Planting a Mix of Tree Species ‘Could Double’ Forest Carbon Storage
By Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief
Forests containing several tree species could store twice as much carbon as the average monoculture plantation, research finds. A study looking at the carbon storage of forests in southern China finds that each additional tree species introduced to a plantation could add 6% to its total carbon stocks.
Media Reaction: The 2018 Summer Heatwaves and Climate Change
By Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief
From heatwave deaths in Japan, Algeria and Canada, to wildfires in Sweden, Greece and California, the extended spells of hot, dry weather have become frontpage news around the world. Carbon Brief looks back at how the media has reported the extreme weather and how the coverage has – or has not – referenced climate change.
Sea Level Rise due to Antarctic Ice Melt has ‘Tripled over Past Five Years’
By Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief
The rate of sea level rise resulting from the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet has tripled over the past five years, according to new research from a global team of scientists.
World can Limit Global Warming to 1.5C by ‘Improving Energy Efficiency’
By Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief
The research suggests that improving energy efficiency – chiefly by saving on everyday energy use – could play a major role in restricting warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, which is the aspirational target of the Paris Agreement.
Tourism Responsible for 8% of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Study Finds
By Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief
Worldwide tourism accounted for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions from 2009 to 2013, new research finds, making the sector a bigger polluter than the construction industry. The study, which looks at the spending habits of travellers in 160 countries, shows that the impact of tourism on global emissions could be four times larger than previously thought.
Great Barrier Reef at ‘Unprecedented’ Risk of Collapse after Major Bleaching Event
By Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief
The record-breaking marine heatwave in 2016 across the Great Barrier Reef has left much of the coral ecosystem at an “unprecedented” risk of collapse, research shows. A new study published in Nature finds that the surge in sea temperatures during the 2016 bleaching event led to an immediate and long-lasting die-off of coral.
Limiting Warming to 1.5C Could ‘Substantially’ Cut Risk of Ice-Free Arctic Summers
By Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief
Meeting the Paris Agreement’s aspirational target of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels could “substantially” reduce the risk of sea ice-free summers in the Arctic, research shows. Two new studies find that, under 1.5C of warming, Arctic waters could experience ice-free summers around 2.5% of the time, or one in every 40 years.
Long-term Climate Variability ‘Could Fall’ as the World Warms
By Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief
Long-term climate variability is the range of temperatures and weather patterns experienced by the Earth over a scale of thousands of years. New research suggests it could fall as the world warms.