Weekly carbon dioxide levels at Mauna Loa Observatory are already nearing last year's peak. No, the headline is not a typo. Current carbon dioxide levels are and are on track to climb to even more ominous heights in just a few decades. If carbon emissions continue on their current trajectory, new findings show that by mid-century, the atmosphere could reach a state unseen in 50 million years. Back then, temperatures were up to 18°F (10°C) warmer, ice was almost nowhere...

Time-lapse videos taken of glaciers around the world over the last decade show how they’ve retreated and provide dramatic evidence of climate change. ...

Environmental groups are suing the EPA over the use of the pesticide, chlorpyrifos. ...

At a Glance Researchers at the University of Reading say clear-air turbulence may more than double in the future, thanks to climate change.The scientists say increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations will create wind shears in the jet stream that will affect flights. Climate change is expected to produce more turbulence for aircraft, increasing the risk of passenger injury and the cost of flights, a new study says. According to the,climate change is expected to strengthen vertical wind shears in...

At a Glance Scientists found traces of neonicotinoids in samples of treated tap water in Iowa.The pesticide is linked to declining bee colonies and some bird populations.Researchers say the find is not a cause for alarm just yet. Scientists have discovered traces of one of the world's most popular and controversial bee-killing insecticidesin Iowa's drinking water. According to conducted by the United States Geological Survey and the University of Iowa and published Wednesday in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, researchers...

A bleached staghorn coral sits on the Great Barrier Reef in March 2017. (Arc Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies/Bette Willis) At a Glance The damage done to the reefs has been more significant than previously envisioned, scientists say.Scientists fear "zero prospect of recovery" for previously damaged reefs. Two-thirds of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have been found to be severely bleached, scientists say. This is the second year in a row that theunderwater ecosystemexperienced such asevere bleaching event,...

Freshwater lakes like Lake Monona, seen here in Madison, Wisconsin, are in danger as salt used to de-ice frozen roads makes its way into the nation's waterways. (Premium UIG/Getty Images) Freshwater lakes in the United States are becoming dangerously salty, scientists say, thanks to our use of salt to de-ice frozen roadways during the winter months. According to , northern freshwater lakes are being increasingly salinized by the saltthat runs off impervious surfacesand leaches into the nation's waterways. More troubling...

The Lower Colorado River, seen here as it carves a path at Dead Horse Point in Colorado, was named the most endangered river in the United States for 2017. (Gary Gray/Getty Images) A river advocacy group has announced its 10 most endangered rivers list for 2017. Since 1984, by American Rivershas been used to help local communities protect and save their threatened rivers. Riverson the endangered list are selected based on whether a major policy decisionis in the works about...

Earth at night, 2016 The earth at night, 2016. (NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Román, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center) Many of us would give just about anything to have a gander at the earth from spaceand new photos released by NASA of our planet at night are stunning, leaving one longing for more. The first thing that captures the eye is were concentrated in 2016 when the photos were captured...

Global temperature anomalies for each month since 1880. March 2017 was the second warmest March, behind only 2016. (NASA) At a Glance March 2017 was a hot month globally.Scientists say it was the second hottest March on record. The exceptional global heat of the past few years continued last month, with March ranking as the second hottest on record for the planet. It followed and, showing just how much Earth has warmed from the continued buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gasses...

Residents in cities like Hollywood, Florida, pictured here during a King Tide on Oct. 17, 2016, will be forced to move inland as sea levels rise. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) The influx of millions of climate migrants,people escaping rising sea levels,will likely place heavy burdens on landlocked cities like Atlanta, Houston and Phoenix by the end of the century, a team of scientists says. In a , researchers with theUniversity of Georgia estimate that about 13.1 million people will be displaced...

Thousands of flip-flops are washing up on Kenyan shores in Africa. (Ocean Sole Foundation) At a Glance Thousands of discarded flip-flops have found their way into the world's oceans, threatening marine wildlife.One company in Kenya has been recycling discarded flip-flops, creating products and artwork.The initiative has helped the local economy and brought awareness to the plight of plastics in our oceans. In many Asian and African countries, flip-flops are the shoe of choice for millions. Problems arise,however, when the shoes...

Global temperature data averaged and adjusted to early industrial baseline, 1881-1910. Data as of April 19, 2017. (NASA GISS and NOAA NCEI) At a Glance Scientists say global warming has made cold scarceon a planetary scale.A graphic clearly shows the alarming climate trend. To say the world is having a streak like no other is an understatement. scarceon a planetary scale. This March clocked in as the second warmest March on record when compared to the 20th-century average, according to...