A dietary shift from rice to potatoes could “notably reduce” the climate and environmental impacts of staple crop agriculture in China, according to a new study.

The research, published in Nature Food, examines the land use, water use and greenhouse gas emissions associated with growing four staple crops: rice, wheat, maize and potatoes. It finds that a large-scale dietary shift towards potatoes, combined with better growing methods, could reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of these staples by up to 25%.

For the first time on record, precipitation on Saturday at the summit of Greenland fell as rain and not snow.

Temperatures at the Greenland summit over the weekend rose above freezing for the third time in less than a decade. The warm air fueled an extreme rain event that dumped 7 billion tons of water on the ice sheet. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the amount of ice mass lost on Sunday was seven times higher than the daily average for this time of year.

A group of U.S. senators announced a new federal legislation that would require the biggest polluters — mostly mega-wealthy oil companies — to begin helping foot the bill to address the climate crisis. The Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act is based on a simple premise: Polluters should pay to help clean up their mess, and those who pollute the most should pay the most.

At its latest board meeting in March 2021, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) approved $1.2 billion in funding for 15 climate change projects in developing countries. However, funding for only two of these projects, or 1.5% of the total amount, went directly to developing country institutions.

Most of the climate finance provided by the GCF flows through international institutions such as the UN Development Programme (UNDP) or the World Bank. The GCF has accredited 62 developing country institutions as eligible for direct access so far, but 42 of them have yet to receive actual project funding.

Why is it crucial to give developing countries greater direct access to finance?

World’s biggest shipping company is the first to order large carbon-neutral vessels that can sail from China to Europe and across the Pacific. Maersk ordered eight new vessels that can run on traditional bunker fuel and “green” methanol, to replace older ones as freight rates rocket amid a shortage of vessels to deal with the large demand following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Each vessel costs about 10-15 % more than a traditional ship given its dual-fuel engine. Maersk executives said they thought big customers were willing to pay up for green transport.

In this interview with Sônia Guajajara, indigenous woman leader and Executive Coordinator of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations in the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), Sônia discusses the important role of indigenous women in the preservation of traditional culture and the natural environment.

The future of the amazon rainforest, plus the people and nature who call it home, hangs in the balance and its fate rests in the hands of each and every one of us.
The Amazon and its estimated 400 million trees have played a crucial role in stabilizing the global climate and sustaining life on Earth. But now the Amazon – on fire, under siege and on the brink of collapse – needs our help.

While the COP26 summit in Glasgow is only three months away, extreme weather events are wreaking havoc globally including across Europe, China, India, Siberia, and the United States. The science in the new IPCC report paints a clearer picture than ever before – the climate crisis is here, and we must act fast. Andrew Norton, who is a director of IIED, calls on G20 leaders to listen to the report’s findings and step up their climate action.

By 2100, sea levels are expected to rise by almost seven feet in the Bay Area. New research shows how traditional approaches to combating sea-level rise can create a domino effect of environmental and economic impacts for nearby communities.

This research shows how seawalls constructed along the San Francisco Bay shoreline could increase flooding and incur hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for communities throughout the region. The researchers emphasize how non-traditional approaches, like choosing to flood certain areas of land rather than build walls, are smarter, more sustainable solutions for the Bay Area and similar coastal bay communities.

The U.S. Treasury Department issued new energy financing guidance to multilateral development banks on Monday, saying the United States would oppose their involvement in fossil fuel projects except for some downstream natural gas facilities in poor countries.

The new guidance from the Treasury, the largest shareholder in major development banks including the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank, prioritizes financing for renewable energy options and "to only consider fossil fuels if less carbon-intensive options (are) unfeasible."