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Communities must be able to move to solid ground while remaining whole.

Ports including in Saudi Arabia and the US projected to be seriously damaged by a metre of sea level rise

Rising sea levels driven by the climate crisis will overwhelm many of the world’s biggest oil ports, analysis indicates.

Scientists said the threat was ironic as fossil fuel burning causes global heating. They said reducing emissions by moving to renewable energy would halt global heating and deliver more reliable energy.

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The newly elected Speaker said the party would make it a priority to “restore America’s energy dominance.”

The New Orleans truck attack, hunger in Khan Younis, the plane crash in Seoul and new year’s celebrations: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

• Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing

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Families Like Ours has become national talking point but some scientists say events depicted could not happen

Featuring scenes of huge crowds boarding ferries, protest and desperation as six million Danes become climate refugees and life as they know it rapidly collapses, the new TV series by the Oscar-winning director Thomas Vinterberg is a potential “look into the future”, he says.

Familier som vores (Families Like Ours) – a drama which depicts a flooded Denmark shut down and evacuated – has been viewed nearly 1m times and become a national talking point. At its premiere at the Venice international film festival, it evoked tears, shouts and a standing ovation, with one critic describing it as “grimly prophetic”.

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With a lucrative tax credit, the Biden administration is hoping to establish a new industry that might help fight climate change.

The trendy green nut is drought-resistant and sustainable – making it appealing to farmers and consumers alike

Pistachios have long polarized the world’s taste buds – the flavor is bold, nothing like the subtlety of an almond or a walnut. You either love them or hate them.

But one side of the pistachio debate appears to be reigning supreme. Pistachios were named nut of the year in 2023, unsurprising to anyone who had an eye on pop culture. Pistachio is now a popular flavor of latte. Pistachio butter and cream became food trends on social media. Vibrant pistachio green even made several appearances on the runway, with fashion designers being inspired by the unique, earthy hue.

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El cambio climático está provocando condiciones de sequía que están haciendo que el Canal de Panamá sea más difícil de operar y más caro de atravesar.

Policymakers and insurers act as if Britain’s coastlines are fixed, but the waters are advancing faster than before

The increasing speed of sea level rise hardly seems to register with policymakers in Britain – even though with the UK weather getting more violent, destructive storm surges are increasingly likely. The future looks bleak for properties on fast-eroding cliffs and large areas of rich agricultural land on the east coast, already at or even below sea level.

The evidence that things are rapidly getting worse is clear. Sea levels have risen 24cm (9in) (7ft 3in) since 1880 but the rise has accelerated from an average of 1.4mm a year in the 20th century to 3.6mm annually by 2015. Previous conservative estimates of sea level rise of 60cm by the end of this century now look very optimistic and on current emission levels will be 2.2 metres by 2100 and 3.9 metres 50 years after that.

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The move, expected as early as Monday, relies on a 70-year-old law that could make it difficult for the Trump administration to reverse it.

The panels, removed under Ronald Reagan, found new homes from Maine to China. And their legacy still reverberates.

Forty-four years ago, Ronald Reagan took aim at Jimmy Carter’s environmental legacy. President Biden’s climate initiatives could face a similar fate.

Engineers assess damage as heavy rains cause first major breach of Bridgewater canal since 1970s

Engineers are assessing the scale of damage to a canal built more than 250 years ago after flood waters caused a dramatic collapse of part of its elevated embankment in Cheshire.

The Bridgewater canal, which was previously used to transport coal but is now a leisure waterway, caved in near Dunham Massey, in the first major breach of the waterway for 54 years.

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The list made its debut in 2005, when world travel was about half of today’s 1.3 billion arrivals and phones were for making calls. Here’s how The Times’s annual travel list — and travel itself — has changed in the last two decades.

UK has more than halved amount of electricity generated from fossil fuels but gas still had largest share at 28%

The UK’s electricity was the cleanest it has ever been in 2024, with wind and solar generation hitting all-time highs, according to a report.

The analysis by Carbon Brief found that in the past decade the UK had more than halved electricity generated from coal and gas and doubled its output from renewables.

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Senators have the herculean task of ensuring that our nation’s future is in the hands of appropriate leaders. Through the Senate confirmation process, they are responsible for vetting nominees for the most senior leadership positions in federal agencies.

There are more than 1,300 positions requiring Senate confirmation, many of whom will shape policies and programs that rely heavily on scientific expertise and knowledge. These are positions critical to protecting public health and the environment, keeping the nation’s food and drug supplies safe, and advancing US interests. Senators need to ensure that nominees are the right fit for the job and avoid costly mistakes that risk human lives and the health of our planet.

Some positions you may have heard of include the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security for the Department of Energy; the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering for the Department of Defense; Administrators for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Transportation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and Directors for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

My colleagues have raised concerns already about President-elect Trump’s picks to lead the EPA, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Justice, and why the new NOAA administrator must understand and advocate for science.

Appointees’ Science Savvy Matters

Why should we care that presidential appointees know how to understand and apply science appropriately in their decision making? One key reason is that President-elect Trump’s scientific understanding does not inspire confidence, so senators should at least make sure the people running the executive branch have a firm grounding in science.

Perhaps you remember “Sharpiegate” in 2019, when then-President Trump doctored the forecast path of Hurricane Dorian with a black Sharpie maker. He altered the official weather forecast to suggest the hurricane might strike Alabama. Despite corrections from the National Weather Service, President Trump continued to insist he was correct, creating public confusion about who needed to evacuate and where emergency response resources would be needed. This put American lives and livelihoods at risk and wasted taxpayer dollars.

Senators evaluating nominees who will oversee policies and programs deeply rooted in science should vet them for the following:

1. Strong scientific background. Does the nominee know their quarks from their quasars or their atoms from their amino acids? Do they consult bona fide experts in the subject matter?  Do they check for people posing as experts who are really purveyors of disinformation or misinformation?  Do they check the potential conflicts of interests of the experts they consult? A strong grasp of technical material is essential for making rules that keep us safe, for instance from environmental contaminants such as the carcinogenic gas ethylene oxide.
2. Analytic skills. The nominee should be able to analyze complex data, interpret scientific research, and apply findings to policy or program development and implementation. Maximizing electric grid reliability, for instance, requires our leaders to integrate data about the costs and benefits of energy storage options considering multiple factors such as local growth projections, increased electricity demand, solar and wind profiles over time, energy generation by fossil gas technologies, and policy incentive impacts.
3. Critical thinking. Look for someone who questions assumptions, even questions their questions about the assumptions! A nominee should be aware of the heuristics and biases that challenge all human cognition and set up strategies to address these limitations. For instance, biases that block funding for all federal research that uses fetal tissue put at risk advancements in vaccines, transplants, and treatment of degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s.
4. Communication skills. The nominee must be able to communicate complex scientific concepts so clearly that your grandma (and even the President) will understand. For instance, explaining nuclear toxicology concepts is important for helping the public understand why and how to avoid radiation exposure.
5. Problem-solving abilities: They should be adept at identifying problems and developing innovative, science-based solutions. There will be no shortage of opportunities to test this skill, especially during periods such as “danger season,” the time of year when climate change impacts like hurricanes, extreme heat, and wildfires peak and collide with one another.
6. Ethical judgment: Senators must ensure the nominee has a strong sense of scientific integrity and intellectual honesty, as they will be making decisions that can significantly impact public health and safety. Why? Because lives and livelihoods are at risk. Lessons from prior administrations and examples of anti-science actions during the first Trump administration are well-documented by UCS.
7. Collaboration and teamwork: The nominee should play well with others, including scientists, policymakers, and members of the public who are directly or indirectly affected by their programs. The nominee has a particular responsibility to respect and defend the federal scientific workforce because these experts are essential for keeping people and our planet safe and healthy.
8. Adaptability: Having the ability to adapt to new scientific developments and changing policy landscapes is a must because science evolves, as does the social-ecological system scientists are working within. Nominees will need to integrate the latest science with other considerations as they decide on the optimal solutions to complex problems.
9. Leadership skills: This includes the ability to inspire and guide teams, and to make tough decisions when necessary. The captain of the ship needs to navigate through a sea of scientific jargon, uncertain evidence, and different assumptions and values. Dialogue on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is just one example issue where leadership plays a critical role in global stability, in this case in preventing a runaway arms race.
10. Passion for public service: A genuine commitment to using science to benefit society and improve public policies is a must. Taxpayer dollars will pay this nominee’s salary, so I want them acting in my best interest.

Some of these might seem like “no duh” suggestions. But we don’t have to look too far back to see when a lack of scientific expertise, a lack of respect for scientific methods, or a predilection for ignoring science resulted in preventable death and disease, or profound harm to our planet. For senators who find science daunting, this simple rubric can help to highlight who should be trusted to lead federal departments and agencies that rely on science to address the important concerns and needs of their constituents.

Bowhead whales may not be the only species that can live to 200 years old. Researchers have found that the industrial hunting of great whales has masked the ability of these underwater giants to also live to great ages

In Moby-Dick, Herman Melville’s epic novel of 1851, the author asks if whales would survive the remorseless human hunt. Yes, he says, as he foresees a future flooded world in which the whale would outlive us and “spout his frothed defiance to the skies”.

Moby Dick was a grizzled old sperm whale that had miraculously escaped the harpoons. But a new scientific paper is set to prove what oceanic peoples – such as the Inuit, Maōri and Haida – have long believed: that whales are capable of living for a very long time. Indeed, many more than we thought possible may have been born before Melville wrote his book.

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Society to retire plants no longer suited to UK’s changing climate after 14% fewer days of ground frost recorded

Fig and almond trees are thriving in Britain as a result of fewer frosts, the Royal Horticultural Society has said.

The lack of frost, one of the effects of climate breakdown, means plants used to warmer climes have been doing well in RHS gardens. Almond trees from the Mediterranean were planted at Wisley in Surrey several years ago, and without frost this year have fruited well for the first time.

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Despite Pacific Ocean moving into a La Niña phase, this year is forecast to be one of three warmest years on record

What kind of weather lies ahead in 2025? The Met Office’s global forecast suggests it will be one of the three warmest years on record, surpassed only by 2024 and 2023. This is despite the Pacific Ocean moving into a La Niña phase, which normally brings slightly cooler conditions.

It will be confirmed officially in the coming days, but 2024 is expected to be the warmest year on record and the first when the average global temperature exceeded 1.5C (2.7F) above preindustrial levels. This comes hot on the heels of the previous warmest year on record – 2023 – which recorded an average global temperature of 1.45C above preindustrial levels.

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Rise in greenhouse gases responsible for average temperatures rising to 1.46C above average, with one climate scientist saying this is ‘the norm now’

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Last year was Australia’s second-hottest on record going back to 1910 and the warmest for night-time temperatures, according to official Bureau of Meteorology data.

The average temperature across the country in 2024 was 1.46C above the long-term average, calculated from 1961 to 1990, and was second behind the 1.51C record set in 2019.

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