Behind every weather forecast, every early warning of life-threatening hazards, and every long-term climate change projection are observational data. A new report published by the World Bank, produced in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization and the Met Office (UK), estimates improving the collection and international exchange of surface-based observational …
By most accounts, 2020 has been a rough year for the planet. It was the warmest year on record, just barely exceeding the record set in 2016 by less than a tenth of a degree according to NASA’s analysis. Massive wildfires scorched Australia, Siberia, and the United States’ west coast …
The global surface temperature for the first five months of the year was the second highest on record, marginally behind the strong El Niño year of 2016. The month of May was the warmest May on record, according to U.S. and European datasets. The year 2020 is very likely (>99.9%) to …
International tourism down 22% in Q1 and could decline by 60-80% over the whole year 67 million fewer international tourists up to March translates into US$80 billion in lost exports UNWTO has outlined three possible future scenarios depending on how the crisis unfolds The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a 22% …
Insect populations have been steadily changing over recent years. A new study, based on 41 countries across 5 continents has found that land-based insects have been declining at a rate of 1% each year. Scientists still do not fully understand the cause for decline. When did you last see a …
For the first time, the World Health Organization projects that the number of males using tobacco is on the decline, indicating a powerful shift in the global tobacco epidemic. The findings, published today in a new WHO report, demonstrate how government-led action can protect communities from tobacco, save lives and …
Much of the planet’s megafauna is being driven extinct because of the usual causes: habitat loss and rampant poaching for body parts like horns, bones and tusks. But there is another reason large vertebrates are going extinct: people keep on eating them. A team of researchers has analyzed how human …
