Climate Change

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Last fall, NASA scientist Colin Raymond and colleagues published an article showing that contrary to expectations, deadly heat and humidity combinations occur along the Persian Gulf at night rather than only during the afternoon. In this part of the Middle East, temperatures are rising at double the average global rate. […]

Climate Crisis

Iraq’s Climate Crisis is a Human Rights Crisis

Human Rights Watch

Sarah Sanbar Iraq Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division ( Human Rights Watch ) – By any metric, Iraq’s environment is under severe pressure. Lakes, rivers, and marshlands are shrinking, and in some cases entirely disappearing. Sandstorms are increasing in frequency and severity, resulting in hospitalizations and the grounding of flights. Decades of conflict-related […]

CO2

CO2 in Atmosphere Higher than in 2 Million Years, with 2024 the Hottest Year Ever Recorded

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The annual report of the World Meteorological Organization concludes that in 2023, the latest year for which a complete analysis has been carried out, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere reached its highest level ever recorded —- about 420 parts per million (ppm). That’s 151% higher than […]

Climate Crisis

The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence

Marc Martorell Junyent

Review of Peter Schwartzstein, The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence (London: Footnote Press, 2024). Munich, Germany (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) –– Although climate change does not directly cause conflict, it makes violence more likely to occur and to be more intense. The effects of climate change act as ‘threat […]

Egypt

From the Tigris and Euphrates to the Nile: The Middle East’s unresolved Water Disputes

Global Voices

Written byRaseef22 This post by Mohamed Yousry, was first published in Arabic by Raseef 22* on February 15, 2025. This edited version was translated into English and published on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement. ( Global Voices ) – The West Asia and North Africa region is facing a water scarcity crisis. […]

Biodiversity

We’re Killing off Thousands of Species, damaging our Health, Economies and Connections to Nature

The Conversation

By Justine Bell-James, The University of Queensland and James Watson, The University of Queensland (The Conversation) – Almost 200 nations have signed an ambitious agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss but none is on track to meet the crucial goal, our new research reveals. The agreement, known formally as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, […]

Climate Crisis

Trump’s reversal of Climate Policies risks undermining U.S. Manufacturing — and could cost people Jobs

The Conversation

By Thomas Stuart, University of Victoria (The Conversation) – United States President Donald Trump’s early executive actions have set American manufacturing on a collision course with his administration’s fossil-fuel-driven agenda. It’s clear that climate change policies run counter to his vision of American primacy. Trump wasted no time reversing the green initiatives of his predecessor, […]

Climate Crisis

2024’s extreme Ocean Heat breaks Records again, leaving 2 Mysteries to solve

The Conversation

By Annalisa Bracco, Georgia Institute of Technology (The Conversation) – The oceans are heating up as the planet warms. This past year, 2024, was the warmest ever measured for the global ocean, following a record-breaking 2023. In fact, every decade since 1984, when satellite recordkeeping of ocean temperatures started, has been warmer than the previous […]

Climate Crisis

L. A. Fires show the Human Cost of Climate-Driven ‘Whiplash’ between Wet and Dry Extremes

The Conversation

By Doug Specht, University of Westminster (The Conversation) – October to April is normally considered to be the wet season in California, yet this January, the region is experiencing some of the most devastating fires it’s ever seen. As of January 10, five major fires in and around Los Angeles have burned over 29,053 acres, […]