External carapace and pereopod exoskeleton of the Dungeness crab megalopae (a) in its undamaged form (b, c) and with dissolution presence ranging from mild (Stage 1; d) to severe (Stage 2; e, f) patterns showing similarity in the structural damages (g) or exposed crystals (h). Indicated is the scale of the measurements (μm). The undamaged megalopae originated from the offshore or northwards habitats characterized by low ∆Ωcal,60 vertical gradients, while the most severely affected megalopae came from the nearshore or coastal habitats with steep ∆Ωcal,60 conditions. Photo: Bednaršek, et al., 2020 / Science of The Total Environment

Dungeness crab larvae already showing effects of coastal acidification – “We found dissolution impacts to the crab larvae that were not expected to occur until much later in this century”

23 January 2020 (NOAA) – A new NOAA-funded study has documented for the first time that ocean acidification along the US Pacific Northwest coast is impacting the shells and sensory organs of some young Dungeness crab, a prized crustacean that supports the most valuable fishery on the West Coast. Analysis of samples collected during a […]

Atmospheric CO2 concentrations, 2014-2019 and projected through 2020. Forecast (red) CO2 concentrations at the Mauna Loa observatory, with previous forecasts (blue) are compared to observations (black). The forecast uncertainty range (orange) based on the SST forecast is ± 2 standard deviations. Graphic: Met Office

Australia bushfires contribute to big rise in global CO₂ levels in 2020

By Grahame Madge 24 January 2020 (Met Office) – A forecast of the atmospheric concentration of carbon-dioxide shows that 2020 will witness one of the largest annual rises in concentration since measurements began at Mauna Loa, in Hawaii, 1958. During the year the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ is expected to peak above 417 parts per […]

The hands of the Doomsday Clock move to within 100 seconds of midnight, closer to midnight than at any point since its creation in 1947, 23 January 2020. Graphic: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Scientists move Doomsday Clock closer to midnight – “We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds”

By Gayle Spinazze 23 January 2020 WASHINGTON, D.C. (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) – The iconic Doomsday Clock symbolizing the gravest perils facing humankind is now closer to midnight than at any point since its creation in 1947. To underscore the need for action, the time on the Doomsday Clock is now being expressed in […]

Global average surface temperature, 1880-2019. The 2010-2019 decade was by far the hottest ever measured on Earth, capped off by the second-warmest year on record in 2019. Data: NOAA / NCEI. Graphic: AP

Earth had its hottest decade on record in 2010s – “2020 is off to a horrifying climate start, and I fear what the rest of the year will bring to our doorsteps”

By Seth Borenstein 15 January 2020 WASHINGTON (AP) – The decade that just ended was by far the hottest ever measured on Earth, capped off by the second-warmest year on record, two U.S. agencies reported Wednesday. And scientists said they see no end to the way man-made climate change keeps shattering records. “If you think […]

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg listens to a speech by President Trump during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, 21 January 2020. Photo: Gian Ehrenzeller / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock

As Trump lashes out at “prophets of doom” in Davos, Greta Thunberg calls for climate action – “I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.”

By Rick Noack 21 January 2020 (The Washington Post) – Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and President Trump offered two opposing visions at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, with Trump lashing out at what he said were “perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse” as Thunberg inveighed against […]

People break into a warehouse with supplies believed to have been from when Hurricane Maria struck the island in 2017 in Ponce, Puerto Rico on 18 January 2020, after a powerful earthquake hit the island. Photo: Ricardo Arduengo / AFP / Getty Images

Discovery of unused disaster supplies from Hurricane Maria angers Puerto Rico

By Danica Coto 19 January 2020 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – People in a southern Puerto Rico city discovered a warehouse filled with water, cots and other unused emergency supplies, then set off a social media uproar Saturday when they broke in to retrieve goods as the area struggles to recover from a strong […]

Indigenous leader of the Celia Xakriaba tribe walks next to the Xingu River during a four-day pow wow in Piaracu village, in Xingu Indigenous Park, near Sao Jose do Xingu, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, 15 January 2020. Photo: Ricardo Moraes / REUTERS

Brazil tribes back manifesto to save Amazon rainforest and its indigenous people from the “genocide, ethnocide, and ecocide” planned by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro

By Ricardo Moraes 18 January 2020 XINGU INDIGENOUS PARK, Brazil (Reuters) – Leaders of native tribes in Brazil issued a rallying call to protect the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous people from what they called the “genocide, ethnocide and ecocide” planned by the country’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. A manifesto signed on Friday at the […]

The Global Risks Report’s top 10 risks for 2019, ranked by likelihood and impact, shed light on significant trends that may shape global development over the next 10 years. Graphic: World Economic Forum

These are the biggest risks facing our world in 2019 – “Of all risks, it is in relation to the environment that the world is most clearly sleepwalking into catastrophe”

By Joe Myers and Kate Whiting 16 January 2019 (WEF) – What keeps you up at night? For leaders surveyed for the latest edition of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, environmental threats dominate the list for the third year in row – both in terms of impact and likelihood. “Of all risks, it is […]

Satellite photography and UV aerosol index showing smoke from the Australia bushfires being transported across the Atlantic Ocean from 27 December 2019 to 8 Kanuary 2020. Graphic: Colin Seftor / NASA

Australia fire smoke will complete a full circuit of Earth, NASA says

14 January 2020 (BBC News) – Smoke from the massive bushfires in Australia will soon circle the Earth back to the nation, says NASA. Massive infernos have raged along the nation’s east coast for months, pushing smoke across the Pacific. NASA said plumes from blazes around New Year’s Day had crossed South America, turning skies […]

Total world fertility rates and median age by region, 1955-2030. Data: UN population projections. Graphic: Alan Smith / Financial Times

Europe’s demographic time-bomb – While global population is ageing, continent presents extreme example of this trend

By Valentina Romei 13 January 2020 LONDON (Financial Times) – With its low birth rate and fast-ageing population, Europe is facing a demographic crisis, one that economists fear could hit growth and public finances.  While the global population overall is getting older, Europe is an extreme example of this trend, particularly in the continent’s south and […]

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