Almost 40% of glaciers threatened by warming, and other nature and climate news

New research suggests that glaciers globally will lose 39% of their mass relative to 2020, even if temperatures stabilize at current conditions.

The analysis published in Science warns that if global warming reaches the 2.7°C rise currently projected by 2100, then this loss will rise to 75%.

Just last week a Swiss village was destroyed after a glacier collapsed, causing millions of cubic metres of ice, mud and rock to engulf the village of Blatten.

The implications of glacial melting include rising sea levels and mass inland migration.

The authors' results emphasize that current and near-term climate policies will strongly influence glacier changes both in the short term and over the next several centuries.

There is an "80% chance that at least one of the next five years will exceed 2024 as the warmest on record", a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has shown.

It forecasts that the annually averaged global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2025 and 2029 is predicted to be between 1.2°C and 1.9°C higher than the average over the years 1850-1900.

The authors warn that each additional fraction of a degree of warming increases the risk of extreme weather, from heatwaves to droughts.

View a quick summary of the report here:

The third UN Ocean Conference will bring together global leaders, scientists and innovators in Nice, France, from 9-13 June 2025. The conference theme – ‘Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean’ – directly reflects the mandate of SDG 14 to safeguard marine resources. The World Economic Forum is supporting the UNOC’s organizers by facilitating private sector engagement, with a focus on working towards a regenerative blue economy. Learn more in the article below:

Rising military expenditures threaten SDG 13 on climate action, a study suggests. It points to "increases of tens to hundreds of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year resulting from current spending increases".

The African Development Bank is set to launch a carbon credits support facility. This will help governments develop policies and regulations governing carbon trading and boost the supply and demand for credits as well as the key market infrastructure needed to increase their use, Reuters reports.

An estimated 21% of the world's oceans have "become darker" over the past two decades. This means that sunlight cannot penetrate as far into the ocean, impacting surface-level marine species and their ecosystems.

China has pledged support to Pacific Island countries in addressing climate change, promising to undertake 100 "small but beautiful" projects over the next three years in nations that maintain ties with Beijing.

A system to log air quality impacts of moorland fires is being tested in the UK's Peak District, which combines satellite data with sensors on the ground to measure particle pollution.

To address the issue of flushed wet wipes, draft legislation from the Spanish government proposes that manufacturers bear the cost of removing their products from sewers and water-treatment plants. The law's outline identifies wet wipes as among the ten single-use plastic items most commonly found on EU beaches.

A science-based approach is essential for countering widespread climate misinformation and delivering effective environmental policies, write COP's High Level Climate Champions Nigel Topping and Gonzalo Muñoz. On Facebook alone, climate misinformation and disinformation receive an estimated 1.36 million daily views - false narratives that undermine scientific consensus, protect vested interests and obstruct informed policy-making. Here's why business leaders are vital for advancing evidence-based solutions.

This video shows how long-term policy making has helped Paris minimize its emissions - and air pollution:

Find out how one startup is leveraging AI, IoT and blockchain to build circularity into maritime logistics: