In the early morning of January 17, 1994, a strong earthquake shook Los Angeles. Just after, lights appeared in the sky. People, frightened, began calling the city's astronomical observatory to find out what that unusual sight was, asking if it had anything to do with the earthquake. The scientists, at first, didn't understand anything, because there was nothing abnormal in the sky, until they realized that, since the power grid had gone down and there was no electricity in a large part of the city, the Milky Way could be seen clearly. Our own galaxy.

The Pyrenees are warming up at cruising speed due to the climate crisis. The average temperature across the mountain range has increased by 1.9 °C since 1959, a figure that rises to 2.7 °C in the summer. This means that, since the mid-20th century, the Pyrenees have lost twenty frosty days per year and gained 32 summer days (days with temperatures above 25 °C). Or, in other words: every decade, 3 frosty days are lost and 4.9 summer days are gained.

In a remote corner of the planet, just 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole and surrounded by ice, lies a kind of modern-day Noah's Ark, designed not to save animals, but to preserve the future of global agriculture. Buried beneath a mountain of ice in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, the vast global seed vault has become a silent symbol of resilience in the face of the global uncertainties of the 21st century. Designed to ensure the continuity of spices and plant-based foods in the event of a catastrophe, this biodiversity sanctuary receives samples of crops from all over the world. And now, finally, the olive tree is also part of this select group. Therefore, the future of this symbol of the Mediterranean landscape and culture is guaranteed.

This week, the Catalan government (Generalitat) requested increased funding from the European Commission (EC) – through the Next Generation EU and ERDF funds – to boost the construction of three new desalination plants in Catalonia. The government conveyed its request to Claudia Olazábal, head of the EC's Sustainable Water Resources Management Unit, during a visit to Barcelona. The government justified the request by citing the need to bolster water availability and reduce dependence on rainfall after a historic drought. While this drought currently seems distant given the levels of water reserves in reservoirs and internal basins (92%), it led Catalonia to a critical situation in 2023. The Commission issued a warning to the Generalitat: more desalination plants are welcome, but only if they are part of a broader and more comprehensive plan for managing water supply and demand. And only if all other necessary steps are taken.

Global warming is unstoppable, and in the last ten years it has accelerated significantly. This is the conclusion of a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, published this Friday in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters. The study confirms that since 2015, global warming has increased by approximately 0.35°C per decade, compared to the slightly less than 0.2°C average per decade recorded between 1970 and 2015. This new rate of temperature increase is higher than in any previous decade since instrumental records began in 1880, leading the research group responsible for the study to conclude that the warming limits set for this century could soon be exceeded. "If the warming rate of the last ten years continues, it would lead to a long-term exceedance of the 1.5°C limit set in the Paris Agreement before 2030," warns Stefan Rahmstorf, a researcher at PIK and lead author of the study, in the article. "The rate at which the Earth continues to warm ultimately depends on how quickly we reduce global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels to zero," he states. According to Rahmstorf himself, the adjusted data show an acceleration of global warming since 2015 with a statistical certainty of over 98%. The researchers compiled the study using the five major global temperature datasets established worldwide (NASA, NOAA, HadCRUT, Berkeley Earth, ERA5). Interference from specific phenomena

"We can now demonstrate a strong and statistically significant acceleration of global warming since approximately 2015," says Grant Foster, a US statistician and co-author of the study. The data have taken into account "natural influences" that can interfere with and mask changes in the warming rate data, such as El Niño, solar cycles, and volcanic eruptions. According to Foster, this ensures that the long-term warming signal is "clearly more visible" and reliable. Taking all this into account, after correcting for the effects of El Niño and the solar cycle maximum, 2023 and 2024, which were exceptionally warm years, have turned out to be somewhat cooler than previously thought, but they remain the two warmest years since instrument records began. The study has confirmed that the acceleration of global warming began to become evident in 2013 or 2014. To determine if the rate of global warming has changed since the 1970s, the research team used two statistical tools. The first analyzes whether the temperature trend has been accelerating over time, and the second divides the data series into different periods to objectively detect any points at which the rate of warming changes. The study does not analyze the exact causes of this possible acceleration. However, according to the authors, current climate models already predict that the rate of warming may increase, so this behavior falls within the realm of what climate studies consider possible.

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Storms and heavy rain continue to batter the Iberian Peninsula this winter, and this week Andalusia is the epicenter of the storms. Provinces like Seville, Cádiz, and Córdoba are the hardest hit by the abundant rainfall caused by Storm [name missing]. Leonardowith exceptional rainfall totals. The worst affected area was the municipality of Grazalema, in Cádiz, where almost 600 liters per square meter fell in just 24 hours on Wednesday. This record figure for the area is very similar to the rainfall recorded during the historic and tragic DANA storm of October 2014 in Valencia. And all that water is also having consequences for the subsoil. Grazalema is located at an altitude of over 800 meters in the Sierra de Cádiz mountains, a geographically exposed area that is very rainy and receives nearly 2,000 liters per square meter annually. The problem is that this amount of rain, which usually falls over an entire year, has already been exceeded between January and the first days of February. This exceptional rainfall has completely saturated the subsoil. The ground can no longer absorb any more water, which is gushing out uncontrollably everywhere, even through electrical outlets, toilets, and walls of houses. And a phenomenon little known until now has occurred: hydroseisms.

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2025 was the third warmest year on record globally. This data reinforces the advance of global warming, as the last eleven years have been the warmest in history. But above all, it is noteworthy that the last three years (2023, 2024, and 2025) were the first to exceed the 1.5°C limit above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900). Never before had the combined figure for a three-year period surpassed this limit set in the Paris Agreement. This is the conclusion of the annual climate report published today by the climate change service of the European Copernicus program. Specifically, the average global temperature last year was 14.97°C, 0.59°C above the reference average (1991-2020) and 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels. In fact, 2025 is only 0.01°C below 2023—the second warmest year on record—and 0.13°C below 2024, which currently holds the record for the warmest year. It's worth remembering that 2024 was the first year to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, specifically reaching 1.6°C.

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That life is full of coincidences and that it's about knowing how to seize them is something Tomàs Marquès Bonet (Barcelona, ​​1975), one of the world's leading experts in primate genomics and evolution, knows well. Although he wanted to dedicate himself to studying bats and Pyrenean frogs, he ended up at IBM performing banking transactions and learning to program. A few years later, life presented him with an opportunity to return to science, which he seized by writing a computational thesis at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) comparing humans and chimpanzees. And so, it all began again. Since then, Marquès, a professor at UPF and ICREA researcher, and head of the comparative genomics group at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE UPF-CSIC), has dedicated himself to the molecular study of primates to learn about humans as a species. He argues that the genomes of our closest evolutionary relatives are key to understanding human biology. Also to combat the illegal trafficking of these animals and help their conservation.

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Up to €150 million, according to the most pessimistic estimates from opposition groups, €14 million of which will be lost in the coming weeks. This is what the Valencia City Council stands to lose due to Vox's refusal to implement a Low Emission Zone (LEZ), required for cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. The decision, already announced in October, was confirmed this week with the approval by the People's Party (PP) and the far-right party of the city's 2026 budget without including any restrictions on the circulation of the most polluting vehicles. The first penalty will come with the loss of government subsidies for passenger transport, which the national government makes conditional on the existence of an LEZ. To compensate, the city council will have to allocate €14 million of its own funds to maintain the reduced price of the 10-trip pass for the municipal bus network (EMT), which currently costs €5.40. Beyond the bus discount, the implementation of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was one of the requirements for receiving funding for urban development projects such as the Petxina superblock or the construction of various bike lanes, among others. This is the complaint of opposition groups, who point out that the Ministry of Transport could demand the return of its subsidies and could also impose fines of up to three times the amount of money provided by the State. This is the basis for the opposition's calculations, which amount to 150 million euros, slightly more than 10% of the city's budget, which will be 1.415 billion euros in 2026.

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The loss of glaciers worldwide is usually calculated in terms of square kilometers or ice volume. But each individual glacier, however small, is unique. "It might be a historical and cultural site, a tourist attraction, or a symbol of regional identity. Its loss might not impact sea levels or water resources, but it can have a very significant local impact," says researcher Lander Van Tricht of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). Some studies suggest that We have already lost 10% of the world's glaciers due to the climate crisisNow Van Tricht is leading a study, published this Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change, which predicts the number of glaciers that will be lost this century based on various degrees of global warming.

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For some time, a team of researchers from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE UPF-CSIC), led by Salvador Carranza, arguably the leading expert on reptiles and amphibians in Catalonia, had wanted to obtain the genome of one of the most endangered species in the country. Iberolacerta aurelioiThe Pyrenean lizard, an endemic species of the Pyrenees, is both a window into the glacial past and the evolution of mountain vertebrates. This small reptile, which inhabits only a very restricted area of three mountain ranges in Pallars Sobirà, southern France, and northwestern Andorra, was discovered in the late 1990s at Lake Sotllo, on the peak opposite. Its history—how it had managed to survive in the high mountains and why its habitat was so limited—was unknown. It was also unknown how climate change affected it or what other threats it faced.

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A fire broke out at the venue where the UN climate summit, COP30, in the Brazilian city of Belém, A fire forced the evacuation of the area where negotiations were taking place on Thursday. The flames spread in a section of the so-called Blue Zone, administered and controlled by the United Nations, where the meeting rooms and various pavilions of the countries and international organizations participating in the meeting are located. Security personnel quickly isolated the area of the fire and ordered the evacuation of the dozens of people present through the emergency exits, which generated tense moments, according to the EFE news agency. Brazil's Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, reported that the fire was brought under control in a matter of minutes and that no one was injured. He also said that the origin of the fire is still being investigated, but that everything points to it having been "probably a plugged-in cell phone." Some reports suggested it may have originated in the Indian pavilion, but this has not been confirmed.

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It's the heart of autumn, and forests across the country have been displaying the classic and spectacular yellow, red, and orange hues of this time of year for weeks. But the colors of autumn are arriving later and later in our country due to the effects of the climate crisis, according to a study by Meteocat published this Friday based on data from the Phenological Network of Catalonia (Fenocat). The report concludes that the change in leaf color of deciduous trees is being delayed by an average of 2.1 days per decade in Catalonia. The study focused on the beech tree, which is particularly colorful at this time of year. In fact, beech forests attract thousands of visitors every autumn because of their spectacular display. Data indicates that some beech forests are experiencing a delay in leaf color change of up to 3 or 4 days per decade, such as those found at Roca Tiraval in Bagà (Berguedà) or Castellterçol (Moianès). This shortening of the natural period puts these trees at risk in the future.

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A group of protesters, many of them indigenous, invaded the restricted area of the convention center on Tuesday night (early morning in Catalonia) where the Brazil hosts the UN climate summit, COP30. for demanding a "tax on billionaires" to finance the fight against the climate crisis. Climate activists managed to breach the security checkpoints at the entrance to Parque da Cidade, which had been closed for the past few weeks for use as a summit venue, and entered the lobby of the large tent managed by the UN, where they clashed with police, who formed a cordon to prevent them from proceeding. Clashes and scenes of chaos ensued until the protesters were finally expelled.

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The climate crisis exacerbates inequalities because it disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, who have fewer adaptation strategies. This is also evident in Spain, according to a report published by Oxfam Intermón this Wednesday on the occasion of the UN COP30 climate summit being held in Brazil. According to this research, entitled Climate inequality in Spain: An opportunity for a just transitionThe wealthiest 0.1% of the population in Spain pollutes up to 55 times more annually than a person in the poorest 50%, according to 2022 data. The study also reveals that 70% of the Spanish population lives in municipalities where the temperature has already increased by 1.5°C since 2019, and that per capita household income is lower than the average. In total, more than 33 million people in Spain already live in areas that have exceeded this threshold (which is not the Paris Agreement threshold, as that is a global average), which entails significant changes in weather and biodiversity. The top 1% of earners consume 45 times more of their carbon budget than they would need to keep global warming within the 1.5°C limit. "The ecological transition will only be just if those who emit the most assume their responsibility. Climate action is needed that combines social justice and climate ambition," says Lourdes Benavides, head of climate justice at Oxfam Intermón. According to the Oxfam study, Companies listed on the Ibex 35 are responsible for 30% of direct CO₂ emissions in Spain And just five—four from the energy sector and one from air transport, Oxfam details—generate more than a quarter of Spain's total.

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Hugs, jumps of joy and applause greeted the ten years ago birth of the Paris AgreementIt had taken many years to bring it to fruition, and many hours of tense negotiations had been spent in the French capital during the COP21 climate summit. But on December 12, 2015, all the world's governments formally committed to preventing global warming from exceeding 2°C and preferably remaining below 1.5°C. The agreement was very imperfect—starting with the fact that it was not legally binding—but this historic milestone—getting 197 different governments to agree is a Herculean task—unleashed optimism: the fight against the climate crisis was finally an unavoidable global objective.

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(This interview was published on November 10, 2025, before Donald Trump's latest threat to conquer Greenland)

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When he was six years old, his parents sent him to live with his grandparents in Punjab for a year, hoping he would understand his Indian roots. That experience profoundly marked him. It was nothing like his native Essex, in the United Kingdom, which was much grayer and more industrial, and it instilled in Yadvinder Malhi (High Wycombe, UK, 1968) an admiration, curiosity, and passion for nature. Today, this professor of ecosystem science at the University of Oxford is one of the world's most recognized scientific voices in the integration of ecosystem ecology into Earth sciences. His work on climate change and biodiversity loss, especially in tropical forests, has been fundamental. For this reason, he was awarded the 21st Ramon Margalef Prize for Ecology 2025, granted by the Government of Catalonia.

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"That will be the COP of truth, where we will see if we heed the warnings of science and turn them into change." That is how he defined the COP30, the UN climate summit The summit, which kicks off next Monday in Belém, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, will be opened by Brazilian President and host Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. This year, the speeches by political leaders have been moved up a few days from the start of the summit due to the logistical challenges of accommodating so many government delegations in a small Amazonian town. In their speeches, both Lula and UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that this summit—which comes exactly ten years after the Paris Agreement—must finally launch the implementation of that agreement, after a decade of negotiating its rules and fine print. Lula acknowledged that the fight against the climate crisis is currently threatened by "an international scenario in which mutual distrust prevails and private interests take precedence over the common good of the world." A scenario, he said, in which "extremist forces fabricate fake news for political gain." The Brazilian president didn't mention Donald Trump by name, but it was clear who he was referring to. The next speaker, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, was more explicit and directly denounced Donald Trump's "lies" when he says the climate crisis is a hoax, as he did at the UN General Assembly in September. The intervention of Colombian President Gustavo Petro followed the same line, and he was the harshest critic of the US president. In fact, Petro used his climate speech to also denounceTrump administration's actions in the Caribbean and the Pacific "with extrajudicial killings" against alleged drug traffickers. "Donald Trump is against humanity, and his absence today is proof of that," he said. The Colombian president stressed that the world is on the verge of "climate collapse" and that part of the responsibility for this lies with "Trump's conduct," with his "denial of science, which is leading his society, with its eyes fixed on the abyss, and with it, all of humanity."

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The UN has analyzed all the political commitments it has received from governments before the start of the climate summit next week in Brazil, COP30With the new climate plans officially presented, the world is heading towards global warming of between 2.3°C and 2.5°C, still above the Paris Agreement target, but 0.1°C below what was projected last year with the commitments then on the table. Climate diplomacy is progressing, but very slowly. The report also calculates the warming that would result from current climate policies (if these commitments are not ultimately met), which would amount to an additional 2.8°C, also an improvement compared to the 3.1°C projected last year.

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