How a saviour of the ozone hole became a climate change villain – and how we're going to fix it
Oct 18, 2016 05:40 am UTC| Nature
Over the weekend, international leaders meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, agreed to a remarkable deal to phase-out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), used as refrigerants and propellants. HFCs are potent greenhouse gases. The...
'We must keep the lights on': how a cyclone was used to attack renewables
Oct 04, 2016 08:17 am UTC| Nature
The mid-latitude cyclone with no name that hit South Australia last week, spawning two tornadoes and 80,000 electricity strikes, destroyed 22 massive transmission towers carrying electricity across the state. The...
How to Think About 1.5 Degrees
Oct 04, 2016 07:38 am UTC| Nature
Astonishment was universal last December when the Paris Agreement on climate change included the aspiration to limit warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, a much tougher target than the standard of 2 degrees,...
Stop sending climate consultants to poor countries – invest in universities instead
Oct 04, 2016 07:32 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
As we edge closer to global consensus on climate change and the need to reduce emissions, the focus has moved from debating the science or the need for global action to the responsibility of individual countries to provide...
What do sugar and climate change have in common? Misplaced scepticism of the science
Sep 30, 2016 12:41 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Why do we think that climate sceptics are irrational? A major reason is that almost none of them have any genuine expertise in climate science (most have no scientific expertise at all), yet theyre confident that they know...
Climate change is happening in your garden: here's how to spot it
Sep 30, 2016 09:43 am UTC| Nature
As the weather warms and days lengthen, your attention may be turning to that forgotten patch of your backyard. This week weve asked our experts to share the science behind gardening. So grab a trowel and your green...
Record high to record low: what on earth is happening to Antarctica's sea ice?
Sep 29, 2016 02:42 am UTC| Nature
2016 continues to be a momentous year for Australias climate, on track to be the new hottest year on record. To our south, Antarctica has also just broken a new climate record, with record low winter sea ice. After a...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board
Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight