13 h. ago Global race to secure critical minerals for weapons threatens climate, warns report

Study reveals US earmarked billions to stockpile critical minerals for military use, including precision-guided weaponry and AI-driven warfareThe accelerating global arms race is hindering climate action as critical minerals that are key to a sustainable future are being diverted to make the latest military hardware, according to a reportThe study from the Transition Security Project – a joint US and UK venture – reveals how the Pentagon is stockpiling huge stores of critical minerals that are needed for a range of climate technologies including solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and battery storage. Continue reading...

Events

24 h. ago King Charles issues climate change warning amid ‘frustration’ at escalating crisis

Charles’ concerns will be aired in a new ITV documentary alongside broadcaster Steve Backshal

Events

25 h. ago King Charles issues climate change warning amid ‘frustration’ at humanity’s handling of the crisis

Charles’ concerns will be aired in a new ITV documentary alongside broadcaster Steve Backshal

Events

44 h. ago Deadly Asian floods are no fluke. They’re a climate warning, scientists say

Southeast Asia has been hit by unusually severe floods this year, with late storms killing more than 1,200 people and leaving hundreds missing across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand

Events

5 d. ago Prince William pays tribute to 'wildlife warrior' Steve Irwin as royal warns about climate change

Prince William has paid tribute to Steve Irwin as gala takes place in Brisbane tonight to raise funds to continue to work of the wildlife conservationist.

Events

6 d. ago More than 1,000 Amazon workers warn rapid AI rollout threatens jobs and climate

Workers say the firm’s ‘warp-speed’ approach fuels pressure, layoffs and rising emissionsMore than 1,000 Amazon employees have signed an open letter expressing “serious concerns” about AI development, saying that the company’s “all-costs justified, warp speed” approach to the powerful technology will cause damage to “democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth.”The letter, published on Wednesday, was signed by the Amazon workers anonymously, and comes a month after Amazon announced mass layoff plans as it increases adoption of AI in its operations. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago UN warns world losing climate battle but fragile Cop30 deal keeps up the fight

Reaching agreement in divisive political landscape shows ‘climate cooperation is alive and kicking’, says UN climate chiefThe world is not winning the fight against the climate crisis but it is still in that fight, the UN climate chief has said in Belém, Brazil, after a bitterly contested Cop30 reached a deal.Countries at Cop30 failed to bring the curtain down on the fossil fuel age amid opposition from some countries led by Saudi Arabia, and they underdelivered on a flagship hope – at a conference held in the Amazon – to chart an end to deforestation. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Saudi Arabia leads attempts to block climate deal at COP30, UN chief warns

António Guterres notes talks could fail as a result of negotiating tactics

Events

2 w. ago A fight for survival – the reality of life in the Amazon in the shadow of Cop30

A short boat ride from Cop30 lies the home of Seu Ladi, who tells Nick Ferris how deforestation and climate change has changed life in Belém – while others warn of a potentially devastating risks to future of the forest

Events

2 w. ago ‘Without our expertise, mistakes get made’: the Cop30 campaign to give workers a voice

In this week’s newsletter: The green transition’s effect on workers is a hot topic, as advocates push for those working at the frontlines to have a say in climate policy• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereWe know that to avert the worst effects of the climate crisis, the world must reshape fundamental aspects of society – from how we eat and move around to how we turn on the lights and build homes. The transformation of energy, manufacturing, construction, agriculture and transport is creating millions of new jobs. But it’s also disrupting old roles in polluting industries.The green transition’s effect on workers around the world is a hot topic at this year’s Cop30 climate conference here in Belém, Brazil. More on what labour and climate justice advocates are demanding, after today’s headlines.$170,000 a minute: why Saudi Arabia is the biggest blocker of climate actionClimate crisis or a warning from God? Iranians desperate for answers as water dries upFlo...

Politics

2 w. ago Climate crisis or a warning from God? Iranians desperate for answers as water dries up

As rainy season fails to bring relief, authorities try cloud seeding – while others across the country pray for a miracleWater, and its absence, has become Iran’s national obsession. In the mosques of northern Tehran the imams have been praying for rain, while the meteorologists count down the hours until the weather is forecast to break and rain is finally due to fall from the sky.Forecasts of “rain-producing clouds” are front-page news. More than 50 days have passed since the start of Iran’s rainy season and more than 20 provinces have not yet had a drop. The number of dams that have less than 5% of their reservoir capacity had increased from eight to 32, and the crisis has spread from the central plains right across the country. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Storm Claudia flooding chaos as Monmouth local warns of 'climate collapse'

More than 90 Environment Agency flood warnings remained active on Saturday morning amid fears flooding will continue throughout the weekend before the weather is set to turn colder

Events

2 w. ago Yellow fever and dengue cases surge in South America as climate crisis fuels health issues

Disease outbreaks from South America to Europe have been worsened by rising global temperatures, experts saySurging cases of yellow fever and dengue in South America highlight the growing assault on people’s health from the climate crisis, with infectious diseases spread by mosquitoes and deadly heat also now pushing into temperate regions such as Europe, experts have warned at the Cop30 climate summit.There have been 356 cases of yellow fever in South America and 152 deaths so far this year, largely in the Amazon region, according to Pan American Health Organization figures. Apart from a large spike in 2017 and 2018, this is the largest number of yellow fever cases for any year in the continent, bar one, since 1960. Continue reading...

Society

3 w. ago Cop can be torturous and tedious – but here’s why it’s worth paying attention

In this week’s newsletter: Critics have yet come up with an alternative that would truly bring all countries together to work to solve the climate crisis• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereWorld leaders – or at least about 50 of them – flew away from preliminary Cop meetings in the Amazonian city of Belém last week, where they met to discuss the climate crisis, the ravages committed on the planet’s biggest rainforest only too apparent beneath them, if they chose to look.Deforestation, drought and the climate crisis are pushing the Amazon to what could become a “tipping point”, where it changes state from a rainforest to a savannah ecosystem, and from a massive absorber of carbon to releasing carbon into the atmosphere, which would have devastating consequences for the whole world.‘It will never be forgiven’: UN climate chief warns world to act or face disasterTyphoon Fung-Wong becomes second in a week to hit the PhilippinesI wish we could ignore Bill Gates...

Politics

3 w. ago Top UN official warns inaction on climate crisis ‘will never be forgiven’ as Cop30 opens in Brazil

Simon Stiell told ministers from nearly 200 countries in Belém that governments dragging their feet on cutting fossil fuel use would be held responsible for famines, conflicts, and economic turmoil

Events

3 w. ago ‘It will never be forgiven’: UN climate chief warns world to act or face disaster

Faltering governments will be blamed for famine and conflict abroad, and face stagnation and inflation at home, says climate chief at start of Cop30Governments failing to shift to a low-carbon economy will be blamed for famine and conflict abroad, and will face stagnation and rising inflation at home, the UN’s climate chief warned on Monday at the start of the Cop30 climate talks.Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN framework convention on climate change, addressed the gathering of ministers and high-ranking officials from nearly 200 countries, in a stark portrayal of the price of failure on the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Prince William warns the world is 'edging dangerously close to climate disaster' as he speaks on the 'privilege' of representing the King on a global stage for the first time at COP30 in Brazil

William, 43, is representing King Charles at the COP30 United Nations Climate Summit in Belém, the gateway to Brazil 's Amazon rainforest.

Events

4 w. ago Warning over 1.5C climate goal as 2025 set to be among hottest years on record

A temporary overshoot of the 1.5C climate target virtually impossible to avoid, scientists have said.

Events

4 w. ago Climate aid too hard for poorest countries to access, warns top advisor ahead of Cop30

The former chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) negotiating group says too much red tape makes it very difficult for the world’s poorest nations to get the help they desperately need

Events

last month Kemi Badenoch: You're better off on welfare than in work under Labour

The Tory leader warned that Keir Starmer was creating a climate where being on benefits was preferable to having a job - unless you happened to work for government itself.

Economics