The United Nations' World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has this week released the WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, a report, which shows that levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere have continued to increase, despite the shutdown of travel and industry in many parts of the world as a result of Covid-19 lockdowns.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has heralded a new 'green industrial revolution' with the announcement of a new 10-point plan to address environmental issues facing the UK.
Children's immune systems can be significantly boosted by playing in a natural environment, recent research has found. The study, which was carried out in Finland, looked at a group of 75 children aged 3-5, who went to ten daycare centres in two Finnish cities.
An unusually lengthy period of warm weather in northern Russia, along with a flow of warmer waters from the Atlantic Ocean has meant that the Laptev Sea, Siberia's main nursery of sea ice in the Arctic has still to begin freezing. Ocean temperatures have recently been more than 5C above their average in the region, following a summer heatwave.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today announced an investment of £160 million in offshore wind energy, which will enable every home in the UK to receive electricity generated by wind power by 2030. Speaking at the virtual Conservative Party Conference today, he pledged to make the Covid-19 pandemic a catalyst for growing a new, greener economy in the UK.
From today, it is illegal for businesses to sell or supply single-use plastic items like straws and stirrers. People who have medical conditions meaning that they need to use straws will be exempt from the ban in hospitals or when visiting bars or restaurants.
Leaders from 65 countries, including Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel have warned that we are now facing a planetary emergency because of climate change and the unchecked destruction of the world's ecosystems.
Here's some good news to brighten up your Thursday: new statistics released by the government-funded Recycle Now campaign have shown that almost nine out of ten UK households regularly recycle.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced to the United Nations General Assembly that China will aim to reach carbon neutrality by 2060, having hit peak emissions before 2030. His announcement came a week after the European Union pledges to reduce its carbon emissions by 55% by 2030.
The UK looks set to bring forward its ban on sales of new petrol and diesel-powered vehicles from 2040 to 2030. An announcement was planned for later this week, but will now be put back until later in the year, as the government focuses on tackling the new increase in Covid-19 infections. The 2030 ban is supported by the Committee on Climate Change, the government's advisory panel.