Climate Connections

A new study has found that ocean acidity may have prevented life on Earth from developing for the planet's first 500 million years.  On this episode of Climate Connections, its study lead, Dr Guo Meng from the Asian School of the Environment at NTU weighs in on how ocean pH has evolved from our early days and the research by her team of scientists, on developing the most comprehensive Earth s...

Over the years, scientists have linked climate change to rising sea levels, extreme weather and melting polar ice caps. But as the mercury rises, urban rat populations too are increasing. In the first research of its kind, scientists found that 11 of 16 cities studied had significant increasing trends in rat numbers, including Washington DC, New York, and Amsterdam. While the new study sheds light...

Fungi represent an entire kingdom of life on Earth. In fact, millions of species of fungi share our space on this planet. And since soil contains more than three times as much carbon as the atmosphere, what fungi do in the soil could dramatically affect climate change. One group of fungi in particular - the mycorrhizal fungi - are quietly, but surely, doing us a huge climate favour behind-the-scen...

The soil beneath our feet is often forgotten and sometimes thought to be limitless and indestructible. But in fact, soil is key to feeding people, and in preserving the planet we live in.  However, data by the Food and Agricultural Organisation shows that over 33% of soils worldwide are already degraded, and if nothing is done to preserve it, a shocking 90% of the world’s soil will be d...

Species all over the world are declining at harrowing rates - driven by a mix of factors such as climate change and other human activities. But, there’s a bright light on the horizon. WWF's latest report reveals that 234 new species were discovered by scientists in the Greater Mekong region back in 2023, including 173 species of vascular plants, 26 reptiles, 17 amphibians, 15 fishes and thre...

To protect our planet - meeting the global ‘30 by 30’ target of safeguarding 30% of oceans by 2030 is crucial. But that will not be possible without effective enforcement of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing - or IUU fishing - accounts for one of every five wild-caught fish. In fact, experts estimate that between 10 to 26 million tons of IUU-cau...

Leatherback sea turtles are classified by the IUCN as Vulnerable on a global level, but their subpopulation in the Western Pacific are faring far worse than others. According to scientists, that population has declined to just 1,400 breeding adults, leaving them critically endangered. At the forefront of those efforts is The Nature Conservancy, which is partnering with the Solomon Islands governme...

Over the last three decades, deforestation has led to a 40% reduction in forest cover in Indonesia. Mangroves, one of the most essential ecosystems for coastal communities, have taken the fall in particular, with excessive logging activities reducing the seawater-tolerant species along coastlines. Scientists say, the consequences of that could be dire as mangroves provide shelter, food and improve...

The ocean holds clues to past civilisations and cultures, provides a rich resource for new medicines and treatments, but more importantly, is home to millions of undiscovered species. Ocean scientists around the world have been seeking to unlock its secrets, but only just over 20% of the ocean floor is mapped. What lives, feeds and breeds down there in the icy depths remains a huge mystery. Large-...

Do you use your things for what they are worth before throwing it out? With a lot more focus placed on fighting the effects of climate change, the pace at which we’re using our planet’s resources has also come into the spotlight. According to the World Economic Forum, high-income countries use about six times more materials per capita and are responsible for 10 times more climate impac...

Vultures are often misunderstood and feared as they are often pictured tearing the remains from rotting carcasses. But as nature’s critical clean-up crew, vultures play a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of ecosystems and are intrinsically linked to human health. Evolved to be scavengers, they curb the spread of dangerous diseases like anthrax and cholera by consuming fresh carcasses...

Every Atlantic hurricane that formed this year had higher wind speeds because of climate change. In fact, scientists found that the extra juice from warmer-than-average ocean temperatures pushed seven storms at least one category higher than they would have been without the influence of climate change. That’s according to a recent study by researchers from the climate science and communications no...

Coral reefs have long been regarded as one of the earliest and most significant ecological casualties of global warming. And as ocean temperatures continue to rise, mass bleaching and die-offs have gone from being rare to a somewhat regular occurrence. Aside from climatic changes, human activities are no doubt damaging reefs beyond repair. Overfishing, pollution and coastal development are at the...

2024 is "virtually certain" to be the hottest on record. In recent months, the world has seen back-to-back hurricanes, catastrophic flooding, devastating typhoons and severe drought. It is against this backdrop that global leaders gather at the COP29 UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, where a draft text of the new climate finance target was published. The finance agreement - also known as the...

Until now, geologists have been divided as to whether this superdeep, superhot resource can be tapped. Rock under high temperature and pressures - more than 373 degrees Celsius and 220 bars of pressure - is ductile, or gooey, as opposed to a smashable stone from your backyard.  So far, data shows that rock that fractures at superhot conditions can be ten times more permeable than rock that fractur...

Algae are microscopic organisms that live in aquatic habitats and they use photosynthesis to produce energy from sunlight, just like plants. So far, there are over 50,000 species of living algae documented currently. And one thing that people sometimes forget is that algae are the base of many food webs and are an integral part of a healthy aquatic ecosystem. But, algae can also grow out of contro...

Industrial waste makes up at least 50% of waste generated globally. And much of that waste is the result of poor quality products from manufacturing processes, as well as the sheer complexity of manufacturing and supply chain management.  As consumer awareness about the environmental impacts of waste increases, recycling is expected to grow considerably in the coming years. By 2032, the global was...

Nature films tell the stories of the world's flora, fauna, and landscapes - often a journey into the secret lives of what exists around us. These stunning visual tales show us how we are interconnected with nature in many ways. This, in turn, allows us to better understand the current conversations about climate change, sustainability and biodiversity, and put us in a better position to be agents...

Nature is our life support system, but right now, it’s in trouble. WWF’s latest Living Planet Report reveals that the average size of wildlife populations have declined by a staggering 73% since 1970, providing a stark warning “that the world is fast approaching dangerous tipping points”.  Habitat loss and degradation, driven primarily by our food system is the most reported threat to wildlife pop...

About 180,000 chimpanzees, gorillas and bonobos could be directly or indirectly threatened by current and future mining projects for these transition metals, particularly in West Africa. With the world focusing its attention on clean energy transition, a boom in African mining activity is expected as critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt are needed for clean energy technolog...

Solar power saw a boom in 2023, making it the fastest growing source of electricity generation for the 19th year running. This comes as countries around the world push for a transition towards greener sources of energy. Australia has given the go-ahead for a A$20 billion (US$13.5 billion) solar project that plans to ship energy from a giant solar farm in the country's north to Singapore through a...

Despite being highly threatened, only a few langur populations have been studied in detail, owing to their elusive nature, arboreality and the challenging terrains where they inhabit. As a result, conservation of these species has been challenging. Over 85 per cent of Asian langurs are threatened with extinction, making them one of the continent’s most threatened primate groups.  A new landmark As...

Platinum group metals (PGM) - a group of precious metals - such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, are traditionally recovered through underground and open pit mining within a linear economy, where the ore is mined, transformed into products and then disposed of as waste at the end of their lives. These metals are often used in catalytic converters for cars, buses, trucks, and other industrial pr...

To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C  - as called for in the Paris Agreement - emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. But as the days pass, the world is staring at a growing emissions gap.  Back in 2021, Speed & Scale - a global initiative aimed at pushing leaders to act on the climate crisis - built a plan based on 10 objectives, each with its own set...

Singapore could be at risk of a tsunami, if an undersea volcano in its neighbouring region erupts. Globally, tens of thousands of submerged volcanoes lurk beneath the ocean's surface, often going unnoticed and are vastly understudied.  With the help of published data sets and sea-floor topography information, new research has revealed that there are some 466 submarine volcanoes in the waters of So...