For decades, solar energy has been hailed as one of the most promising answers to the climate crisis. But while its ability to produce clean power is well known, new research from China reveals that large solar farms can do far more than generate electricity—they can actually transform entire ecosystems. A groundbreaking study in
‘When spectacular success spells calamitous failure’ What is real? One of humanity’s more curious traits is an unlimited capacity for self-delusion. And if you don’t think you are delusional, you are doubly deluded. There are numerous causes of this enigma, many springing from basic human nature. Perhaps the most obvious is that human groups
Experts lay out scale of changes needed in ‘first-of-its-kind national emergency briefing’ in Westminster A host of eminent scientists have warned politicians, business and community leaders that the UK risks severe climate-related risks to its economy, public health, food systems and national security. According to its organisers more than 1,000 corporate bosses, senior civil
Rescue operations in Wales, submerged railway lines in Cornwall – these events are ever more common. So why have we utterly failed to prepare? As autumn blurs into winter, the news is once again filling up with a familiar story: overflowing rivers, inundated streets and overwhelmed infrastructure. Since Friday, England, Wales and Ireland have
Millions of rooftops are quietly doing what big power plants can’t Home solar marks a fundamental shift in how we produce and consume energy. The rooftop panels are quietly transforming what, for over a century, had been a centralized power model into one that is far more dynamic and resilient. This decentralized model is
Highlights The stable climate of the Holocene made agriculture and civilization possible. The unstable Pleistocene climate made it impossible before then. Human societies after agriculture were characterized by overshoot and collapse. Climate change frequently drove these collapses. Business-as-usual estimates indicate that the climate will warm by 3°C-4 °C by 2100 and by as much as
Iran - especially its capital, Tehran - is facing an unprecedented drought this autumn, with rainfall at record lows and reservoirs nearly empty. Officials are pleading with citizens to conserve water as the crisis deepens. President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that if there is not enough rainfall soon, Tehran's water supply could be rationed.
Two scenarios for what a world with a declining resource and energy availability could look like We, the lucky 1 billion living affluent lives, are completely technology-blind. We take all what has been discovered, developed and scaled up in the past as a given for eons to come. Electricity. Food in the supermarket. Gas
Here are two facts about home batteries: Using a home battery reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Making and installing a home battery increases greenhouse gas emissions. The good news is the first effect is much larger than the second. Pinning down how much home batteries reduce emissions isn’t easy, but I’m going to take a
Every constituency projected to be at greater risk, with many areas likely to be uninsurable, Guardian investigation finds Millions more homes in England, Scotland and Wales face devastating floods, and some towns may have to be abandoned as climate breakdown makes many areas uninsurable, a Guardian investigation has found. New analysis from the insurance