Greenhouse gases are atmospheric constituents that absorb and emit infrared radiation, thereby contributing to the greenhouse effect and Earth’s radiative energy balance. Major greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), ozone (O₃), and various halogenated compounds, along with water vapour (H₂O) as a feedback agent. Their radiative forcing depends on concentration, spectral absorption properties, atmospheric lifetime, and overlap with other absorbers. In climate research, greenhouse gases are quantified via metrics such as global warming potential and effective radiative forcing to assess their contribution to anthropogenic climate change and to inform emissions mitigation strategies.
Rice paddy greenhouse gas emissions have doubled during the past 60 years—but practical farm changes could cut methane emissions and support global climate targets without reducing food production, a team led by Boston College ...
Ecology
Jun 26, 2026
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Climate strategies are still judged largely across two dimensions: how much they cost and how many tons of CO2 they save. A new study published in Communications Sustainability argues that this narrow lens overlooks much ...
Environment
Jun 22, 2026
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The Australian government has agreed to invest almost $53 million in a north Tasmanian company that will upgrade its coal-fired kiln to burn wood "waste" and used tires for cement manufacturing.
Environment
Jun 19, 2026
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When heat waves hit the Western United States, the risk of wildfires quickly rises. The prolonged heat dries out vegetation, but that's only part of the cause—heat waves also play other roles in spreading wildfires.
Environment
Jun 18, 2026
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Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, and lakes and wetlands are among its largest natural sources. In many lakes, methane can be seen bubbling up from the bottom and escaping directly into the atmosphere.
Earth Sciences
Jun 17, 2026
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A new study published in Nature shows that rock weathering increasingly counteracts river CO2 emissions as permafrost degrades. The study was carried out by a collaborative team of researchers from Umeå University in Sweden ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 17, 2026
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Heat waves are arriving sooner and becoming hotter, with the United Kingdom recording May 25 as its hottest day in May since tracking began more than a century ago, only for the record to be broken again the next day. While ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 16, 2026
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The EU must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040 relative to 1990—of which 5 percentage points can be achieved through climate action elsewhere, according to the 2025 law. A study by the Potsdam Institute for ...
Environment
Jun 16, 2026
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Most people have experienced a heat wave on land. But heat waves can strike in the ocean too. And as the planet continues to warm, marine heat waves are growing longer and deadlier, hurting the seafood supply that billions ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 12, 2026
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Planetary heating is intensifying and key climate indicators are deteriorating, top scientists said Thursday, warning that funding decisions affecting Earth observation systems in the United States and other countries threaten ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 11, 2026
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