Methane emissions from the oil and gas sector held steady in the United States even as oil and gas production increased during a recent period of heightened regulations, according to new research from Johns Hopkins University. The study, published today in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, is part of an effort to determine whether federal greenhouse gas legislation and mandates have meaningfully decreased methane emissions.

A new study, led by IIASA researchers and coauthored by UNEP colleagues, finds that if governments fully implement their methane reduction plans, they could reduce global emissions by 11% between 2020 and 2030. This would reverse the current trend of increasing methane emissions, but would not be sufficient to achieve the goal of the Global Methane Pledge. A detailed assessment shows that a 22% reduction could be possible at a relatively low cost, while a 30% reduction would nearly exhaust the mitigation potential achievable with existing technology.   

WashU won a federal grant to build AI models that will help scientists better understand aerosol effects on marine low clouds.

A new Virginia Tech study shows that rising sea levels are making the Chesapeake Bay far more vulnerable to severe flooding. Researchers modeled thousands of potential storm scenarios and found that by 2050, a predicted 17-inch rise in sea level will do more than just lift the water line—it will actually reduce the bay's natural ability to cushion storm surges by up to 9 percent. Coupled with the fact that land around the lower bay is naturally sinking, future storms will push water much higher and further inland. Slow-moving, intense hurricanes will hit coastal Virginia hardest, driving water levels up by an extra 3 feet around the mouth of the bay and along the James and York rivers.

The scientific evidence for human-caused global warming is stronger than ever, according to a major new review – despite a United States government report questioning the science.

The study shows that more than three decades of climate “fingerprint” research has provided overwhelming evidence that greenhouse gas emissions are driving changes throughout Earth’s climate system.