42 stories covering the global climate crisis
By Carbon Brief A voluntary plan to curb fossil fuels, a goal to triple adaptation finance and new efforts to “strengthen” climate targets have been launched at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil. After all-night negotiations in the Amazonian city of BelĂ©m, the Brazilian presidency released a final package termed the “global mutirĂŁo” – a […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
By Marco Lopez Released on the opening day of COP30, an update to the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Synthesis Report was issued today by the UNFCCC Secretariat, Simon Stiell, including additional data on NDCs submitted up to November 9, 2025. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are the climate action plans submitted by countries or Parties under […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
By Marco Lopez A new study has found that carbon offset programs have largely failed to deliver real greenhouse gas reductions — and may be hindering the rapid phase-out of fossil fuels needed to meet Paris Agreement climate targets. Climate-vulnerable countries host the majority of offset projects but benefit the least, while rich emitters use […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
“The first tipping of widespread dieback of warm-water coral reefs is already underway,” said Prof. Tim Lenton from the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute, one of the authors of the report. By Marco Lopez Warm-water coral across the world is facing long-term decline as the fourth global coral bleaching event persists. The Global Tipping […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
By Kyle Ali From coral reefs to sea squirts, the ocean holds more than beauty—it holds breakthroughs. Scientists are diving deeper than ever, not just to explore marine ecosystems, but to discover life-saving medicine hidden within them. As the climate crisis continues to stress global health systems, the sea may offer unexpected answers. Medicines with […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
By Marco Lopez – Editor-in-Chief, Climate Spotlight Every additional fraction of a degree of global warming drives up the impact of heat waves, extreme rainfall events, floods, droughts, melting ice sheets, sea ice, and glaciers. It heats the oceans and raises sea levels, wreaking havoc on organisms and ecosystems. Last year, 2024, was recorded as […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
The World Meteorological Organization confirms: 2024 may have likely been the first calendar year with global mean temperature more than 1.5°C above the 1850 to 1900 average. By Climate Spotlight Staff BELMOPAN, Jan. 10, 2025 – The coordinated release of six datasets, all confirming that 2024 was the warmest year on record, underlines the unprecedented […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
By Marco Lopez, Editor-in-Chief – Climate Spotlight Global warming and its impacts are unfolding at unprecedented rates as our planet continues to experience record-breaking temperatures driven by greenhouse gas emissions. 2024 was no exception. As urgency for policymakers to step up efforts to curb climate change continues to rise, so is the frequency of the […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
By Marco Lopez The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is reporting a 60% chance of a turn to La Nina conditions as we near the end of 2024. A release by the organization earlier this month highlighted the relatively short-term cooling period that is likely to come from the shift. A much-needed reprieve considering the scorching […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
By Marco Lopez Last month was the warmest May on record globally. This is according to a report released today by the Copernicus Climate Change Services (C3S). This completes a 12-month streak of global average temperatures surpassing record values for the corresponding month. This report comes as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UK’s […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
by Marco Lopez The oceans absorbs 30 percent of the CO2 released into the atmosphere. Naturally, increased atmospheric CO2 will cause increased rated in the ocean. Hydrogen ions are form result from a series of chemical reaction caused when CO2 is absorbed by seawater. This increase in hydrogen ions causes the seawater to become acidic […]
Climate Spotlight Staff
by Climate Spotlight Staff Climate change is a proven driver of extreme and unusual weather events. In 2023, the world experienced its hottest year, with deadly floods, and fatal wildfires. Let’s take a snapshot of some of the climate change-fueled impacts this year. January The seventh warmest January in the 174-year global record was marked […]
Climate Spotlight Staff