Climate watch
We are facing an unprecedented global emergency. Life on Earth is in crisis; scientists agree we have entered a period of abrupt climate breakdown. And we are in the midst of a mass extinction of our own making. Students around the world have joined global movements to strike for climate, and their call of action has sparked an international awakening. The damage we are doing to our planet and how it will affect our futures is the biggest issue of our time. Climate Watch follows the biggest environmental stories as they break, tracing not just the damage and destruction, but the epic battles of individuals and organisations to save the planet before it is too late.
Stories
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Prince Charles unveils plan to save the planet
Could the Terra Carta be as important as the Magna Carta? Prince Charles’s proposals for saving the environment may prove a turning point in the battle against climate change.
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The future: one chef’s plan to feed the world
Are we on the brink of a food revolution? For the final part of our series on different visions of the future, we examine a fascinating and provocative plan to solve world hunger forever.
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Scientists spot ‘impossible’ new whale species
Are we killing species faster than we thought? Naturalists discover thousands of new animals and plants each year. Yet, at the same time, countless more are wiped out by humans.
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UN chief warns of ‘suicidal’ war on nature
Do we value markets over morals? As we head towards climate armageddon, a prominent economist claims that we need to radically transform our understanding of value — or face extinction.
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The epic battle to save Earth’s species
Is conservation the most important job? As the winners of a prestigious environmental prize collect their awards, some people say there is no more noble task than protecting our planet.
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Nature bites back as killer whales attack
Is nature angry? Wildfires, plagues, hurricanes and now marauding orcas… experts warn that humanity’s treatment of the natural world has awoken a wrathful beast seeking revenge.
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Attenborough calls for the rewilding of Earth
Can we still save the planet? A new EU report shows that three quarters of Europe’s species require better conservation, and 80% of its key natural habitats are in poor or bad condition.
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I am Greta: the person behind the protests
Is authenticity the secret of charisma? A Swedish teenager became an overnight sensation after launching a lone climate protest. Now, a new film sheds light on her extraordinary popularity.
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Prince launches £50m prize to rescue planet
Could Prince William save the world? The future king has teamed up with global climate icon David Attenborough to create a green “Nobel prize” to inspire a new generation of innovators.
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Row over Google zero carbon footprint claim
Can corporations solve the climate crisis? Google yesterday claimed to have compensated for all the carbon it has ever created. But critics say business cannot be trusted to save the planet.
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Thousands of wildfires devastate California
Are California’s wildfires a warning to all of us? As the state fights some of the worst infernos in its history, experts argue that global warming makes them an ever greater threat.
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The not-so-slow death of Earth’s wildlife
Should we blame humanity for the coming age of extinction? A new report surveying the decline of global biodiversity offers a stark reminder of how people have changed the world.
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Hidden secrets of the Doomsday glacier
Does our survival depend on the Thwaites Glacier? Scientists monitoring the immense sheet of Antarctic ice warn that if it melts, the effect on global sea level could be catastrophic.
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Amazon on fire: ‘All you can see is death’
Who is to blame for the destruction of the Amazon? Man-made fires are raging across the world’s largest rainforest, burning down areas the size of five football pitches every minute.
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New penguin colonies discovered – from space
Is this good news for humans? Emperor penguins are the world’s early warning system. Could the discovery of new colonies give us any hope that Earth has begun to reverse the climate crisis?
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Endangered tigers roaring back across Asia
Are tigers the key to saving the planet? The big cat is bouncing back, with numbers rising across six countries. But some warn this news is a distraction from a gloomy global picture.
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Arctic on fire as temperature records broken
Are we facing the end of the world? Or a new beginning? With a heatwave in Siberia, the climate crisis is more alarming than ever – but many see a moment of opportunity.
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The great hydrogen revolution gathers pace
Are we on the cusp of a hydrogen revolution? A new material, similar to a bath sponge, could be the key to making the most abundant element in the world the green fuel of the future.
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Forecasters see a new world after the pandemic
After Covid-19, will the world be reborn as a better place? Though the crisis is taking a terrible toll, some predict it will bring about far-reaching changes that will benefit humanity.
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Mass bleaching of Barrier Reef could go global
Are all the coral reefs going to disappear? The Great Barrier Reef has just suffered its third mass bleaching event in five years, causing huge loss in the world’s largest living structure.
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Air pollution
Seven million people die from air pollution every year. It has been linked to an increased risk of dementia. What is it, how does it work, and what is being done to reduce it?
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UN chief: climate talks at ‘point of no return’
Is he right? The world’s biggest climate summit kicked off in Madrid yesterday, with 29,000 delegates from almost every nation. António Guterrez thinks this is our last shot to get it right.
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Four inventions that could save the world
Can technology fix the climate crisis? Unless we act now, Earth will be 2C hotter in 2100. Storms will ravage the planet. Southern Europe will be a barren desert. But these four ideas could...
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Wildfires rip through hot, parched California
Are climate deniers partly to blame? California’s governor has said that Donald Trump, who doesn’t believe in the climate crisis, is not entitled to talk about the fires’ causes.
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‘Garden of Eden’ discovered in Botswana
Are we all Africans? New research suggests that all humans alive today are descended from people living in southern Africa, 200,000 years ago. But are they right? And does it matter?
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Attenborough returns with stern warning
But is he shying away from blaming humanity? The veteran naturalist returns to our screens on Sunday with a new series, delivering his most radical environmental message yet.
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‘Almost three billion will go hungry by 2050’
Can we feed everyone? Tomorrow is World Food Day. We already make enough for 10 billion people, and yet one in nine humans does not have enough food. How did that happen?
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Sci-fi comes true as China breeds giants pigs
Is this how meat-eating ends? In the face of severe shortages caused by infection and trade wars, a desperate regime starts breeding monster pigs to pacify its angry, rebellious masses.
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Climate uprising sparks a bitter war of words
Are they heroes or “uncooperative crusties”, as Boris Johnson said? Climate protesters are blocking roads in 60 cities. They say our future is at stake, but their methods are deeply divisive.
