Subscribe now
Environmental Activists Rally at the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

We must accept we won’t meet 1.5°C climate target, says report

23 June 2022

Social, political and technological inertia mean the Paris Agreement’s target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures is likely to be missed


TOPSHOT - Activists from the climate change group Extinction Rebellion (XR) take part in a protest in Glasgow on November 8, 2021, during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference. - The COP26 climate talks resuming Monday have so far unfolded on parallel planes, with high-level announcements stage-managed by host country Britain during week one riding roughshod over a laborious UN process built on consensus among nearly 200 countries. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

COP26: No countries have delivered on promise to improve climate plans

16 May 2022

In Glasgow, 196 countries promised to "revisit and strengthen" their plans for curbing emissions, but there is little sign of this happening before the next talks in November


Wild flowers growing on a field verge in Andalucia, Spain.

Wild Wild Life newsletter: How you can 'do your bit' for wildlife

25 November 2021

Greenwashing is rife and full of ineffectual suggestions for saving the planet. Here are four lifestyle changes that actually do make a difference for biodiversity


We need behaviour change to beat climate crisis, says Patrick Vallance

We need behaviour change to beat climate crisis, says Patrick Vallance

9 November 2021

Speaking at the COP26 summit, the UK's chief scientific adviser says the country must do more to change lifestyles in order to meet its climate goals


GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 05: US special envoy for climate, John Kerry speaks about finance commitments to the global crisis, during a press conference on day six of the Cop 26 Summit at the SEC on November 4, 2021 in Glasgow, United Kingdom. Today COP26 will focus on elevating the voice of young people and demonstrating the critical role of public empowerment and education in climate action. The 2021 climate summit in Glasgow is the 26th

COP26: Climate summit mood is positive as first week draws to a close

5 November 2021

A blitz of announcements during the first week of the COP26 climate summit has been positively received, but the real hard work happens next week as almost 200 governments must agree a final deal


Delegates gather in a large room under a balloon with the Earth printed on it at the COP26 climate summit

Has COP26 put the world on track for holding global warming to 1.5°C?

3 November 2021

One analysis says that new pledges made at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, UK, have put the world on track for a 1.9°C of warming, but experts caution it takes a very optimistic view


Delegates queuing to get into the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow yesterday

What is it like to be at COP26? Utter chaos, huge queues and FOMO

3 November 2021

The global climate summit has had a chaotic start, with delegates struggling to enter the venue and attend meetings, and journalists being told they’d be better off watching online, reports Graham Lawton.


COP26 news: A day of promises on water, methane and fossil fuels

COP26 news: A day of promises on water, methane and fossil fuels

2 November 2021

On the second day of COP26, countries made progress on limiting methane emissions, capping oil and gas emissions, and cooperating on water issues that are increasingly urgent


Scientific instruments in space are monitoring how Earth's climate is changing

6 charts that show what climate change is doing to our planet

2 November 2021

As the COP26 summit in Glasgow meets to discuss global action on climate change, atmospheric scientist Betsy Weatherhead explains what the science says about greenhouse gases and global warming


Narendra Modi

COP26: Why India's 2070 net-zero pledge is better news than it sounds

2 November 2021

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said at the COP26 summit that the country will hit net-zero emissions by 2070. Although this is later than many other nations, the pledge means that the world's major emitters now all have an end in sight for fossil...


Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop