global warminglatest news & developments
US President Donald Trump (Flickr)

Climate leaders condemn US withdrawal from UN frameworks

The US is set to exit the UN climate treaty and key global science institutions under a Trump directive, a move critics say will isolate the country and deepen climate and biodiversity risks

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
Emissions are still climbing. In 2024, global greenhouse gas emissions increased by 2.3%, reaching 57.7 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent — a faster rate of growth than in 2023 and more than four times the annual average of the 2010s.

Off target: Unep warns that the world is still falling short of the Paris climate goals

A decade after the Paris Agreement united countries behind the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C, the latest Emissions Gap report from the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) delivers a sobering message: global efforts remain off target.  Despite new pledges and some policy progress, the world is still heading toward dangerous levels […]

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read

Africa’s floods and droughts are messing with our minds. Researchers are trying to figure out how

As climate change intensifies, experts say our health and healthcare systems are going to suffer. But mental health often takes a back seat

  • Eyaaz
15 min read
Freshwater fish, sharks, rays, endemic plants and iconic mammals are among the country’s fastest-declining species, as invasive species, reduced freshwater flows and pollution intensify. (Wikimedia Commons)

Climate crisis: Coral reefs hit critical tipping point

The world has reached the first of many Earth system tipping points that will cause catastrophic harm unless humanity takes urgent action, report warns

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
South Africa, the world’s seventh-largest coal producer, faces a climate challenge that has largely flown under the radar: methane emissions from coal mines. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Governments’ fossil fuel production plans threaten Paris climate goals, new report warns

It finds that the fossil fuel output will exceed 1.5°C limit by 120% by 2030

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
South Africa needs people with the skills to deal with climate change. Photo: Eric Vidal/Reuters

STEM careers are crucial to combat climate change

South Africa has a shortage of people with the necessary skills to tackle global warming and its damaging effects

3 min read
The clear signs of human-induced climate change reached unprecedented levels in 2024, with some consequences expected to be irreversible for centuries

World Meteorological Organisation warns of irreversible climate deterioration

Rising sea levels, ocean heat and the highest atmospheric carbon levels in 800 000 years point to a climate crisis that’s escalating rapidly

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
US Pesident Donald Trump. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump’s return to power sparks uncertainty over US climate commitments

South Africa and other developing nations are pushing for a $1 trillion climate finance target

  • Eyaaz
6 min read
The National Arctic Scientific Research Expedition team, organised for the fourth time this year in the Arctic Ocean, identified the decreasing sea ice due to global climate change through sampling, evaluation, observation, and unmanned aerial vehicles. In the studies, conducted using remote sensing methods, an analysis of the average sea ice distribution for June 2023 and 2024 revealed a significant decrease in sea ice. (Photo by Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Climate change solutions not always good for biodiversity

‘Sticking plaster fixes’ such as geoengineering could have unwanted side effects

  • Des Erasmus
3 min read
The cooling market in developing economies is expected to grow from around $300 billion to at least $600 billion per year, by 2050 (AFP via Getty Images)

Africa faces urgent need for sustainable cooling as temperatures soar

Around 3.5 billion people live in hot climates, but only 15% have access to cooling, mainly through air conditioning

  • Des Erasmus
3 min read
Kumi Naidoo, a leading voice for climate justice advocating for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty and fair finance, has been calling for governments to act on the ‘moral failure’ of continued fossil fuel expansion (Photo supplied)

Kumi Naidoo appointed president of global initiative to phase out fossil fuels

Naidoo’s leadership in the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative is seen as a critical step in the fight for a fair, sustainable future

  • Des Erasmus
2 min read
Grazing and plant poaching are also factors leading to the rare Prince Albert vygie dwindling. (SAEON)

Drought and warming a threat to endangered Western Cape vygie

Grazing and plant poaching are also factors leading to the rare Prince Albert vygie dwindling, researchers said

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
South Africa needs to change its top-down approach, consult communities and fast track the delayed Integrated Energy Plan

SA’s progress on climate and just transition hindered by incoherent policies, weak governance and inconsistency

The Presidential Climate Commission’s new report says progress is not happening at the pace and scale required This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get Your Free Account The Mail & Guardian is committed to providing all our readers with the best possible experience. Please register your free account now. Your registration is your first step to becoming an M&G community member. Register Registration enables: – M&G newsletters access – notifications – the best possible experience Already registered? Login here Want to subscribe and get even more benefits? Explore our subscription offers

  • Sheree Bega
1 min read
Scientists at the University of Cape Town’s Climate Risk Lab led the study, which analysed data from more than 21 000 species. (Photo by Emmanuele Contini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Climate change drives marine species to new habitats despite emission reductions

Harmful effects associated with unsafe temperatures are largely in the tropics, rising rapidly after 2050. In the temperate and polar areas, changes are likely to arise from opportunities in the near-term

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
File photo: A cemetery sits on melting permafrost tundra at the Yupik Eskimo village of Quinhagak on the Yukon Delta in Alaska. (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

UN report warns of synchronising of global crises

Viruses and microorganisms hidden in thawing permafrost, AI and digital transformation, armed conflict and violence are among key shifts and signals of change

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
Uwen Garae surveys his destroyed house on March 16, 2015 in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Cyclone Pam hit the South Pacific islands with hurricane-force winds, huge ocean swells and flash flooding. (Photo by Dave Hunt-Pool/Getty Images)

Commonwealth urges immediate action to support vulnerable island nations

A cyclone, or a hurricane, can knock a small or at-risk country off its growth trajectory for years, if not decades

  • Des Erasmus
5 min read
TotalEnergies, the French petro giant company with a legacy of destruction on the continent, this year celebrates 100 years. (Ernest Ankomah/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

TotalEnergies African legacy: 100 years of environmental destruction

Climate justice groups are leading the fight against those causing harm to our environment and climate

  • Eyaaz
5 min read
Workers carry ice blocks on a hand cart in New Delhi on May 30, 2024, amid an ongoing heatwave. Temperature readings in the city rose into the high 40s Celsius on May 29, with power usage in the city, where the population is estimated at more than 30 million, surging to a record high. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)

In the face of climate change, extreme heat is a human rights crisis

National and local governments should adopt and implement heat action plans to guide heatwave preparation and emergency response

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read

HEINEKEN steps up sustainability drive, moving to 65% returnable glass for beer portfolio in 2024

Along with the Star Bottle, the company will be opening Green Zones across the country

  • Derek Davey
3 min read
The UN Financing for Development Summit failed to deal with the issue of funding countries hit hardest by the climate crisis. (Envato Elements)

Heatwaves: ‘This is just the beginning’

The lengthy period of very high temperatures in November broke monthly records This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get Your Free Account The Mail & Guardian is committed to providing all our readers with the best possible experience. Please register your free account now. Your registration is your first step to becoming an M&G community member. Register Registration enables: – M&G newsletters access – notifications – the best possible experience Already registered? Login here Want to subscribe and get even more benefits? Explore our subscription offers

  • Sheree Bega
1 min read