Articles by Olivia Rudgard

UK Warned Cuts to Flood Defense Are Too Dangerous to Consider

The UK should spare flood defense programs from budget cuts to be announced in June, as the country is already woefully unprepared for worsening disasters linked to climate change, a government adviser has said. “We are seriously concerned that resilience …

What Two Oil Firm Ads Show About Where UK Regulator Draws Line on Greenwashing

An ad for TotalEnergies SE inflated the oil company’s investments in renewable energy, misleading consumers, the UK’s advertising regulator ruled on Wednesday. Another commercial for Shell, which promoted its investments in EV charging stations and renewable energy, as well as …

Trump’s Return Prompts Companies to Stifle Climate Talk With ‘Greenhushing’

As the chief executive officer of Caelux, Scott Graybeal runs a technology startup in Baldwin Park, California, that makes high-efficiency glass for solar panels. For years, climate change had been a crucial part of Graybeal’s business conversations — until Donald …

Europe’s Warming Ocean Current ‘Unlikely’ to Collapse This Century

A new study disputes a long-held fear that climate change will lead to a quick, total collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the ocean current that brings warmth to northwestern Europe. Scientists from the UK’s Met Office and …

UK Commits £2.65 Billion to Tackle Rising Flood Risk

The UK will spend £2.65 billion ($3.31 billion) on flood defenses to protect homes from the growing risks posed by climate-fueled storms and rainfall, according to a government announcement on Tuesday. The investment on upgrading and repairing flood infrastructure will …

Climate Change Will Lead to Higher Deaths in Europe, Study Shows

As Europe gets hotter, more people are expected to die from extreme heat, outweighing the reduction in those killed by very cold weather. Cities in northern European regions such as the UK and Ireland and Scandinavia would see an overall …

Climate Change Makes Fierce Winter Storms Like Éowyn Even Stronger

Winter Storm Éowyn pummeled Ireland and the UK with hurricane-force winds on Friday, creating blackouts for hundreds of thousands and disrupting travel across northwestern Europe. Éowyn was one of the strongest storms to hit the region and likely set new …

Global Temperature Set to Surpass 1.5C Threshold in Hottest Year on Record

This year is “effectively certain” to be the warmest on record with temperatures climbing above a closely watched threshold for the first time. The average global temperature reached 1.62C above pre-industrial levels in November, according to the EU-funded Copernicus Climate …

Deadly Spain Floods Show Difficulty of Adapting to Intense Rains

Floods that killed more than 150 people in eastern Spain this week were caused by a storm that dumped a year’s worth of rainfall in less than 24 hours. The tragedy has raised questions about whether earlier warnings could have …

Gas Stoves Linked to 40,000 Premature Deaths in Europe Annually

Gas stoves in European homes are associated with tens of thousands of premature deaths, a study has found. Nearly 40,000 early deaths each year in the EU and UK can be linked to exposure to nitrogen dioxide from burning gas …