion in bailouts during the pandemic – some of which came with conditions attached to encourage climate-friendly actions – most have simultaneously lobbied to delay new proposals to cut aviation emissions.

D’après un rapport des Nations unies publié en mars dernier, des attaques de drones sans aucune intervention humaine ont été recensées en Libye. On ne sait pas s’il y a eu des victimes, mais cet événement prouverait que les tentatives de réguler les robots tueurs ont déjà un train de retard.

À quelques mois de la 26e Conférence des parties sur le climat, l’hebdomadaire scientifique dresse un état des lieux de la planète, qui n’en finit plus de se réchauffer, et montre qu’il est encore temps d’agir.

Global warming is a "threat multiplier" for habitats and species already under pressure – by understanding how the problems are linked, we can solve two crises at once

The growing popularity of SUVs is making it even harder to cut carbon dioxide emissions and meet climate goals. “Policy-makers need to find ways to persuade consumers to choose smaller and more efficient cars,” says Petropoulos.

Climate change has been relatively kind to banana suppliers so far – but in the decades to come, friend may turn to foe. Temperatures are likely to get so hot that the annual production gains enjoyed by banana suppliers will begin to drop. And in some places, total banana yields will begin to decline.