Swiss Re cuts fossil fuel cover for oil, gas to protect climate 18/3/2022

Swiss Re, the world's second biggest reinsurer said it would no longer insure most new oil and gas projects following mounting pressure on big business to do more to help the world cap global warming. ...more

Brazilian biologists "frightened" at amount of microplastics in Rio marine life 18/3/2022

Biologists in Rio de Janeiro studying the presence of microplastics in marine life off the coast of Brazil's postcard city have found that the impact of plastic pollution is far worse than they had feared. ...more

Fast melting alpine permafrost is bad news for Earth 18/3/2022

Melting permafrost will play a major role in shaping Earth’s future. Recent research published in Nature Communications has established that alpine permafrost will melt much faster than arctic permafrost under current conditions. ...more

World far short of climate goals during 'decade of action' -report 17/3/2022

Climate action promised by countries would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 9% in this decade - far short of the global goal of cutting emissions by nearly half by 2030, a new analysis shows. ...more

Europe seeks breakthrough on climate change plans amid energy crisis 17/3/2022

EU environment ministers will assess their progress on negotiating a raft of new climate change policies on Thursday, with countries divided over whether soaring energy prices should speed up or slow down their green agenda. ...more

U.S. appeals court restores Biden climate risk measure for now 17/3/2022

A federal appeals court on Wednesday allowed the Biden administration to continue, at least temporarily, using Obama-era values for calculating climate change costs in government decisions. ...more

Fate of oceans depends on sewage and waste control, experts and diplomats warn 17/3/2022

The world's oceans are suffocating form a lack of oxygen caused by global warming and human pollution from sewage and industrial waste, and we are running out of time to fix the problem, experts and diplomats warned on Wednesday. ...more

Britain's HSBC firms up climate pledge after activist pressure 17/3/2022

Britain's HSBC toughened its climate commitments and pledged greater openness about its progress on Wednesday after pressure from activists who said they would now withdraw a resolution slated for its next shareholder meeting. ...more

EU countries support plan for world-first carbon border tariff 16/3/2022

European Union countries on Tuesday backed the bloc’s plan to impose a world-first carbon dioxide emissions tariff on imports of polluting goods, although the finer details will need to be worked out in upcoming negotiations. ...more

Air pollution linked to higher risk of autoimmune diseases 16/3/2022

Long-term exposure to air pollution can increase the risk of autoimmune disease, research has found. ...more