Author: Alex Morrison

A project studying the impact of climate change on peatlands has won a prestigious Synergy Grant from the European Research Council. CLIMPEAT (Northern Peatlands in the face of climate warming and abrupt changes) has been awarded €12.5 million over six years. The project will investigate how peatlands in the northern hemisphere respond to climate change and future warming. These peatlands contain huge amounts of carbon and nitrogen which, if released, could amplify global warming. CLIMPEAT is led by…

Techniques to reflect an additional small portion of sunlight back into space could help cool the planet if deployed globally, but they cannot address the full range of climate impacts or replace emission cuts, according to a Royal Society briefing. “Solar radiation modification” (SRM), published today, considers the potential impacts of SRM if deployed globally, in a scientifically informed way, across both hemispheres and for long periods of time. It evaluates its potential effectiveness, limitations, risks, and challenges…

How might Arctic sea-ice loss affect the British Isles’ weather? That is the question a team of researchers from the University of Exeter and the Met Office have been investigating. The team found a considerable influence of Arctic sea ice on winter weather conditions, with a range of outcomes influenced by a “tug-of-war” between the amount of sea-ice loss relative to background global warming. More dramatic sea-ice loss is associated with a higher rate of warming in the Arctic compared…

As the world approaches critical tipping points, a comprehensive global scientific report shows that resilience – the ability to live and develop with change and crises – must now be placed at the heart of global decision making. Resilience Science Must-Knows highlights nine insights to connect climate, biodiversity, and development goals, supporting societies to prepare for, respond to, and transform through change and crises. For the first time, researchers have compiled decades of resilience science research into nine…

Most sharks in UK waters survive catch-and-release fishing when angling best practices are followed, according to a new study. University of Exeter researchers, working with partners, tagged almost 70 blue, porbeagle and tope sharks caught in recreational fishing in the British Isles, to track their behaviour and survival afterwards. Fewer than 5% – three sharks, one from each species – died. “Our results suggest survival rates are high when sharks are caught and released within current best-practice guidelines,”…

The planet’s natural carbon sinks are reaching critical limits, absorbing fewer emissions than expected as decades of climate change has weakened their capacity, a new report warns. Nature-based carbon removal projects are also at risk; climate change is further undermining their long-term reliability and storage capacity, and though large-scale deployment of removals is necessary, it could threaten food security and biodiversity. The report warns that global climate targets may now face major setbacks. Launched today ahead of COP30…

The worsening consequences of the climate crisis could fatally “derail” climate action, researchers have warned. With global warming breaching 1.5°C – and Earth system tipping points, such as the widespread dieback of warm-water coral reefs, now being reached – the consequences of climate change are guaranteed to escalate. The new report – by the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative (SCRI), the University of Exeter, University College London’s Climate Action Unit, and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) –…

Continental shelf seas – the shallow waters surrounding our coasts that provide most of the world’s seafood – are absorbing more carbon than they release, with the strength and direction of the prevailing wind proving a key control, new research shows.  This may sound like good news for slowing climate change, but scientists warn it comes at a cost: rising ocean acidification that threatens marine life and global food security. The new study, led by researchers with the…

Widespread mortality of warm-water coral reefs under way, as world reaches first tipping point With global warming set to breach 1.5°C, world dangerously close to further catastrophic tipping points These include melting ice sheets, Amazon rainforest dieback and collapse of vital ocean currents Tipping points pose a new type of threat that current international structures and agreements are not designed to counter Key to averting catastrophe is to act urgently, by supporting societal transformation and triggering ‘positive tipping…

The June 2023 heatwave in northern European seas was “unprecedented but not unexpected”, new research shows. During the heatwave, temperatures in the shallow seas around the UK (including the North Sea and Celtic Sea) reached 2.9°C above the June average for 16 days. While unprecedented since observations began, the study warns that rapid climate change means there is now about a 10% chance of a marine heatwave of this scale occurring each year. The June 2023 marine heatwave…