Climate change is an issue of national security, warns Ed Miliband

on .

Labour leader says UK is 'sleepwalking to a crisis over climate' as storms bring more major disruption and flooding

Britain is sleepwalking towards disaster because of a failure to recognise that climate change is causing the extreme weather that has blighted the country for more than a month, Ed Miliband has warned.

Volcanic eruptions causing global warming slowdown, study says

on .

17 volcanoes since 2000 account for up to 15% of the difference between predicted and observed warming this century

Small volcanic eruptions help explain a hiatus in global warming this century by dimming sunlight and offsetting a rise in emissions of heat-trapping gases to record highs, a study showed on Sunday.

Eruptions of at least 17 volcanoes since 2000, including Nabro in Eritrea, Kasatochi in Alaska and Merapi in Indonesia, ejected sulphur whose sun-blocking effect had been largely ignored until now by climate scientists, it said.

Tracing the footprints of an unusual wet spell

on .

Climate research experts at Abu Dhabi centre notice many global weather anomalies this year, including the recent rainfall in the UAE

Last week, the heaviest rainfall in more than a decade left many residents of the UAE and other Gulf countries soggy. While some played in puddles, or broke out umbrellas, those at New York University Abu Dhabi’s Centre for Prototype Climate Modelling tried to determine just what caused this unusual weather event.

Renewable energy and gas emissions

on .

Negotiations over landmark targets for greenhouse gas emissions in Europe are continuing , just hours before their planned publication on Wednesday.

At stake is whether the EU opts for a 35% or 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, and whether the block sets a firm target for renewable energy generation.