“Can a new way to measure tropical rainforest vulnerability help save them?”

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/can-a-new-way-to-measure-tropical-rainforest-vulnerability-help-save-them-perpetual

If pushed too far, vast stretches of tropical rainforest could see widespread tree deaths, or could transition to a new state, becoming drier, savanna-like woodlands. That would devastate some of the most wildlife-rich regions on earth and potentially worsen climate change because intact rainforests slurp large volumes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While such a shift, in general, would likely happen gradually, scientists worry that some forests, particularly the Amazon, could transform rapidly into something new.

“Part of the Amazon is emitting more carbon dioxide than it absorbs — and it’s a “really big warning” for the planet”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-rainforest-carbon-dioxide-emissions-climate-change/

The Amazon rainforest has played a critical role in the fight against climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. But a study published in Nature on Wednesday found that humans are threatening its ability to do so — which could have devastating consequences for the planet. 

“All forests are not the same”

Primary ‘old growth’ forests are unique and irreplaceable.  As well as sustaining local communities, they protect over two thirds of the planet’s land and freshwater species, including countless endangered species.  They are natural quarantine areas, preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases like COVID19. And they store vast amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, half of which is locked up in the massive old trees which tower over the forest canopy.  But how do you get that message across to governments, policymakers and corporations?  And the message that not all forests are the same?

“MIT Predicted in 1972 That Society Will Collapse This Century. New Research Shows We’re on Schedule.”

https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3xw3x/new-research-vindicates-1972-mit-prediction-that-society-will-collapse-soon

A remarkable new study by a director at one of the largest accounting firms in the world has found that a famous, decades-old warning from MIT about the risk of industrial civilization collapsing appears to be accurate based on new empirical data. 

“How flooded coal mines could heat homes”

How flooded coal mines could heat homes – BBC Future

A quarter of the UK’s homes sit above abandoned coal mines, long since flooded with water. Now, the mines are being put to a new, zero-carbon use.

“Heat Pumps Are Ready to Have a Moment”

Heat Pumps Are Ready to Have a Moment (gizmodo.com)

It took nearly 170 years, but geothermal heat pumps are finally ready to have a moment. The poorly named appliance—they heat and cool buildings—could be the key to ensuring our homes are more comfortable and climate pollution-free.