Basic Research

5 global climate actions to watch for in 2022

By Rachel Kyte, The Conversation

The world promised progress at the COP26 Glasgow climate conference. Now, it has to turn those promises into reality. A former senior UN official describes what to watch for in the coming year.

Wildfires torched up to a fifth of all giant sequoia trees

By Brian Melley, Associated Press

Lightning-sparked wildfires killed thousands of giant sequoias this year, leading to a staggering two-year death toll that accounts for up to nearly a fifth of Earth’s largest trees, officials said Friday.

Sources: Brazil withheld deforestation data 'til COP26's end

By Débora Álvares, Associated Press

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and Environment Minister Joaquim Leite both knew the Amazon region’s annual deforestation rate had surged before the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, but kept results quiet to avoid hampering negotiations, according to three Cabinet ministers who…

California wildfires torch thousands of giant sequoia trees

By Brian Melley, Associated Press

The estimate released Friday accounts for 13% to 19% of the native sequoias that are the largest trees on Earth.

Space station remains at high risk from shot satellite, says NASA

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

NASA says the International Space Station remains at increased risk from orbiting debris following this week's Russian weapons test.

Russia rejects accusations of endangering ISS astronauts

By Daria Litvinova, Associated Press

Russian officials are rejecting accusations that they endangered astronauts aboard the International Space Station by conducting a weapons test that created more than 1,500 pieces of space junk.

WATCH: Moby on the link between climate change and what we eat

By William Brangham, Sam Lane

To Moby, eliminating animal products from the global food-chain is essential for fighting climate change, and yet it has become the “third rail” of climate politics, he said.

A week in, big issues unresolved at COP26

By Associated Press

Briefing the United Nations Conference of Parties on the first week’s progress, COP President Alok Sharma had to correct himself, noting that “some” issues had been settled, rather than “many.”…

The magic 1.5: What's behind climate talks' key elusive goal

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

One phrase, really just a number, dominates climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland: The magic and elusive 1.5. That stands for the international goal of trying to limit future warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. It’s…

Kerry: U.S. working to find common ground with Russia, China on climate

By Associated Press

That’s despite Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping skipping world leaders’ current rounds of climate talks, a decision that sparked complaints from U.S. President Joe Biden when he attended a few days ago.