The Great Barrier Reef experiences sixth mass bleaching event
Last year, scientists said that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef couldn’t survive another bleaching event. According to experts in the field, it’s happening right now. After the mass coral bleaching event of 2020, marine biologists said that another coral bleaching event could cause irreversible, long-term damage to the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists...
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Climate change is threatening larger bees and global pollination
New research suggests that as our planet warms, larger bees such as the bumblebee will become less prominent. Scientists now warn of potential ‘cascading’ effects on plant pollination and entire ecosystems. Climate change is ruining summers in more ways than one, according to new research. A cohort of US scientists, who...
Australia facing some of the most devastating floods in its history
Over the past weeks, freak rain storms have brought devastating floods to Australia. Spreading from Queensland to NSW, and now Sydney, residents have been urged to flee their homes as a civilian death count rises. A record-breaking ‘rain bomb’ has destroyed entire communities across Australia’s Eastern coast. Torrential rainfall...
The dark side of lithium and our supposed electric future
Lithium offers the most promising avenue out of our current reliance on fossil fuels. But are we underestimating the level of ecological damage inflicted by mining it on a mass scale? Widely used in our electric devices, from mobile phones and laptops, to cars and aircraft, demand for lithium is...
Why we should talk more about Europe’s rapidly growing forests
With laser-like focus on deforestation in the Amazon, we’ve forgotten to celebrate the growth of forests around us and the job they’re doing to sustain our natural world. The Amazon rainforest tends to make headlines whenever wildfires begin, as entire ecosystems and species are irreversibly destroyed. But more frequently, it’s human-led...
Final IPCC report warns ‘now or never’ to prevent climate disaster
Climate scientists have provided something of a final warning in the latest IPCC report. Efforts to make emissions peak by 2025 must materialise ‘now or never’ to avoid devastating climate impacts. Good afternoon… humanity is running out of time. The third and final section of the IPCC’s comprehensive review of climate...
Edible food packaging is the future of snack time
Using seaweed and algae, several food manufacturers are starting to cut back on single-use plastic waste by making their wrappers fully edible. Ever finish your snack and wish you had a little something more to munch on? What if we told you that soon, you’ll be able to eat the wrapper that snack came in? Sounds a bit weird, right? Well, we’re not far off from that becoming a reality, as...
Heatwaves at both Earth’s poles alarm climate researchers
Over the weekend, temperatures at both the Earth’s poles soared to between 30C and 40C higher than expected levels. If this becomes the norm, researchers are seriously concerned about an abrupt climate breakdown. At this time of year, the Antarctic should be rapidly cooling after its summer while the Arctic gradually emerges from its winter months. Instead, both poles are experiencing ‘unprecedented’ heatwaves that have climate researchers on high alert. Over...
Could privatising the moon be the next human space venture?
A UK-based think tank wants to solve poverty on Earth by privatising the moon. Just in case anyone felt like we didn’t have the resources to deal with problems on Earth, economists are now suggesting that the moon could be of help. A British, neoliberal think-tank called The Adam Smith Institute says that our moon should be divided into sections of land and allocated to various countries. Once this is...
Major shipping routes could be changed to protect blue whales
Off the coast of Sri Lanka, a unique pod of blue whales circulate the waters all year round. Environmentalists are calling for shipping routes to be adjusted to keep them safe. In 2008, a unique and endangered pod of whales was discovered in the Indian Ocean. Most blue whales typically migrate far distances for food, but the group living off the tip of Sri Lanka are believed to stay in the...
