Global Warming

The Kokalik River in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska

A Controversial Arctic Oil Drilling Project Is One Step Closer to Moving Forward

The Biden administration recommended a scaled-back proposal for drilling in Alaska, which may emit 280 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 30 years

The Tongass National Forest is home to a variety of wildlife, including bald eagles, salmon, brown bears and wolves.

Alaska

U.S. Restores Protections for Alaska’s Tongass National Forest

A new federal rule restricts road construction and logging in the country’s largest national forest

Since 1970, the oceans have sunk about 90 percent of the excess heat from the atmosphere.

Oceans Break Record for Highest Temperatures Four Years in a Row

Warming oceans can drive sea-level rise and extreme weather

Monogenean worms dissected from the gills of a preserved copper rockfish from the University of Washington Fish Collection at the Burke Museum

Puget Sound's Parasites Are Disappearing—but Don’t Be Glad to Say Goodbye

The decline, which was correlated with warming waters in a new study, is bad news for ecosystems

Gas stoves emit air pollutants, including heat-trapping gasses.

Should the U.S. Ban Gas Stoves?

While the White House opposes an all-out ban, a federal safety agency is studying the health and environmental hazards of the kitchen appliances

The satellite reentered Earth's atmosphere at 11:04 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday.

NASA Satellite Falls Back to Earth After Almost 40 Years in Space

The reentry calls attention to the mission’s success and puts a spotlight on the dangers of space debris

In purple, a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica on September 10, 2009

The Ozone Hole Is on Track to Mend Itself Within Decades

The worldwide phaseout of ozone-depleting substances is allowing the atmosphere to recover, a new U.N. report finds

Watermelon snow near the summit of the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska.

Why Some Western Snow Is Turning Pink

Algae bring a rosy hue to some mountain snowpacks, which might accelerate melting

An illustration of the SWOT satellite orbiting Earth

NASA Launches New Satellite to Study Earth’s Water

The mission’s data could paint a clearer picture of the effects of climate change

Flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains and exacerbated by human-caused climate change has killed nearly 1,700 people in Pakistan this year. Countries at COP27 agreed that major emitters of greenhouse gases should create a fund to deal with similar crises.

Five Major Storylines From the COP27 Climate Summit

Delegates agree to a loss and damage fund, but some experts worry the conference didn’t go far enough to address climate change

Chicken nuggets made from lab-grown meat in Singapore, the only country where lab-grown meat can currently be sold. 

Lab-Grown Meat Is Safe to Eat, FDA Says

The “no kill” product cultivated from animal cells has only small regulatory hurdles left before it can be sold in restaurants

President Biden speaks at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on November 11. 

New Rules Could Slash 36 Million Tons of Methane by 2030

Biden announced plans for tackling the powerful greenhouse gas, which could go into effect by the end of next year

An illustration of the under-ice river

A Massive Freshwater River Is Flowing Under Antarctica’s Ice

The 285-mile-long stretch of meltwater is longer than the Thames and could speed ice loss

Hikers discovered Ötzi the ice mummy in September 1991 in the Tyrolean Alps.

Rewriting the Story of Ötzi, the Murdered Iceman

A new study suggests that nearly everything archaeologists thought they knew about the 5,300-year-old corpse’s preservation was wrong

Ugandan youth climate activist Leah Namugerwa speaks during the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit of the UNFCCC. 

What You Need to Know About the COP27 Climate Summit

World leaders are gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to discuss climate action

Palcaraju glacier inside Huascarán National Park in Peru

One-Third of Iconic World Heritage Glaciers Will Melt by 2050, Study Finds

A new report from Unesco and the International Union for Conservation of Nature provides a bleak outlook for glaciers amid global warming

On the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the bare, whitened trunks of a “ghost forest” are one of the effects of surging waters that turn woodland into marsh.

Why Marshlands Are the Perfect Lab for Studying Climate Change

At the border between land and sea, an extraordinary set of experiments is helping us prepare for an uncertain future

Polar bears are back in Churchill, Manitoba.

Polar Bears Are Gathering in Canada—and You Can Watch Them Live

Bears return to Churchill, Manitoba, every autumn to await the formation of sea ice on the Hudson Bay

A map showing the two-mile-long plume of methane southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, detected by NASA's EMIT sensors

NASA Finds More Than 50 Super-Emitters of Methane

While mapping minerals in Earth’s deserts, the agency's new detector on the ISS spotted massive contributors to climate change

Solar panels and wind turbines in China's Jiangsu province. 

Renewable Energy Is Slowing the Rise of Carbon Emissions

Still, greenhouse gas production should be falling drastically to prevent the worst effects of climate change

loading icon