climate

What U.S. withdrawal from Paris climate deal means for a warming planet

Tampa Electric Company coal fired electrical power plant, Florida

Why extreme climate scenarios no longer seem so unlikely

The United Nations has called climate change the “defining issue of our time.” But new analyses suggest the planet’s temperature will rise by even more than the UN had estimated -- and that warming creates ever-increasing energy consumption due to…

By Paul Solman

Climate activist Greta Thunberg on the power of a movement

Although more Americans than ever are worried about climate change, less than 40 percent expect to make “major sacrifices” to tackle the problem. But according to Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teenager and climate activist, drastic action is exactly what's needed…

By William Brangham

What Middle America is saying about climate change and gun violence

Catastrophic damage from Hurricane Dorian is putting natural disasters, and their potential connection to climate change, front and center in the U.S., but gun safety and a flood of Republican congressional retirements are also occupying public attention. Chris Buskirk of…

News Wrap: Trump to shift policy on assets seized by Cuba

In our news wrap Tuesday, it has been widely reported that a Trump administration policy will allow lawsuits over U.S. properties seized by Cuba after the 1959 revolution. The move would represent a shift from two decades of U.S. policy.

In Niger, rising temperatures mean barren fields — but fertile ground for terrorism

By Mike Cerre

In the African Sahel, located between the Sahara Desert and the equator, the climate has long been inhospitable. But now rising temperatures have caused prolonged drought and unpredictable weather patterns, exacerbating food shortages, prompting migration and contributing to instability in…

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‘Protectors of the coast’ — what the northward march of mangroves means for fishing, flooding and carbon

By Ayurella Horn-Muller, Climate Central

Ranges of mangroves have naturally waxed and waned over the years, influenced by the weather, but with climate change has come a crucial reduction in crop- and tree-killing freeze events.

The Arctic is experiencing its ‘most unprecedented transition in history.’ Here’s why

By Nsikan Akpan

2018 is the second warmest year for the Arctic in a century, plus other takeaways from this year's Arctic Report Card.

2017, a year of extreme disasters, was also one of the hottest on record

By Rashmi Shivni

Scientists worry that the extreme weather events seen in 2017 will only get worse as the planet heats up.

First Harvey, now Irma. Why are so many hurricanes hitting the U.S.?

By Nsikan Akpan

Some uncertainty still surrounds Hurricane Irma’s fate, but here’s what to expect -- plus an explainer on why this hurricane season is churning out so many extreme storms in the Atlantic Ocean.