Plus: a sex-mad tortoise saves his species, and a giant blob kills a million birds
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Green Light
Story of the week
Ocean temperatures hit record high as rate of heating accelerates
Climate emergency / Ocean temperatures hit record high as rate of heating accelerates
Oceans are clearest measure of climate crisis as they absorb 90% of heat trapped by greenhouse gases
The good news
Prolific Galápagos tortoise saves his species
Sex machine / Prolific Galápagos tortoise saves his species
Only 15 giant Española tortoises remained in the wild but a breeding program has been wildly successful, with one individual fathering 800 offspring
UK / Young sea eagle takes up residence among red kites
'Not compatible with my role' / Climate activist turns down Siemens' offer of seat on energy board
The not-so-good news
Huge ‘hot blob’ killed nearly a million seabirds
Pacific Ocean / Huge ‘hot blob’ killed nearly a million seabirds
Study finds common murres probably died of starvation after thousands of bodies washed up on North America’s Pacific coast
Global heating / 2019 was second hottest year on record
New study / YouTube ads of 100 top brands fund climate misinformation
Australia on fire
Before and after images show scale of devastation
Bushfires from the air / Before and after images show scale of devastation
Nine aerial photos depict the devastation from beach to bush, farm to forest, across NSW and South Australia
'Frustrating' / James Murdoch criticises father's news outlets for climate crisis denial
Tennis / Smoke plays havoc as Australian Open qualifier suffers coughing fit
'It's heart-wrenching' / 80% of Blue Mountains and 50% of Gondwana rainforests burn
A billion animals / Some of the species most at risk from Australia's bushfire crisis
Essential reading
Enemies of the state? / Greenpeace included with neo-Nazis on UK counter-terror list
Greenpeace included with neo-Nazis on UK counter-terror list
The trespass trap: this new law could make us strangers in our own land
George Monbiot
The trespass trap: this new law could make us strangers in our own land
Green living / A 25C wash is greenest – but can it really clean filthy clothes?
A 25C wash is greenest – but can it really clean filthy clothes?
The case for ... / Making low-tech 'dumb' cities instead of 'smart' ones
Making low-tech 'dumb' cities instead of 'smart' ones
Sex superstar / How Diego the horny tortoise saved his species
How Diego the horny tortoise saved his species
'Like a bomb going off' / Why Brazil's largest reserve is facing destruction
Why Brazil's largest reserve is facing destruction
The solution to the plastic waste crisis? It isn’t recycling
John Vidal
The solution to the plastic waste crisis? It isn’t recycling
Yosemite national park / 170 recent visitors suffer norovirus symptoms
170 recent visitors suffer norovirus symptoms
CO2 levels in the atmosphere
<b>Weekly averages</b><br>5 January 2020: 413.37 ppm<br> This time last year: 409.94 ppm<br> 10 years ago: 388.21 ppm<br> <em>Pre-industrial base: 280<br> Safe level: 350</em>
Weekly averages
5 January 2020: 413.37 ppm
This time last year: 409.94 ppm
10 years ago: 388.21 ppm
Pre-industrial base: 280
Safe level: 350
Atmospheric CO2 reading from Mauna Loa, Hawaii (part per million). Source: NOAA-ESRL

Scientists have warned for more than a decade that concentrations of more than 450ppm risk triggering extreme weather events and temperature rises as high as 2C, beyond which the effects of global heating are likely to become catastrophic and irreversible. Read more about our weekly carbon count
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