Climate Change

Combining standardized achievement data for 58 countries and 12,000 US school districts with detailed weather and academic calendar information, Park et al. show that the rate of learning decreases as the number of hot school days goes up.

Abstract This study offers some of the first evidence in a developing country context that transitory exposure to high temperatures may disrupt low-stakes cognitive activities across a range of age cohorts. By matching eight years of repeated cognitive tests among all the participants in a nationally representative longitudinal survey in China with weather data according to the exact time and geographic location of their assessment, we show that exposure to a temperature above 32°C on the test date, relative to a moderate day within 22°C–24°C, leads to a sizable decline in their math scores by 0.066 standard deviations (equivalent to 0.23 years of education). Further, the effect on the math test scores is more salient for individuals who are older or less educated.

(April 2019) - We analyze the impact of outdoor temperature on high-stakes decisions (immigration adjudications) made by professional decision-makers (US immigration judges). In our preferred specification, which includes spatial, temporal, and judge fixed effects, and controls for various potential confounders, a 10°F degree increase in case-day temperature reduces decisions favorable to the applicant by 6.55 percent. This is despite judgements being made indoors, "protected" by climate control. Results are consistent with established links from temperature to mood and risk appetite and have important implications for evaluating the influence of climate on "cognitive output."

It’s not just the planet and not just our health – the impact of a warming climate extends deep into our cortical fissures

A process called biofortification puts nutrients directly into seeds and could reduce global hunger, but it’s not a magic bullet

An innovative insurance program is paying daily wage laborers in India a portion of their income on days the temperature breaches a threshold.

As heat waves creep north, they are baking schools that previously did not need air conditioning. Fixing the problem will be neither cheap, nor easy.

This cohort study investigates the associations between air and noise pollution exposure in pregnancy through age 12 years with the development of psychotic experiences, depression, and anxiety at 13 to 24 years of age.

Mexico City gets about a quarter of its water from a system that is running dry. Some say it could be unable to provide water by June 26, known as “Day Zero” in the metropolitan area of 22 million.

A victory for Donald Trump in November’s presidential election could add 4bn tonnes of US emissions by 2030 compared with Joe Biden’s plans

Chelsea flower show to focus on water reuse as gardeners prepare for shortages caused by climate crisis

Rising premiums are a de facto ‘carbon price’ on consumers as extreme weather events become more frequent

Companies are increasingly changing the way they do business to cope with increasingly frequent episodes of extreme weather.

Case counts are skyrocketing in countries like Brazil and Peru and the virus is popping up in new turf, from Florida to Iran. What's the cause? And what's the solution?

Exposure to wildfire smoke increases the odds of being diagnosed with dementia even more than exposure to other forms of air pollution, according to a landmark study of more than 1.2 million Californians unveiled at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

New regulations likely won’t be implemented until 2026, but the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act already covers some employees.

Brutal temperatures in New Delhi, reaching as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit, have claimed over 100 lives.

Ferries from Naples and Sorrento had been forced to return to port as mayor described situation as ‘real emergency’

China’s CO2 emissions fell by 3% in March 2024, ending a 14-month surge that began when the economy reopened after the nation’s “zero-Covid”

Coastal land is subsiding. That could expose hundreds of thousands of additional Americans to inundation by 2050.

With “green corridors” that mimic the natural forest, the Colombian city is driving down temperatures -- and could become five degrees cooler over the next few decades.

Arctic Ice argues its rare, pure product can be part of Greenland’s green transition and greater independence

Scientists think we need to pay attention to a measure of heat and humidity – and it’s edging closer to the limits of human survivability

Due to the problematic degradation properties of plastics, the decomposition of plastic results in the formation of numerous microplastics (MPs), less than 5 mm in diameter. These MPs enter the soil and the ocean, eventually passing through the air, water, ...

In terms of architecture, it’s possible that the features that consistently produce minor stress responses in our bodies are the most insidious, precisely because they often go unnoticed.

Floods, freezes and heatwaves threaten seed production as farmers scramble to produce strains that resist climate chaos

I read this story on Canary Media with interest – “Solarpunk is going mainstream. This couple’s $1M Kickstarter proves it. Canary chats with the co-creators of the forthcoming video gam…

Researchers’ analysis of DNA suggests housing circumstances ‘get under the skin’ and are associated with significant health consequences

Sam Woods, head of the Bank’s financial stability watchdog, says lenders have only shown they can survive ‘slow burn’ changes to temperatures