Initiatives to inject billions of aerosol particles into the stratosphere to deflect solar rays and cool Earth are too risky to go forward; governments must act fast to rein in potentially disastrous planetary-scale solar geoengineering, say critics.
Mongabay's journalism provides boundless visual storytelling opportunities that reach audiences who don’t consider themselves environmentalists or know much about conservation with information derived from our original news reporting. This year…
As bad as the climate crisis now unfolding appears to be, things could have been even worse, with the world a much less hospitable place for human life. What has…
Created in 1987, the pathbreaking treaty not only phased down scores of ozone depleting chemicals and is helping heal the ozone hole — it also offers a flexible, regularly updating example for future environmental treaties.
Some 100 ozone-depleting CFCs and HCFCs are being phased out by the landmark treaty, but can this evolving accord now save Earth from the HFCs — one of which is a greenhouse gas 12,700 more potent than carbon dioxide.
Today we discuss Planetary Boundaries, nine environmental systems identified by scientists as essential to Earth’s ability to sustain life and the limits to how far out of equilibrium we can…
More than a decade after the Planetary Boundaries framework was first proposed by top scientists, we are no closer to changing our destructive trajectory — but 2021 gives us three opportunities to act.
In 1987, world leaders signed the Montreal Protocol in an attempt to curb the amount of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other harmful chemicals being released into the atmosphere, which have been…
Something is wrong in the lungs of the world. Decades of burning, logging, mining and development have tipped the scales, and now the Amazon Basin may be emitting more greenhouse…
The specter of an environmental problem once thought to have been solved has risen again. A new study published Feb. 6 in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics reports that…
Rainforest in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. In early March, scientists with the University of Maryland and NASA made an incredible announcement: they had discovered that vast…
Planting trees may be a cost-effective way to reduce ground-level ozone, a toxic component of smog that contributes to the deaths of about 152,000 people annually worldwide, according to new…
Some eight billion tonnes of greenhouse gases could be kept out of the atmosphere if China sticks to a deal with the United Nation's Montreal Protocol to eliminate the production…
Seven million people died from air pollution in 2010, according to new data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, published in the medical journal Lancet. The research found…
Not long ago biofuels were seen as one of the major tools to combat climate change, but a large number of studies in recent years have shown that many first…
Increasing ice in Antarctica is not a sign that the earth is actually cooling instead of warming as some climate change-skeptics have attested. A new study finds that the growth…
Ozone hole is second-largest on record in 2008 Ozone hole is second-largest on record in 2008 mongabay.com October 30, 2008
Geoengineering solution to global warming could destroy the ozone layer Geoengineering solution to global warming could destroy the ozone layer mongabay.com April 24, 2008 A proposed plan to fight global…
Ozone-hole recovery may spur Antarctic warming Ozone-hole recovery may spur Antarctic warming AGU April 24, 2008 A full recovery of the stratospheric ozone hole could strongly modify climate change in…
Rainforest destruction for palm oil in Malaysian Borneo. Photo by Rhett Butler The costs of environmental degradation caused by rich countries are disproportionately falling on the world's poorest countries, reports…
Ozone Hole makes Early Appearance in 2007 Ozone Hole makes Early Appearance in 2007 By Joshua S Hill special to mongabay.com August 28, 2007 The Antarctic ozone hole was discovered…
China to ban ozone-depleting CFCs China to ban ozone-depleting CFCs mongabay.com June 28, 2007 China has moved to ban the production of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), according to a statement from…
Facing extinction, amphibians fail to cope with global warming Facing extinction, amphibians fail to cope with global warming mongabay.com April 30, 2007 Despite surviving the age of dinosaurs and numerous…
Ozone ban has been effective in fighting global warming Ozone ban has been more effective in fighting global warming than Kyoto Protocol mongabay.com March 5, 2007 The 1987 Montreal Protocol,…
Antarctic ozone depletion exceeds that of Arctic Antarctic ozone depletion exceeds that of Arctic mongabay.com December 25, 2006 A new study comparing ozone depletion between the poles shows that the…
Ozone hole near record size Ozone hole near record size mongabay.com September 22, 2006 The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Friday that hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica will…
Ozone hole recovery slower than expected Ozone hole recovery slower than expected NASA June 29, 2006 Scientists from NASA and other agencies have concluded that the ozone hole over the…
Ozone Layer Recovering Finds Boulder Study Ozone Layer Recovering Finds Boulder Study University of Colorado at Boulder May 3, 2006 While Earth's ozone layer is slowly being replenished following an…
