carbon pollution

CO2 Levels Are Now at a 3 Million-Year High

CO2 Levels Are Now at a 3 Million-Year High

There is likely more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now than at any other time in the last three million years. That is the conclusion reinforced by a study published in Science Advances Wednesday. Researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany succeeded for […]

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    Which Airlines Are the Best and Worst for Climate Change?

    Which Airlines Are the Best and Worst for Climate Change?

    As of 2018, the commercial aviation industry accounted for 2.5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. If it were its own country, it would be the 7th highest emitter on the planet. Because of this, some climate activists have begun calling on people to reduce the amount of time they spend in the air, or […]

    Plant More Trees—Young Forests Use Carbon Most Effectively

    Plant More Trees—Young Forests Use Carbon Most Effectively

    By Tim Radford For forests, it really does help to be young. British scientists who have identified the vital factor that shows what makes a forest a good carbon sink say young forests use carbon best and absorb it most efficiently. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences seems on […]

    UK Biomass Plant Starts Groundbreaking Carbon Capture Project

    UK Biomass Plant Starts Groundbreaking Carbon Capture Project

    For the first time, carbon dioxide is being captured at a biomass power plant in the UK. Britain’s Drax announced that its pilot bioenergy carbon capture and storage project is expected to capture a ton of CO2 a day from its North Yorkshire-based wood-burning plant. The company is also finding ways to store and use […]

    8 Charts Show How ‘Aggressive’ Railway Expansion Could Cut Emissions

    8 Charts Show How ‘Aggressive’ Railway Expansion Could Cut Emissions

    By Jocelyn Timperley Global transport emissions could peak in the 2030s if railways are “aggressively” expanded, said the International Energy Agency (IEA). Rail is among the most efficient and lowest emitting modes of transport, according to the IEA’s new report focusing on the opportunities it offers for energy and the environment. In particular, urban and […]

    Scientists Call for Artificial Trees to Fight Climate Change

    Scientists Call for Artificial Trees to Fight Climate Change

    By Marlene Cimons Plants are humanity’s greatest ally in the fight against climate change. Plants soak up carbon dioxide and turn it into leaves and branches. The more trees humans plant, the less heat-trapping carbon pollution in the air. Unfortunately, plants require a lot of water and land, so much that humans might need a […]

    U.S. Carbon Emissions Spiked 3.4% in 2018, Second-Largest Increase Since 1996

    U.S. Carbon Emissions Spiked 3.4% in 2018, Second-Largest Increase Since 1996

    Carbon emissions in the U.S. experienced a sharp upswing in 2018, despite a record number of coal-fired power plant closings, according to new data. An analysis released by the research firm Rhodium Group Tuesday shows that emissions rose by 3.4 percent last year—the second-largest gain in more than twenty years. The analysis also found that […]

    This Powder Could Cheaply Capture Carbon Pollution From Power Plants

    This Powder Could Cheaply Capture Carbon Pollution From Power Plants

    By Marlene Cimons A recent UN report found that to prevent catastrophic climate change, humans will not only need to drastically cut emissions in just a few short years. People will also need to generate power from wind and solar, and they will need to upgrade remaining gas- and coal-fired power plants with carbon capture […]