climate change

Why people’s misperceptions about climate change, vaccinations are so hard to shake

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Misperceptions can be difficult to tackle because they become tied to people's identities, says Prof. Reifler. Image credit - Pixabay/ congerdesign, licensed under Pixabay license

by Kelly Oakes The most powerful source of misperceptions about important issues such as immigration and climate change are false beliefs rooted in people’s political or social preferences, but having people who question authority is also important for a society, according to Professor Jason Reifler, a political scientist at the University of Exeter, UK. Prof. … Read more

‘The biggest threat to our oceans is that we’ve taken them for granted’

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There is still uncertainty around the knock-on effects of abrupt ocean changes. Image credit - Pixnio, CC0

‘The biggest threat to our oceans is that we’ve taken them for granted’ IPCC report and oceans take centre stage at EU research event in Brussels. by Joanna Roberts People need to be persuaded that the ocean is not a problem or dangerous for humans, but that we are a problem for the oceans, according to former … Read more

‘I would like people to panic’ – Top scientist unveils equation showing world in climate emergency

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‘As Greta Thunberg would say, I would like people to panic and take action,' said Prof. Schellnhuber. Image credit - PlanetMallika/ Pixabay

A new equation showing that the world is ‘deep in a climate emergency’ was unveiled on 24 September by Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, one of the world’s leading authorities on climate change, who said that people still don’t want to see the truth about the state we’re in. ‘Based on sober scientific analysis, we are … Read more

Five things you need to know about: decarbonising Europe

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Countries in Europe are committed to decarbonising, but experts say not nearly enough is being done and that we need real political action. Image credit - Peter Castleton/Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0)

by Jonathan O’Callaghan Countries across Europe have, in the past few years, announced their intention to become carbon neutral in the coming decades. Some, like Norway, have targets for 2030, while others, like the UK and France, have goals that extend to 2050. Despite the differences, however, all have agreed to decarbonise, but just what … Read more

AI can help us fight climate change. But it has an energy problem, too

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Data centres that store and process algorithms use a lot of energy but there is little discussion about their environmental impact. Image credit - 123net/Wikimedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

by Annette Ekin Artificial intelligence (AI) technology can help us fight climate change – but it also comes at a cost to the planet. To truly benefit from the technology’s climate solutions, we also need a better understanding of AI’s growing carbon footprint, say researchers.   AI is changing the way we work, live and solve … Read more

Public action and ‘fundamental social change’ needed to reverse biodiversity decline

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Getting the general public to monitor local plants and animals could help paint a clearer picture of the global biodiversity crisis, but fundamental social change is needed if we are to reverse the loss of nature critical to our survival, say biodiversity experts. A million species are under threat of extinction, according to a global landmark … Read more