Tag: Weather and climate
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Green policies sacrificed in rush to heal economies
Only recently, politicians across the world regularly competed to persuade voters that the environment was their main concern. A few years and a financial crisis later, priorities have changed.
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Sudden ice melt in Greenland shocks scientists
In the past two weeks, a sudden and dramatic melt has turned almost the entire surface of Greenland from ice to liquid water. This is totally unprecedented – but is it global warming?
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Stormy summer set to continue for rain-soaked UK
Forecasters have issued flood warnings as more bands of rain approach British shores. Meanwhile, America has suffered an extreme heat wave. Is global warming to blame?
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Wildfires, heat waves and hurricanes sweep US
Thousands of Americans are still without electricity this morning after severe storms over the weekend destroyed power lines across the eastern United States. More than a dozen people have died.
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Crowds gather at Stonehenge for summer solstice
Tonight, the Northern Hemisphere sees its shortest night of the year, as Earth tilts on its axis towards the Sun. Summer is here, and people in rainy Britain are desperate for decent weather.
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New wind farms face stiffening gale of opposition
A fresh poll shows that the number of Britons who would ‘strongly oppose’ a new wind farm has tripled in the space of two years. The bitter debate has split the environmental movement.
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Drought hits UK as officials ‘prepare for worst’
Months before summer, much of Britain is already officially in drought. If rains don’t come soon, it could be the worst such crisis in 35 years. Can the famously damp UK really be drying out?
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More snow on way, as Britain’s big freeze continues
With more snow to come, the UK is in the grip of some icy winter weather. A freezing front from the Arctic has dominated the skies – and British conversation. Why is the nation so obsessed?
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Tragic polar expedition remembered 100 years on
Robert Falcon Scott raced through icy blizzards to reach the South Pole – only to discover he had been beaten to it. Three months later, he was dead. But why does his legend live on?
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Giant ice cube to fight climate change in Mongolia
Scientists in Ulan Bator are trying a radical new technique to keep the city cool during its boiling summers: constructing one of the world’s biggest blocks of ice.
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New research confounds climate sceptics
A conservative foundation has unwittingly funded a study that proves climate change is real. What will this mean for the future of our planet?
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An ecosystem wiped out in a single generation
Coral reefs – among the world's most exciting habitats – are set for extinction. For the first time in history, humans will have destroyed not just a species but a whole living ecosystem.
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East Africa hit by returning drought and famine
The United Nations believes 10 million people are at risk from lack of food and water in the Horn of Africa. Lack of rain has left crops failing and livestock dead.
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China drought raises fears of global crisis
Parts of China are experiencing their worst drought in 50 years. Desperate officials have opened dams, spending the country's water reserves. But water shortages remain a global threat.
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‘Monster killer storm’ devastates Queensland
The most powerful cyclone ever to hit Australia struck Queensland this week. As devastation reigns, are such natural disasters inevitable?