Topic - Greenhouse Gases

Global temperature anomalies in 2016, with red representing areas that were 2 degrees Celsius warmer than the 20th century mean, and blue 2 degrees below the mean.

Why the Post-Paris Climate Challenge Is Even Harder Than We Thought

By Fred Pearce

An oil field in Kern County, California, where producers rely on steam injection to pump out thick, carbon-heavy crude.

Why Does Green California Pump the Dirtiest Oil in the U.S.?

By Judith Lewis Mernit

Governor Jerry Brown recently pushed through an extension of California’s cap-and-trade program.

As Trump Retreats, States Are Joining Forces on Climate Action

By Elizabeth Shogren

The Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, England.

In a Stunning Turnaround, Britain Moves to End the Burning of Coal

By Fred Pearce

Sea level rise has shrunk India's Ghoramara Island from nearly 8 square miles to 2 square miles in recent decades.

Opinion

Taking the Long View: The ‘Forever Legacy’ of Climate Change

By Rob Wilder and Dan Kammen

The World Eyes Yet Another Unconventional Source of Fossil Fuels

By Nicola Jones

Interview

Paul Hawken on One Hundred Solutions to the Climate Crisis

By Diane Toomey

Ecologist Stefan Schnitzer with a liana, a type of woody jungle vine, on Panama's Barro Colorado Island.

Field Notes

The Strange Case of the Liana Vine and Its Role in Global Warming

By Daniel Grossman

The Kerumutan Peat Swamp Forest in Sumatra.

Can We Find the World’s Remaining Peatlands in Time to Save Them?

By Fred Pearce

A woman walks past a map showing changes to sea level in the last 22 years during climate talks in Paris in December 2015.

Climate Converts: The Conservatives Who Are Switching Sides on Warming

By Marc Gunther

Breaking Records

How the World Passed a Carbon Threshold and Why It Matters

By Nicola Jones

Republican Who Led the EPA Urges Confronting Trump on Climate

By Christian Schwägerl

President-elect Donald Trump meeting with outgoing President Obama in the Oval Office in November 2016.

Forum

Obama’s Environmental Legacy: How Much Can Trump Undo?

By Yale Environment 360

Methane emissions from rice fields, such as this one in India, have risen in recent years.

The Greenhouse Gas Riddle

What is Causing the Recent Rise in Methane Emissions?

By Fred Pearce

In New Ozone Alert, a Warning of Harm to Plants and People

By Jim Robbins

An energy-efficient building in the Shenzhen International Low Carbon City.

For China’s Polluted Megacities, a New Focus on Slashing Emissions

By Mike Ives

Why We Need a Carbon Tax, And Why It Won’t Be Enough

By Bill McKibben

For China’s Massive Data Centers, a Push to Cut Energy and Water Use

By Coco Liu

How Rising CO2 Levels May Contribute to Die-Off of Bees

By Lisa Palmer

The World’s Tropical Forests Are Already Feeling the Heat

Much attention has been paid to how global warming is affecting the world’s polar regions and glaciers. But a leading authority on tropical forests warns that rising temperatures could have an equally profound impact on rainforests and are already taking a toll on some tropical species.

By William Laurance

Europe’s CO2 Trading Scheme: Is It Time for a Major Overhaul?

Now in its seventh year, the EU’s carbon emissions trading system is the only international program designed to use market mechanisms to control CO2 emissions. But critics contend it has done little to slow the release of CO2 and argue that it should be significantly reformed — or scrapped.

By Ben Schiller