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    BBC Issues First Climate Change Reporting Guidelines

    BBC Issues First Climate Change Reporting Guidelines

    After a summer full of extreme weather headlines, The BBC is making a concerted effort to improve its coverage of climate change. In a “crib sheet” sent to BBC journalists via email last Thursday and obtained by Carbon Brief, the major news source provided reporters with a climate “editorial policy” and “position” and invited them […]

    Amazon Mangroves ‘Twice as Carbon Rich’ as Its Rainforests

    Amazon Mangroves ‘Twice as Carbon Rich’ as Its Rainforests

    By Daisy Dunne The vast mangroves of the Amazon store twice as much carbon per hectare as the region’s tropical forests, new research shows. The relatively understudied ecosystem also stores 10 times more carbon than Amazon savannahs—a type of grassy plain with sparsely populated trees, according to the study. However, the wetlands face threats from […]

    Rise in Insect Pests Under Climate Change to Hit Crop Yields, Study Says

    Rise in Insect Pests Under Climate Change to Hit Crop Yields, Study Says

    By Daisy Dunne Global warming could increase both the number and appetite of insect pests, new research finds, which could pose a serious threat to global crop production. The study finds that global warming of 2C above pre-industrial levels—which is the limit set by the Paris agreement—could cause pest-related yield losses from wheat, rice and […]

    Summer Rainfall Declines ‘Primary Driver’ of Surge in U.S. Wildfires

    Summer Rainfall Declines ‘Primary Driver’ of Surge in U.S. Wildfires

    By Daisy Dunne Sharp declines in summer rainfall could be a “primary driver” of the record-breaking wildfires ripping across the western U.S., research shows. Using satellite data, the study finds that there have been “previously unnoted” declines in summer rainfall across close to a third of forests in the western U.S. over the past four […]

    Solar Geoengineering Could ‘Fail to Prevent Damage to Crop Yields’

    Solar Geoengineering Could ‘Fail to Prevent Damage to Crop Yields’

    By Daisy Dunne Releasing aerosols into the atmosphere in order to limit the rise in global temperature would not stave off damage to crop yields, a new study suggests. Scientists have suggested that intentionally releasing aerosols into the atmosphere—a type of “solar geoengineering“—could help to limit global warming by reflecting away incoming sunlight in a […]

    ‘Powerful Evidence’ of Global Warming’s Effect on Seasons Found in Troposphere

    ‘Powerful Evidence’ of Global Warming’s Effect on Seasons Found in Troposphere

    By Daisy Dunne Scientists studying the troposphere—the lowest level of the atmosphere—have found “powerful evidence” that climate change is altering seasonal temperatures. A study published in Science finds that climate change has caused an increase in the difference between summer and winter temperatures across North America and Eurasia over the past four decades. This could […]

    Permafrost and Wetland Emissions Could Cut 1.5°C Carbon Budget ‘by Five Years’

    Permafrost and Wetland Emissions Could Cut 1.5°C Carbon Budget ‘by Five Years’

    By Robert McSweeney Emissions of CO2 and methane from wetlands and thawing permafrost as the climate warms could cut the “carbon budget” for the Paris agreement temperature limits by around five years, a new study says. These natural processes are “positive feedbacks”—so called because they release more greenhouse gases as global temperatures rise, thus reinforcing […]

    Video: How Beef Farmers Can Reduce Their Carbon Footprint

    Video: How Beef Farmers Can Reduce Their Carbon Footprint

    By Daisy Dunne and Tom Prater The beef industry is currently responsible for 6 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, making it as large a polluter as the construction sector. Eating less meat is one way to cut beef emissions. However, scientists have also started to look at ways that farmers can reduce the […]