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Here's why Hurricane Erick is quickly strengthening into dangerous storm

Environment news

Here's why Hurricane Erick is quickly strengthening into dangerous storm

Having doubled in strength in less than a day and still expected to grow further, Hurricane Erick on Wednesday chugged through the ideal environment to power up quickly as it approached Mexico's southern Pacific Coast.

Environment

1 hour ago

Peatlands across the Arctic are expanding as the climate warms, research shows

Scientists used satellite data, drones and on-the-ground observations to assess the edges of existing peatlands (waterlogged ecosystems that store vast amounts of carbon). The study—led by the University of Exeter—found ...

Earth Sciences

1 hour ago

Warning signs on climate flashing bright red: Top scientists

From carbon pollution to sea-level rise to global heating, the pace and level of key climate change indicators are all in uncharted territory, more than 60 top scientists warned Thursday.

Environment

1 hour ago

How lottery-style bottle returns could transform recycling

Would you rather have 10 cents in your pocket or a 1-in-10,000 shot at $1,000?

Environment

2 hours ago

Global carbon emissions on track to exhaust 1.5°C budget in three years, study warns

The central estimate of the remaining carbon budget for 1.5°C is 130 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) (from the beginning of 2025). This would be exhausted in a little more than three years at current levels of CO2 emissions, ...

Earth Sciences

11 hours ago

Climate change and depopulation confirmed as main concerns affecting mountain areas in Europe

In Europe, mountain areas account for about 36% of the total territory and are home to 16% of the population, but they are crucial for the continent as a whole. The availability of basic commodities, like water, depends on ...

Environment

13 hours ago

Hurricane Erick strengthens as it barrels toward Mexico

Hurricane Erick strengthened to an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 early Thursday as it barreled toward Mexico's Pacific coast, the US National Hurricane Center said, warning of potentially deadly floods.

Environment

17 hours ago

How air pollution shapes the methane budget

Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, significantly contributing to global warming. It also affects the formation of other climate-relevant substances like ozone and water vapor—particularly in the stratosphere. ...

Environment

18 hours ago

Mauritius is facing a water crisis: Harvesting water from its rivers with ten reservoirs can help

Mauritius's water supplies are running very low. As a small island, it is affected by tropical cyclones, rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and a warming ocean. Rainfall levels have decreased by 8% over the last 10 years.

Environment

18 hours ago

Climate change may make prescribed fires rarer, but increases their air quality impacts

Prescribed burns are important for land management and preventing wildfires, but a new study finds these managed fires are also significant contributors to air pollution in the southeastern United States—particularly in ...

Environment

18 hours ago

Where do Antarctic submarine canyons get their marine life?

Submarine canyons around Antarctica tend to have less sea ice, higher sea surface temperatures, and more biomass such as phytoplankton blooms than the shelves they cut into. Phytoplankton blooms feed Antarctic krill, making ...

Earth Sciences

19 hours ago

'Guerrilla rewilding' aims for DIY conservation—but it may do more harm than good

Ever since modern environmentalism took off in the 1960s, people have tried to undo the damage humans have caused to nature. Efforts have ranged from reducing threats, to restoring habitats, to reintroducing vanished species—and ...

Environment

19 hours ago

Vermont plastic bag use dropped 91% following ban, researchers find

In the midst of 2020 COVID measures, another change took place in Vermont: A law went into effect banning businesses from offering plastic bags to customers, with paper bags only available for a fee.

Environment

20 hours ago

Heatstroke alerts issued in Japan as temperatures surge

Sweltering temperatures prompted heatstroke alerts in multiple Japanese regions on Wednesday, with dozens of people seeking emergency medical care in the capital Tokyo.

Environment

20 hours ago

Ancient groundwater records reveal regional vulnerabilities to climate change

During the last ice age, storms soaked the now-arid Southwestern U.S., while today's rainy Pacific Northwest remained relatively dry. As global temperatures rose and ice sheets retreated, those storms shifted north—reshaping ...

Earth Sciences

20 hours ago

Diminishing night sky: Light pollution from cities and satellites is making stars harder to see

This week, Aotearoa New Zealand officially celebrates Matariki for the fourth time, marked by the reappearance in the night sky of the star cluster also known as the Pleiades.

Environment

20 hours ago

Plastics threaten ecosystems and human health, but evidence-based solutions are under political fire

Negotiations toward a global, legally binding plastics treaty are set to resume this summer, with the United Nations Environment Programme announcing that the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution will ...

Environment

21 hours ago

New technology uses underwater sound waves for faster and more reliable tsunami warnings in real-time

A new tool that assesses the level of danger posed by tsunamis in real-time has been made operational on a global scale.

Earth Sciences

23 hours ago

Sea ice plays important role in variability of carbon uptake by Southern Ocean

New research reveals the importance of winter sea ice in the year-to-year variability of the amount of atmospheric CO2 absorbed by a region of the Southern Ocean.

Earth Sciences

Jun 18, 2025