International: Antarctic/Arctic
Thawing permafrost reveals massive doses of mercury
9 Feb 2018
Rising temperatures are waking a sleeping giant in the North - the permafrost - and scientists have identified a new danger that comes with that: massive stores of mercury.
New look at Antarctic raises fears of higher sea levels
15 Dec 2017
Antarctic ice sheet models double the sea-level rise expected this century if global emissions of heat-trapping pollution remain high, according to a new study.
Why remote Antarctica is so important in a warming world
5 Dec 2017
The Antarctic Treaty was signed 58 years ago this week, protecting the continent for peace and science.
THIN ICE: Antarctic glaciers could flood the planet
24 Nov 2017
In a remote region of Antarctica known as Pine Island Bay, 2500 miles from the tip of South America, two glaciers hold human civilisation hostage.
HOT SPOTS: Ice cameras reveal Antarctica’s warm underbelly
16 Nov 2017
A new map of the warmth coming up from rocks beneath the Antarctic provides key data for scientists to model how the ice sheet could react to climate change.
Ice cracks again close Antarctic research station
2 Nov 2017
A British research station in Antarctica is being shut down for the second winter in a row following concerns over growing cracks in the 150-metre thick ice shelf on which it stands.
Sea could rise 1.3m unless coal power ends by 2050
31 Oct 2017
Sea levels could rise 1.3m this century unless coal-generated electricity is virtually eliminated by 2050, according to a new paper that contains the latest understanding of Antarctica’s contribution.
Changing climate is blurring the lines for map makers
30 Oct 2017
As soon as cartographers had finished drawing the Arctic ice sheet in 2013, their map was already out of date.
Starving penguins a sign that all is not well in Antarctica
17 Oct 2017
The awful news that all but two penguin chicks have starved to death out of a colony of almost 40,000 birds is a grim illustration of the enormous pressure Antarctic wildlife is under.
Antarctic sea ice levels hit record low - but why?
28 Sep 2017
Sea ice levels in Antarctica dropped to a record low this year, but experts say there is not a clear link to climate change.
New worry as key Antarctic glacier loses chunk of ice
27 Sep 2017
An enormous Antarctic glacier has given up an iceberg over 100 square miles in size, the second time in two years it has lost such a large piece in a process that has scientists wondering whether its behavior is changing for the worse.
Plastic chunks on Arctic icefloe show how pollution has spread
26 Sep 2017
A discovery by scientists is prompting fears that melting ice will allow more plastic to be released into the central Arctic Ocean – with huge effects on wildlife.
Melting Arctic ice cap falls to well below average
21 Sep 2017
The Arctic ice cap melted to hundreds of thousands of square miles below average this summer, according to data just released.
Global warming doubles growth of Antarctic marine fauna
5 Sep 2017
Marine life on the Antarctic seabed is likely to be far more affected by global warming than previously thought, say scientists who have conducted the most sophisticated study to date of heating impacts in the species-rich environment.
ARCTIC FIRST: Ship sails top of the world without icebreaker
29 Aug 2017
A Russian tanker has travelled through the northern sea route in record speed and without an icebreaker escort for the first time, highlighting how climate change is opening up the high Arctic.
Walruses mob beach as Arctic sea ice disappears
21 Aug 2017
A remote island off Alaska has been mobbed by thousands of Pacific walruses in the earliest known "haul out" for the species.
Scientists find 91 volcanoes below Antarctic ice sheet
14 Aug 2017
Scientists have uncovered the largest volcanic region on Earth – two kilometres below the surface of the ice sheet that covers west Antarctica.
Trillion-tonne iceberg breaks away from Antarctica
13 Jul 2017
A trillion-tonne expanse of ice that has broken off Antarctica's Larsen C shelf isn't going to raise sea level on its own, but it can't be viewed in isolation.
Changing climate could mean end of the Emperor penguin
11 Jul 2017
Antarctica's iconic Emperor penguins might not be able to handle a changing climate and could be extinct by the end of the century, a new report says.
Scientists know how big the Larsen C iceberg will be
6 Jul 2017
Just three miles separate the Larsen C crack — a rift slicing the front off a major Antarctic ice shelf — from open water.
OPINION: The view from Antarctica
3 Jul 2017
A week in Antarctica gives Sustainable Business Council chair and Toyota New Zealand chief executive ALISTAIR DAVIS hope that humans can and will act on climate change.
Antarctica's ice-free areas to increase by up to a quarter by 2100
30 Jun 2017
Climate change will cause ice-free areas on Antarctica to increase by up to a quarter by 2100, says a new study.
Huge Antarctic melt raises fears of 3m sea level rise
19 Jun 2017
Scientists have documented one of the most extensive melting events ever recorded in West Antarctica, an area that holds enough land ice to raise sea level by about 3.3 metres if it fully melted.
Arctic icebergs freeze climate research plans
19 Jun 2017
Canadian scientists have to think again as unusual Arctic warmth puts shipping at risk and icebergs freeze climate research plans.
Massive Antarctic iceberg on the brink of breaking away
2 Jun 2017
A rift growing along one of Antarctica’s ice shelves for years is in the final days of cutting off a piece of ice that will be one of the largest icebergs ever recorded.
China declares no mining (for now) in Antarctica
24 May 2017
China plans to expand its scientific research in Antarctica in coming years amid worries over the area's susceptibility to climate change, but has no immediate plans to mine or develop natural resources.
Climate change is turning Antarctica green
23 May 2017
A new study has found a steady growth of moss in Antarctica over the past 50 years as temperatures increased as a result of climate change
ICE AGE: Is the disintegration of Antarctica unstoppable?
22 May 2017
Scientists fear that Antarctica’s ice sheet might have entered the early stages of an unstoppable disintegration.
Warm Arctic fuels second-hottest April
17 May 2017
An unusually warm Arctic spring fueled the second-hottest April on record globally.
US signs treaty to protect Arctic
15 May 2017
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has signed a commitment to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to extend scientific cooperation in the Arctic region.
New crack raises fears of major Antarctic ice breakaway
4 May 2017
Another branch has appeared in a huge crack on one of Antarctica’s largest ice shelves, and scientists fear a huge chunk will break away.
Climate and rock art advocates take on ‘carbon bomb’ gas project in Aus federal court
Wed 22 Jul 2026
The Albanese government’s decision to approve one of the world’s largest gas projects in Western Australia is being challenged in the federal court, setting up a significant test of how Australia’s environment law deals with the climate crisis.
Trump blames Canada for wildfire smoke affecting US
Tue 21 Jul 2026
A series of Republican “leaders” have started producing angry denunciations of Canada for polluting America’s air with their "thoughtless" fires.
China solar exports to South, Southeast Asia and Africa rise despite post-rebate slump
Wed 22 Jul 2026
China's solar exports to Southeast and South Asia as well as Africa rose year-over-year in June, customs data showed on Monday, though overall solar exports slipped for a second month after China removed an export tax rebate.
Norway’s national oil company’s profits double to $11.5bn amid war on Iran
Fri 24 Jul 2026
Profits at Norway’s state oil company nearly doubled to $11.5bn (£8.6bn) in the three months to the end of June as the jump in oil and gas prices caused by the war against Iran boosted earnings.
Millions face long-term coastal flooding risk in UK without climate action, scientists warn
Thu 23 Jul 2026
Up to 13 million people in the UK face the long-term risk of coastal flooding due to the climate crisis, scientists have warned, with a “reasonable worst-case scenario” suggesting the need for the large-scale movement of populations away from a dramatically reshaped coast.
Ontario seeks federal support for evacuations as wildfires devastate remote Canadian towns
20 Jul 2026
Ontario requested federal assistance to evacuate people from remote northern Canadian communities ravaged by wildfires on Thursday, as smoke brought poor air quality to Toronto and much of the Northeastern U.S.
Extreme heat costing India’s poorest workers 2% of GDP, survey finds
Thu 23 Jul 2026
India’s informal workers are estimated to be losing $78 billion in wages per year because of productivity declines and illness caused by intensifying heat.
French Polynesia objects to an American seabed mining plan made without its input
Fri 24 Jul 2026
The government of French Polynesia plans to challenge an American startup’s proposal to explore the waters just beyond its maritime borders for seabed mining.
West Africa signs off $25bn mega gas-pipeline plan
Wed 22 Jul 2026
One of Africa's most ambitious energy infrastructure projects has finally been signed off at the highest level, with West African leaders formally endorsing the long-awaited Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline.
Panama Canal braces for El Niño, announcing first transit restrictions
Fri 24 Jul 2026
The probability of a severe El Nino has risen from 25% to 81% and the Panama Canal is preparing to restrict transits.
COP31 president says electrification is ‘surest way to protect citizens’
14 Jul 2026
Last month, COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum launched a target for 35% of the world’s final energy to come from electricity by 2035. In an interview with Carbon Brief, Kurum says that the target was not a political choice, but instead reflects the latest evidence on “what is needed to keep 1.5C within reach”.
