Earth is warming faster. Scientists are closing in on why
Paradoxically, cleaner emissions from ships and power plants are playing a role
Gavin Schmidt, a leading climate modeller and the boss of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Science (GISS) in New York City, is not noted for his humility. Nevertheless, writing in Nature, a journal, in March 2024, he confessed to being humbled by his inability, and that of his colleagues, to understand the extraordinary year through which they had just lived—2023 had been around 0.2°C (0.4°F) hotter than had been expected.
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This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Annus sollicitissimus”
From the December 21st 2024 edition
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How to form good habits, and break bad ones: trick your brain
Small rewards and a change of scenery can help
AI models could help negotiators secure peace deals
Some are being developed to help end the war in Ukraine
Scientists are getting to grips with ice
Climate change is making water freeze in unexpected ways
Microplastics have not yet earned their bad reputation
There are worrying signs. But more thorough studies of their health effects are coming
Electric vehicles also cause air pollution
Though fume-free, their brake pads and tyres disintegrate over time
AI models are helping dirty industries go green
Mining companies and steelmakers are feeling the benefits