Source: Tyndall Centre A study in Scientific Reports assesses long-term adaptation strategies for Venice under projected sea-level rise, highlighting the implications for coastal areas worldwide. Relocating the city of Venice is among four potential options – including movable barriers, ring dikes and closing the Venetian Lagoon – that could help it adapt to future sea-level rise over the next 200 years, according to a new study. Scientists assessed existing and potential ada

Source: Nepali Times Nepali researcher is still looking for answers to balancing nature conservation with human livelihoods t was a packed hall in the summer of 2019 at the 20th anniversary of the Student Conference on Conservation Science in Cambridge. An empty chair on the stage waited for one man. Hundreds of students and researchers excitedly anticipated the arrival of Sir David Attenborough. The British nature broadcaster and writer marked his 100th birthday this week,

Source: Tyndall Center Researchers warn that framing biodiversity loss as a national security threat relies on speculative migration projections and risks undermining the evidence-based policy required for genuine ecological restoration. Scientists have warned that a new UK Government report on global biodiversity loss and national security runs the risk of distorting evidence and driving ineffective policy by framing ecological degradation and its impacts on migration as a s

Source: Tyndall Centre Planning future reservoirs A significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions come from reservoirs and dams, and a new framework links those emissions directly to dam siting decisions. Here’s why it is a major step towards low-carbon hydropower, anywhere in the world. Reservoirs are a recognised source of greenhouse gases, but a new spatial planning framework shows how optimising where dams are built could substantially reduce emissions. Conventional appr

Source: Tyndall Centre Key elements of climate action are difficult to reverse. From policies and technologies to the stories we tell ourselves, we are putting climate progress on a path where there is no turning back. Political efforts to weaken climate policy and discredit climate science have raised concerns about whether recent gains could stall or unravel. However, a new commentary in Nature Climate Change argues that ambitious climate action is underway: technological

Source: Tyndall Centre Researchers report that well-designed climate policies prevented more than three billion tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2022, demonstrating that policy design is critical to effective decarbonisation. Countries with stricter and better-targeted climate policies cut carbon emissions faster, according to a major new study . Involving researchers in the UK and EU, including academics from the University of East Anglia (UEA), the study draws on the most compreh

Source: Tyndall Centre A new global assessment of climate risks to biodiversity across more than 98,000 protected areas worldwide provides an open-access tool to support climate resilience planning. Scientists have published the most comprehensive assessment to date of how climate change threatens biodiversity in more than 98,000 protected areas worldwide, aiming to help conservationists build resilience in the face of accelerating climate impacts. The open-access tool – Wall

Source: Tyndall Centre New data confirms that 2025 was the third-warmest year ever recorded, with scientists listing the rising concentration of greenhouse gases, driven by emissions, as the main cause of climate warming. 2025 is the third-warmest year on record in a series from 1850, following 2024 and 2023, according to new data released today. The three-year run of record warmest years saw 2025 conclude at 1.41±0.09°C above the 1850-1900 global average, according to the H

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists On December 15, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released its quadrennial report on World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development. What follows is a lightly-adapted version of the contribution on climate disinformation I was invited and honored to make. It seems especially salient towards the end of 2025, in which the Trump administration has removed access to climate information, repla

Source: Tyndall Centre A new study warns that climate change, sea-level rise and land subsidence will significantly worsen typhoon-driven flooding in Shanghai – highlighting the urgent need for stronger, layered defences in vulnerable delta cities. New research shows how the combination of extreme climate events, sea-level rise and land subsidence could create larger and deeper floods in coastal cities in future. The study focused on Shanghai, in China, which is threatened w

Source: Tyndall Centre Fossil fuel CO2 emissions hit record high in 2025 Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels are projected to rise by 1.1% in 2025 – reaching a record high, according to new research by the Global Carbon Project. The 2025 Global Carbon Budget projects 38.1 billion tonnes of fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions this year. Decarbonisation of energy systems is progressing in many countries – but this is not enough to offset the growth in global energy dem

Source: Nepali Times Cryosphere loss has immediate consequences for water security, livelihoods, infrastructure, and climate justice The Himalaya is melting twice as fast as the global average, and this is accelerated by air pollution. Called black carbon, suspended particles emitted by industries, vehicle exhaust, or forest fires accelerate glacial retreat in High Asia. Dark matter makes the ice melt faster (as seen in Kapuche Lake in Kaski, pictured above). The snowline is

Source: Factum Is the 70% Renewable Pledge a Goal Too Far? Sri Lanka’s national commitment to generate 70% of its power from renewable sources by 2030 stands as one of the region’s most ambitious policy goals. It reflects both a necessary response to global climate obligations and a pragmatic strategy for national energy security, particularly given the acute vulnerability to global fuel price volatility exposed by recent economic crises. However, an analysis of the current s

Source: Nepali Times Cryosphere loss has immediate consequences for water security, livelihoods, infrastructure, and climate justice Belém’s lowland Amazon landscape stands in stark contrast to Himalayan peaks, yet the decisions adopted at COP30 will influence the future of mountain regions across the world. For the first time, mountains were anchored across several outcomes of the UN climate negotiations, including a dedicated dialogue to be held during the United Nations Fr

Source: Factum Why Sri Lanka Must Treat Adaptation as Urgently as Mitigation Sri Lanka’s climate strategy, historically weighted toward mitigation, can no longer afford to treat adaptation as secondary. For years, Sri Lanka’s climate narrative has centred on reducing national emissions, transitioning to renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and aligning with global decarbonisation targets. However, the scale and speed of the destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah in No

Source: Pajhwok An efficient way to water large areas with less water Experts and experienced farmers say the drip irrigation system should be promoted to irrigate large areas with minimal water, and they urge the government and aid agencies to raise public awareness in this regard and provide farmers with the necessary support. The climatic conditions of land are rapidly changing; in some areas, with rising temperatures causing droughts. While in others they lead to severe s

Source: Pajhwok Acute drought in parts of Afghanistan has psychologically impacted farmers who face serious economic hardships; with some even forced to leave their areas. They are urging the government and the international community for help. Experts say the government and the international community must provide necessary assistance to affected farmers, distribute drought-resistant crop seeds, and lift sanctions on Afghanistan so that the Afghan government can access finan

Source: Pajhwok Climate change has also adversely affected the health sector in Afghanistan and has led to an increase in some diseases. Analysts say that people should be made aware of this issue and the government and the international community should take necessary measures. The Earth’s climate is undergoing rapid transformation. Global warming causes droughts in some regions and triggers severe storms, heavy rainfall and floods in others. Glaciers are melting at alarming

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists Ask a Scientist: How Do We Solve California’s Water Shortage Crisis? California’s megadrought seems as endless as the Mojave Desert. Between killer heat and growing wildfires, the state experiences some of the harshest effects of climate change. Although California is leading in clean energy policies needed to tackle the worst impacts, water management is still a real problem—for everyone in the country. That’s because the United State

Source: Factum Over the next few years and decades, South Asia is expected to bear the brunt of climate change. In this Paper, authored by Gothamie Weerakoon, PhD of the United Kingdom and Adnan Remat of Pakistan, we explore potential impacts from nitrogen pollution, one of the leading, most distinct contributors to the climate crisis in the region. A Briefing Paper by Factum: South Asia Nitrogen – Briefing Paper