A global analysis reveals for the first time that across almost all tree species, fast growing trees have shorter lifespans. This international study further calls into question predictions that greater tree growth means greater carbon storage in forests in the long term. Currently, forests absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. This…
Aviation has been calculated to be 3.5 per cent of all human activities that drive climate change, new research shows. A new international study, involving Professor Piers Forster from the University of Leeds, provides unprecedented calculations of the impact of aviation on the climate from 2000 to 2018 to produce the most comprehensive insight to…
Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica whose melting rates are rapidly increasing have raised global sea level by 1.8cm since the 1990s, and are matching worst-case climate warming scenarios. According to a new study led by Dr Tom Slater from the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at Leeds and with the Danish Meteorological Institute, if these…
The renewable energy industry needs to adopt the ideas of a circular economy, where equipment is designed to be reused or remanufactured when it reaches the end of its operational life. Researchers say it would reduce the environmental cost of low-carbon infrastructure – such as offshore wind turbines, solar panels and batteries – which are required if the UK is to achieve its net-zero carbon…
A post-lockdown economic recovery plan that incorporates and emphasises climate-friendly choices could help significantly in the battle against global warming, according to a new study. This is despite the sudden reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants during lockdown having a negligible impact on holding down global temperature change. The researchers warn that even…
