21st Century Challenges

Scientists issue warning that technology to beat global warming may backfire

Engineering solutions to modify the Earth's environment and climate may be necessary if humanity is to adapt to global warming, a group of influential scientists will say today. =

Royal Society to research potential of geoengineering to limit global warming

The Royal Society has announced plans today to study which planetary-scale geoengineering techniques might play a practical role in stemming the worst impacts of climate change.

Farms to take heat out of warming

Farmers could help curb rising global temperatures by selecting crop varieties that reflect solar energy back into space, researchers say.

EU spending spree brings carbon capture closer to reality

Europe-wide plan proposes €1.25bn for carbon capture at coal-fired power plants; €1.75bn earmarked for better international energy links

Every silver lining has a cloud

Plans to engineer the climate may be less effective than had been hoped

Geo-engineering our climate

Can geo-engineering rebuild the planet?

As global warming worsens, the idea of vast projects to alter the Earth's environment is moving from fantasy to necessity.

What is geoengineering?

Read about engineering solutions to directly modify the Earth's environment and climate to help ease the warming of the planet

Sulphur screens

Could a screen of chemicals in the stratosphere help to cool the earth?

Fifth of world carbon emissions soaked up by extra forest growth, scientists find

Trees in the tropics are getting bigger, which means they are soaking up an extra 5bn tonnes of CO2 a year

Ocean fertilisation

How could fertilising the oceans help fight climate change?

Ocean iron plan approved as researchers show algae absorb CO2

Greenhouse gases trapped deep in ocean by iron-fertilised algae, scientists say, as experiment gets green light

Customising clouds to stop global warming

An engineering professor and a cloud physics expert have been pumping salt into clouds to change the way they reflect light from the sun in an attempt to stop the planet heating up.

Artificial trees

Artificial trees that could extract CO2 from the atmosphere.

Increasing cloud reflectivity

Professors John Latham and Stephen Salter have designed a fleet of ships that could pump fine particles of sea-water into clouds

Great clean-up - can economic rescue plans also save planet?

Campaigners hope huge spending packages aimed at easing the slump will spell the first serious attempt to tackle climate change. But are they as green as billed?

Scientists to stop global warming with 100,000 square mile sun shade

Scientists claim they can fight global warming by firing trillions of mirrors into space to deflect the sun's rays forming a 100,000 square mile "sun shade".

Carbon capture won’t work until 2030, says energy boss

Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, has warned that coal plants fitted with carbon capture storage (CCS) equipment are unlikely to be ready to make big cuts in Britain's emissions before 2030.

Decision on new coal-fired plant delayed again

Decisions about any new coal-fired power plants in the UK have been delayed until the autumn, prompting warnings from energy companies about the growing risk that the country could run out of electricity generating capacity.

Meet the panel for ‘Engineering our climate’

Read the biographies of the panel for 'Engineering our climate' event. Prof David Keith is an internationally renowned environmental scientist, based at Calgary Univeristy, Canada and Dr Paul Johnston, Head of Science Unit for Greenpeace International

Interview with Tony Juniper

Tony Juniper, special adviser to The Prince of Wales' Rainforest Project, and former director of Friends of the Earth, joins 21st Century Challenges to discuss the issues surrounding rainforest conservation and the challenges of the 21st century.

Big problems need big solutions

Climate change is a massive problem that needs big and bold solutions, says Professor Tim Lenton. He outlines the reasons why "geo-engineering" projects could help win the battle against dangerous climate change.

Revenge of the rainforest

The Amazon has long been the lungs of the world. But now comes dramatic evidence that we cannot rely on it in the fight against climate change

Hopes of climate change accord ‘are sinking’

Two leading climate scientists have broken ranks with their peers to declare that hopes of getting a meaningful political deal on halting global warming this year are already lost. Is Geoengineering Plan B?

Carbon capture: Scrubbing the skies

Removing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere could help combat climate change. Will it really work?

Sea rise ‘to exceed projections’

The global sea level looks set to rise far higher than forecast because of changes in the polar ice-sheets, a team of researchers has suggested.

Fate of the rainforest is ‘irreversible’

A third of the Amazonian 'carbon sink' is doomed whether or not emissions are cut, Copenhagen conference is told

Amazon rainforest at risk of ecological ‘catastrophe’

Climate change could kill the Amazon rainforest even if deforestation and emissions are curbed, scientists at the Met Office fear.

Amazon could shrink by 85% due to climate change, scientists say

Scientists say 4C rise would kill 85% of the Amazon rainforest. Even modest temperature rise would see 20-40% loss within 100 years

Plan B: scientists get radical in bid to halt global warming ‘catastrophe’

The director of a Nasa space laboratory will this week lead thousands of climate change campaigners through Coventry in an extraordinary intervention in British politics.

Artificial trees and brightened clouds may help to cool us down

Techniques for geo-engineering are coming under serious scrutiny as temperatures and CO2 emissions continue to rise

Forests ‘facing a testing time’

World forests face the dual challenge of climate change and the global economic crisis, a key UN report says.

Without commercial carbon capture, it’s ‘game over’, E.ON boss tells government

Leading energy industry executives today called on the government to ensure the development of carbon capture and storage becomes commercially viable.

Scientists perform ocean experiments

An international team of scientists has returned from the southern ocean after conducting the biggest experiment into geo-engineering.

Artificial trees and brightened clouds may help to cool us down

Techniques for geo-engineering are coming under serious scrutiny as temperatures and CO2 emissions continue to rise

‘Crunch year’ for world’s forests

Efforts to mitigate climate change could be hampered if nations do not agree to protect the world's forests by the end of the year, warn researchers.

Scotland ‘ahead of the game’ on renewables

Plans to make Scotland 50% reliant on renewable energy sources are ahead of schedule, new figures released by the Scottish Parliament today suggest.

MPs call for government geo-engineering strategy

The report from the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee concludes that the UK has "no clear strategy" for the engineering sector and is facing a "lack of expertise" that threatens the viability of government initiatives to cut carbon emissions

Who ate all the algae?

A group of Indian and German researchers gave their first report from the biggest ever experiment in geo-engineering: an expedition to pour iron into the Southern Ocean.

G20 summit: Prince of Wales to discuss rainforests with leaders

The Prince of Wales will meet world leaders and the heads of international institutions on Wednesday to discuss solutions to protect the planet's threatened rainforests.

Rio to build walls around slums in attempt to halt deforestation in Brazil

State government blames expansion of slum areas for sharp loss of Brazilian rainforest over past three years

Barack Obama arrives in Downing Street for G20 talks with Gordon Brown

US president cheered by No 10 staff as he and wife Michelle arrive for discussions with prime minister

Prince Charles calls for emergency rainforest funding

Prince Charles tells world leaders that they must 'strain every sinew' to find ways to halt the destruction of forests across the world

Solution to the carbon problem could be under the ground

Hope for the fight against climate change as study finds greenhouse gas can be buried without fear of leaking

Obama climate adviser open to geo-engineering to tackle global warming

The global warming situation has become so dire that Barack Obama's chief scientific adviser has raised with the president the possibility of massive-scale technological fixes to alter the climate known as 'geo-engineering'.

UK wind industry jobs growth potential ‘at risk’

Britain risks missing out on tens of thousands of jobs and failing to hit its renewable energy target unless the state steps in to rescue the struggling wind power industry, the Government will be warned today.

Remote-controlled helicopters in rainforest used to monitor global warming

Remote-controlled helicopters are being used to identify the animals and plants living in some of the world's least accessible rainforests.

Potential sites for UK nuclear power stations revealed

The energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, says nuclear power is part of Britain's low-carbon future

Fiddling With The Earth’s Thermostat

Scientists, including Obama's science advisor, get tied in knots over geoengineering.

The emissions reductions gospel is failing – we need something more

NGOs who oppose geo-engineering are running the risk of climatic catastrophe

Engineers set to convert carbon dioxide into solid rock

Engineers in Iceland are set to convert carbon dioxide to solid rock as a way to tackle global warming.

Obama to regulate ‘pollutant’ CO2

How to Fix a Climate Emergency

As forecasts for global temperatures grow increasingly dire, scientists are taking a serious look at an idea once considered crazy: reengineering the atmosphere.

Key role of forests ‘may be lost’

Forests' role as massive carbon sinks is "at risk of being lost entirely", top forestry scientists have warned.

UK government to unveil plans for coal-powered future

Key to the plans will be boosting carbon capture and storage technology. CCS has the potential to capture 90% of emissions but has never been proven at commercial scale.

Budget 2009: Darling gives renewables a £5bn shot in the arm

British Wind Energy Association welcomes package, but planning and grid connections still restrict renewables revolution

Pollution ‘fights global warming’

Air pollution may be helping the fight against global warming by enhancing the ability of plants to absorb carbon dioxide, scientists say.

Interview: James Lovelock on how to save Gaia

James Lovelock suggests that the technology for reversing climate change may be within our grasp

Trees are growing faster and could buy time to halt global warming

Plants and trees are growing faster because of rising carbon dioxide levels, potentially buying Earth more time to address global warming, according to scientists.

The climate engineers

Schemes to reflect sun or absorb CO2 warrant study - to sort the real science from the science fiction

Time to act

Without a solid commitment from the world's leaders, innovative ways to combat climate change are likely to come to nothing.

Fertilising the seas opens up an ocean of opportunity for commerce

Many proposals to save the planet through geo-engineering are immensely expensive and futuristic.

Have your say - Engineering our climate

Tell us what you thought of 'Engineering our climate' event. Discuss the issues raised on the night by our panel.

Scientists urges big push into geo-engineering

Speaking at London’s Royal Geographical Society, leading Canadian climate scientist Prof David Keith said the time had come to invest intensively in geo-engineering research instead of waiting to see if efforts to cut CO2 emissions in themselves would avert catastrophic climate change.

Deforestation ‘faster in Africa’

Africa's forests are disappearing faster than those in other parts of the world because of a lack of land ownership, a report says.

Professor Steven Chu: paint the world white to fight global warming

Steven Chu, the Nobel prize-winning physicist appointed by President Obama as Energy Secretary, wants to paint the world white. A global initiative to change the colour of roofs, roads and pavements so that they reflect more sunlight and heat could play a big part in containing global warming, he said yesterday.

Carbon capture technology tested

New carbon capture technology is being tested for the first time in the UK on a working coal-fired power station.

Rainforest is worth more standing

A new analysis has shown that payments to reduce carbon emissions from the forests could generate more income than palm oil production on deforested land.

The pros and cons of geoengineering

Geoengineering solutions to curb global warming may offer advantages in combating temperature rise, but could also significantly damage the earth’s eco-systems, climate scientists say in a new study published recently in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

China recruits algae to combat climate change

Chinese firm behind ambitious plan to breed microalgae in greenhouse with the potential to absorb carbon emissions

Just add lime (to the sea) – the latest plan to cut CO2 emissions

Putting lime into the oceans could stop or even reverse the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere, according to proposals unveiled at a conference on climate change solutions in Manchester today. Cquestrate is one of a number of so-called "geo-engineering schemes" that have been proposed to intervene in the Earth's systems in order to tackle climate change.

The Manchester report

The idea is one of 20 radical solutions to the threat of global warming to be proposed during presentations at a conference in Manchester this weekend

Government to map low-carbon road

A huge expansion of wind power, home insulation and "smart" electricity meters are among measures being planned to build the UK's low-carbon future. Ministers hope their Carbon Transition Plan will help them meet 2020 targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and expanding renewable energy.