Talking Point articles
Talking Point articles RSS feedWarning: extreme weather ahead
Jun 17, 2011
Tornados, wildfires, droughts and floods were once seen as freak conditions. But the environmental disasters now striking the world are shocking signs of 'global weirding' (from the Guardian)
Head in a CLOUD
May 19, 2011
News from CERN - the European Organization for Nuclear Research - tends to be dominated by the Large Hadron Collider and its hunt for fundamental particles. But the CLOUD experiment is designed to recreate processes in the atmosphere and their wider impact on Earth's climate.
The physicist who tames lightning
Mar 7, 2011
Joseph Dwyer on why we still know very little about this spectacular phenomenon
Environmental research in Brazil
Feb 10, 2011
Sugar cane and biodiversity take the lead in Brazilian environmental research
Popular books spread the word on climate change
Jan 5, 2011
Authors share worries about “sceptics” term and geoengineering
Geoengineering: the most reluctant research field?
Nov 26, 2010
Scientists at Royal Society meeting stress that geoengineering is a last resort
Hot fusion
Oct 8, 2010
Despite more than 50 years of effort, today's nuclear-fusion reactors still require more power to run than they can produce. Steve Cowley outlines the next challenges in fusion power.
Copenhagen Accord shows 'dissonant ambition'
Sep 29, 2010
Study reveals agreement unlikely to limit temperature rise to less than 2 °C
A sea of troubles
Sep 10, 2010 2 comments
Rising temperatures are putting ocean life under increasing pressure
The IPCC on trial: experimentation continues
Jul 21, 2010 1 comment
Since its inception in 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been a giant experiment in the creation of authoritative public knowledge, says Mike Hulme, while the recent furore about errors in its Fourth Assessment Report has parallels to Climategate
'Climategate' shows the need for openness by scientists
Jul 13, 2010
In the age of the blogosphere, blocking facts means science is damaged and public trust lost (from the Guardian)
Presence of world leaders 'paralysed' climate summit, UN letter claims
Jun 2, 2010
United Nations climate chief says Danish presidency's backing for US also derailed Copenhagen negotiations (from the Guardian)
Eyjafjallajökull: new climate for air travel, but not for Europe?
Apr 23, 2010 1 comment
Current eruption too small to have widespread effect on climate but atmospheric transport modellers could benefit
Climate change talks yield small chance of global treaty
Apr 14, 2010
Head of UN environmental agency says talks divided between the west and developing nations over emissions targets (from the Guardian)
Climate wars damage the scientists but we all stand to lose in the battle
Mar 1, 2010
It is open season on climate scientists, but such hand-wringing has allowed the creeping rehabilitation of climate scepticism (from the Guardian)
How to reform the IPCC
Feb 19, 2010
The Guardian asks experts around the world what needs to change to enable the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to continue to play a central and positive role in enabling the world's governments to take the right action against climate change (from the Guardian)
Testing times for geoengineering
Feb 8, 2010
Solar-radiation measurement techniques would be impossible to trial on small scale, say scientists
Copenhagen: what next?
Jan 27, 2010
UNFCC mandarin Yvo de Boer and climate scientist Stefan Rahmstorf give their views
Irrational fears give nuclear power a bad name, says Oxford scientist
Jan 12, 2010 2 comments
Wade Allison says misplaced health stigma has prevented the full benefits of nuclear energy being explored. (From the Guardian)
Copenhagen: why I believe all is not lost – yet
Dec 21, 2009 1 comment
If the world can acknowledge what went wrong at Copenhagen and learn from it, then we can still step back from the brink of disaster, says Robin McKie. (From the Guardian.)