Climate

  1. photo of natural gas flares in the foreground at the Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin in North Dakota in 2021
    Climate

    Gas flares are leaking five times as much methane than previously thought

    The flares burn off methane at 91 percent efficiency. Achieving 98 percent efficiency would be like taking nearly 3 million cars off the road.

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  2. Jacky Austermann and William D'Andrea on the Bahamas' Crooked Island
    Earth

    Jacky Austermann looks to the solid earth for clues to sea level rise

    Jacky Austermann’s work could help inform practical climate change solutions for at-risk coastal cities.

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  3. Robin Wordsworth stands in front of a martian meteorite exhibit wearing a gray sweater and glasses
    Planetary Science

    Robin Wordsworth re-creates the atmosphere of ancient Mars

    Robin Wordsworth studies the climates of Mars and other alien worlds to find out whether they could support life.

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  4. photo of Mwatime Hamadi holding propagule amid a mangrove ecosystem
    Climate

    How Kenyans help themselves and the planet by saving mangrove trees

    Communities in Kenya took action to restore their coastal mangrove forests, reaping economic and environmental benefits. Others are following suit.

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  5. photo of models wearing pink and white Zara dresses where one model's face looks to the camera and the torso of another model is visible
    Climate

    How to make recyclable plastics out of CO2 to slow climate change

    Companies are turning atmospheric CO2 from smokestacks and landfills into plastics to shrink their carbon footprint.

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  6. image of two pairs of sneakers by a door
    Climate

    A carbon footprint life cycle assessment can cut down on greenwashing

    As companies try to reduce their carbon footprint, many are doing life cycle assessments to quantify the full carbon cost of their products.

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  7. Yasmin Morales stands in the doorway of her home with debris and the Puerto Rico landscape visible behind her. The roof is absent. Jugs of water sit on a counter top, and two big blue barrels stand in front of her.
    Climate

    A coral pollution study unexpectedly helped explain Hurricane Maria’s fury

    Tracking coral reef pollution in Puerto Rico, conservation researchers discovered by chance how the coastal ocean fueled Hurricane Maria.

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  8. Illustration of a carnivorous erythrosuchid (looks like a cross between a dinosaur and a crocodile) reaching for tiny gliding reptiles in a forest
    Animals

    Extreme climate shifts long ago may have helped drive reptile evolution

    The end-Permian extinction left reptiles plenty of open ecological niches. But rapid climate change may be what kick-started the animals’ dominance.

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  9. Buildings with mountains in the background in Nuuk, Greenland
    Earth

    The Arctic is warming even faster than scientists realized

    The Arctic isn’t just heating up two to three times as quickly as the rest of the planet. New analyses show that warming is almost four times as fast.

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  10. A beaver in a cage, partially submerged in water and surrounded by grass
    Animals

    Relocated beavers helped mitigate some effects of climate change

    Along a river in Washington state, the repositioned beavers built dams that lowered stream temperatures and boosted water storage.

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  11. a man in a red shirt and a black cap standing in front of a misting fan
    Climate

    Humans may not be able to handle as much heat as scientists thought

    Humans’ capacity to endure heat stress may be lower than previously thought — bad news as climate change leads to more heat waves around the globe.

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  12. array of reflectors around a tower with a solar reactor
    Environment

    How to make jet fuel from sunlight, air and water vapor

    Solar kerosene could one day replace petroleum-derived jet fuel in airplanes and help stabilize greenhouse gas emissions.

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