We recently told you of a study warning that global warming could prompt the large-scale collapse of the world's crops by 2080; now comes another study concluding that rising levels of ozone could achieve the same result by century's end. The study,

You can't blame them for trying: With the White House set to change hands in less than a year's time - likely bringing on board a more eco-friendly administration - industry groups have been pressing the EPA to squelch stricter air-quality standards

Talk about a lose-lose situation: On one hand, not taking any action to repair the hole would allow harmful UV radiation to percolate through; on the other hand, helping to accelerate its recovery could strengthen global warming by

While their brethren, the dreaded chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), may be on the wane, fluorocarbons -- a class of equally dangerous industrial gases -- are still wreaking havoc. As the name implies, the main distinguishing characteristic between CFCs and

Image from NASA updated: As many noted, I (idiotically) cited the Montreal Protocol's success here, which has nothing to do with reducing tropospheric ozone -- rather, it has to do with fixing the ozone layer. Thank you commenters, and my apologies for

Photo courtesy of Next Nature American Climate Values Survey Views on global warming may be more strongly politically and economically influenced than many may have hoped. The recently released results of the American Climate Values Survey, conducted

Good news: The ban on CFC-based asthma inhalers is rapidly approaching. Inhalers are going green and by December 31, all inhalers must be powered by hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) instead of the ozone-harming chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Forty percent: That is the share of annual oceanic carbon dioxide uptake accounted for by the Southern Ocean. Given that oceans comprise Earth's largest carbon sink, that is not an insignificant figure;

Hosed by this theory or greenwashed? Photo by Tony Stl via Flickr On ABC's 20/20 last Friday, Nathan Myhrvold, Microsoft's former chief technology officer, and founder/CEO of Intellectual Ventures (IV), resurrected the idea of stretching a 2-inch

Image credit: Purdue University photo/Shepson Lab digg_url = 'http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/12/beautiful-sweaty-snowflakes-dissolve-polar-ozone.php';Snowflakes, we have seen, are beautiful and diverse but they are not inert byproducts of cold

In July of 2007, the East Coast was slammed by a record-setting heat wave. From New York City to Washington, DC, temperatures averaged above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, causing more than 40 deaths.

We rely on the sun for everything from powering up our electronics to basic heat and warmth for survival, but this massive star does more than just send light our way: It's a huge nuclear reactor with explosions, eruptions, storms,

Household cleaning products in the U.S. might soon be a little greener, thanks to a new rule in California that will require companies to reformulate products so they contain fewer volatile organic compounds, or

In late September, NASA's Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite will crash into Earth. Weighing more than 1,300 pounds and roughly the size of a school bus, the satellite will likely land somewhere between Canada and South

Left: Ozone in Earth's stratosphere at an altitude of approximately 12 miles (20 kilometers) in mid-March 2011, near the peak of the 2011 Arctic ozone loss. Right: chlorine monoxide - the primary agent of chemical ozone destruction in the cold polar

Ben Richmond at Motherboard highlights a climate change success story.

Hopefully someday we can say the same thing about an effective effort to combat greenhouse gas emissions.

New NASA study offers first direct proof that the ozone hole is recovering thanks to the Montreal Protocol treaty and the international ban on CFCs.

Among the more high risk methods of geoengineering, methods that reflect sunlight away from the Earth to counteract temperature rise are right up there in terms of potential unintended consequences. Well, a new piece of

While preservation of the planet's dwindling biodiversity itself has rightly grabbed the headlines at the ongoing Convention on Biological Diversity in Japan, Science Insider points out an important geoengineering

Late last week at the Convention on Biodiversity a resolution was adopted which places a moratorium on geoengineering unless it can be proven that the method in question can be shown to not have an adverse effect on

There's no doubt that geoengineering brings out passionate emotions both pro and con, as recent debate on TreeHugger about the sort of-moratorium on some research coming out of the Convention on Biological Diversity

This week two scientists, Dirk Schulze-Makuch and Paul Davies, suggested in the Journal of Cosmology that it is time for humans to start colonizing Mars. Humanity needs some

There's been lots of back and forth in the past year on biochar, ranging from research showing it has huge potential for absorbing carbon emissions on one side, to uncertainty about its potential, to outright

Another summary of the potential risks and benefits of ocean iron fertilization--the geoengineering method which proposes seeding oceans with iron so as to stimulate microscopic plants that absorb carbon from the

One of the more invasive geoengineering methods that's been proposed to avert global warming is spraying clouds with seawater to whiten them, reflecting solar radiation. New research presented at the European Geosciences Union meeting urges caution

Another report on another geoengineering method that is likely too risky to try and utterly not cost-effective: Injecting aerosols into the atmosphere to slow warming (which would do absolutely nothing about ocean acidification, by the way).

We can and should go back and forth about the merits, demerits, risks and potential rewards of the spectrum of geoengineering techniques, from the simple but slow and effective (like afforestation) to the well, more fraught with potential catastrophic

If good design means longevity, Hubble is well on its way to redeeming the missteps that required high-tech space missions for vision correction before it could serve its purpose. Could it be a coinicidence that Hubble

Can humans endure the isolation, self-reliance, and deprivations of travel to Mars and back? Six pale-faced but smiling astronauts answer the question.

Researchers are working on "reprogramming" cells to create customized organisms that can be used for everything from new medicines to environmental clean-up crews.

A breakthrough in controlling yeast with computers gives a glimpse at where science is headed with controlling lifeforms.

Reducing CO2 emissions at the source, or better yet, not emitting them in the first place, is the better option.

Plus, spewing sulfate into sky to stop warming won't fully work (redux); what Singapore's doing to make sure sea level rise doesn't swamp their city. Here's what caught our eye this morning.

Wealthy individuals funding geoengineering feasibility studies because no one else will.

"The stakes are very high and scientists are not the best people to deal with the social, ethical or political issues that geoengineering raises."

Some new research looks at the unintended consequences of injecting aerosols into the atmosphere to block solar radiation and cool the planet, finding that doing so could turn skies everywhere into a brighter, whiter, hazier, ugly mess.

The quest to find a last-ditch techno-fix for climate change is more intense and globe-spanning than you possibly could have imagined. See for yourself.

The first field test of injecting sulfate particles into the atmosphere is proposed for New Mexico; ocean iron fertilization experiment shows more promise than previous ones.

It may have also been done under falsely obtained consent...

Because the iron dumped in the ocean off British Columbia wasn't dumped as waste, it didn't violate international law.

Inspired by geoengineering techniques, an artist creates a personal cloud-forming machine to make a point.

Geoengineering can be more than doing stuff to the environment. We could try leaving it alone.

Kevin Kelly explains why the complex interconnectedness of modern technology and society makes disaster relief and system change so challenging.

Naomi Klein's latest book is about more than just science. She explores the extractivist mentality and historic decisions that have led us to where we now find ourselves, living in a totally unsustainable way.

Clarence Eckerson Jr's latest video has lessons that can be applied everywhere.

Most trolley systems were ripped out in favor of diesel buses. This was a big mistake.

Rules really matter, and the city uses them to encourage the right kind of building.

From now on, thirsty visitors can refill their own bottles at water fountains or grab a reusable cup in the cafeteria.

Billions of chopsticks are thrown out each year worldwide. This Vancouver company is trying to turn some of of these into new items for the home.