Climate change and their impact on our planet

Rare Earth Elements Reveal New Roles in Technology, Biology and the Origins of Life What Are Rare Earth Elements and Why They Matter Rare earth elements, commonly known as REEs , consist of a group of 17 elements that share closely related chemical characteristics. Alongside the two lightest members, scandium and yttrium, the group includes elements such as lanthanum , cerium and neodymium , as well as the radioactive element promethium . Despite their name, rare earth elements are not actually scarce in the Earth's crust. Instead, their significance lies in the uneven distribution of their deposits across the globe, giving them considerable geopolitical importance . REEs play a vital role in modern technology, powering everything from smartphones and powerful magnets   —  including those used in wind turbines — to catalysts and advanced optical components. Ongoing reporting on critical minerals, sustainability and future technologies can be found at FSNews365 , which r...

Climate Change Is Transforming the Arctic's Chemistry, Scientists Warm Climate change is reshaping the planet, with its most dramatic effects emerging at the polar regions. Researchers at Penn State have assembled a comprehensive overview of the chemical dynamics in the Arctic, identifying several independent interactions that influence atmospheric behaviour. As global temperatures rise and polar ice retreats, scientists are increasingly focusing on how chemical feedback loops accelerate Arctic warming. Similar climate-driven transformations and environmental tipping points are regularly explored on Earth Day Harsh Reality , which tracks the hidden mechanisms behind planetary change. Aircraft and Ground Data Reveal Powerful Chemical Interactions Drawing on data from two instrumented aircraft and ground-based measurements collected during a two-month campaign, the scientists compared chemical processes across two Arctic locations and North America's largest oil field with nearb...

Fish-Inspired Filter Removes 99% of Microplastics From Washing Machines, Study Finds Microplastic Pollution From Laundry Wastewater Wastewater discharged from washing machines is widely regarded as a major contributor to microplastic pollution — those minute plastic fragments believed to pose risks to both human and animal health. Scientists at the University of Bonn have now devised a filter to tackle this issue, drawing inspiration from the gill arches of fish. In early trials the patent-pending device removed more than 99% of plastic fibers from washing machine effluent. The findings have been reported in npj Emerging Contaminants. How Washing Machines Release Microplastics A single washing machine in a household of four can generate up to 500 grams of microplastics each year, largely due to the abrasion of textiles. Domestic appliances are therefore among the leading contributors to these microscopic particles. At present, microplastics flow straight into the sewage sludge produce...

Southern Ocean 'Burp' May Reverse Global Cooling, Study Warns Edited by: FSNews365 Climate Desk Oceans: The Silent Guardians of Global Warming The world's oceans have played a vital role in curbing global warming, absorbing roughly a quarter of human-produced carbon dioxide and over 90% of the excess heat it creates. Numerous studies, including those by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), have explore how oceans help offset rising emissions and global warming. Yet, few have considered the reverse scenario — how oceans might respond if emissions and atmospheric heat were to decline due to net negative emissions. (For a detailed look at global oceanic carbon trends and their environmental implications, visit Earth Day Harsh Reality .) Investigating the Southern Ocean's Role in Climate Recovery In a recent study published in AGU Advances, Ivy Frenger and her team investigated the potential changes in the Southern Ocean following over a century of human-i...

Climate Change Fuels Fourfold Rise in World's Most Destructive Wildfires Edited by: Fasi Uddin Wildfires Growing Deadlier and Costlier The planet is entering an era of megafires , with the most destructive blazes now occurring 4.4 times more often than in the 1980s, according to a groundbreaking study published in Science. Unlike previous research that measured wildfires mainly by land burned , this study focused on economic damages and human costs . The findings highlight a " climate driven escalation of societally disastrous wildfires, " said lead author Calum Cunningham , a pyrogeographer at the University of Tasmania's Fire Center. For more context on global climate impacts, visit Earth Day Harsh Reality . How the Study Was Conducted Beyond Scorched Acres: Measuring Human Tall The research team assessed the 200 most damaging wildfires since 1980 in Australia, the United States and Germany . Losses were calculated as a share of national GDP , adjusted for inflat...

Scientists Identify Missing Link in Earth's Carbon Cycle—Could Global Warming Trigger the Next Ice Age? By Fasi Uddin , 26 September 2025 In a breakthrough discovery that could reshape how we climate change, researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) have uncovered a missing factor in Earth's carbon cycle models . Their study suggests that the same warming crisis gripping the planet today might eventually tip the climate into a new ice age , underscoring the delicate balance between human-driven carbon emissions and natural planetary processes. How Rock Weathering Became Earth's Natural Thermostat For decades, scientists believed that rock weathering acted as the planet's thermostat. Rainfall absorbs carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) from the atmosphere, trickles onto silicate-rich rocks such as granite and gradually breaks them down. The dissolved minerals then flow into rivers and oceans, where they react with calcium to form seashells and limestone reefs...