Climate change

Is Europe ill-prepared for flood disasters?

Europe is the fastest warming continent on earth but scientists say many local governments are badly prepared for weather related disasters. With the increase in flooding events across the region, is Europe truly prepared to grapple with the effects of climate change?

Which cold foods do people across the globe enjoy during sweltering summer months?

Food

Panama has relocated islanders affected by rising sea levels — and says many more villages also need to be moved

Climate Change
Makaa or charcoal is often used in cooking methods in Kenya and other countries in Africa.

The push to end harmful cooking methods worldwide

Energy
Children play in the surf at Kite Beach with the Burj al Arab, the Dubai Marina and a man flying a powered parachute in the background in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 8, 2016.

To beat the heat, beach lovers in Dubai head to the shores at night

Climate Change
Sea-level rise and storms made stronger by climate change threaten communities across coastal Bangladesh.

‘They forgot about me’: People with disabilities in Bangladesh face increased risk during natural disasters

Climate Change

Millions of people have migrated from villages in coastal Bangladesh to escape climate-related disasters, but people with disabilities often stay behind. This puts their lives in even greater danger as weather conditions become more severe, advocates say.

A person in all black walks past a logo at the media center ahead of the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit.

Confidence in UN climate talks at a low point ahead of COP28 in Dubai

Environment

Optimism soared after the Paris Agreement was established in 2015. But progress at UN climate talks since then has been incremental at best.

Salah Fareeq Al-Feroun's farm sits unattended without the necessary water to cultivate Iraq's signature anbar rice, Al-Meshkhab, Najaf Province, Iraq, Aug. 30, 2023.

Iraq’s signature anbar rice is disappearing amid water shortages

Food

Severe water shortages in Iraq are affecting the cultivation of the country’s signature anbar rice. The lack of water is being caused by a combination of climate change and geopolitics. The World’s Sara Hassan speaks with a farmer who can no longer grow the crop in southern Najaf province.

A tree in Costa Rica's Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve.

Climate change is rapidly shifting Costa Rica’s sensitive ecosystems

Climate Change

The tiny Central American country of Costa Rica is known as a green paradise. But climate change is hitting the country in a multitude of ways, including increasing its risk from storms and natural disasters. Nowhere is the shifting planet being felt more than in some of the country’s most iconic parks and reserves, where ecosystems are changing rapidly.

Glaciologists say that between 1995 and 2010 Iceland’s glaciers lost about a meter of vertical thickness per year. The the “Blue Blob” appeared, halving that loss.

‘Blue Blob’ slows glacial melt in Iceland as temperatures rise across the globe

Environment

About 10% of Iceland is still covered by glaciers — what Icelanders call their “white diamonds.” Now, a mysterious patch of cold water in the North Atlantic Ocean, known as the “Blue Blob,” is helping slow down the rate at which these glaciers are melting. But scientists are concerned about how long this will last.