Plastic Particles Infest the Arctic

Tim Radford / Climate News Network Apr 28, 2018 Tiny bits have been found in every sample of Arctic sea ice collected. But the ice can only hold these indestructible pollutants for so long. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Protesters Demand Officials’ Ouster in Russian Mall Fire

NATALIYA VASILYEVA and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV / The Associated Press Mar 27, 2018 Thousands of Russians rally for more than 10 hours in a Siberian city, demanding the ouster of regional officials for a shopping mall fire that killed at least 64. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Global ‘Compost Bomb’ Slowly Detonates as Previously Frozen Soil ‘Breathes Out’ Greenhouse Gases

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Dec 29, 2016 Warming is causing soil-based microorganisms to release carbon dioxide in a potentially catastrophic process that could add at least as much carbon to the atmosphere as the fossil fuel industry emitted in the mid-20th century, a study finds. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Climate Secrets of Lake El’gygytgyn

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig May 14, 2013 Lake sediments in a Siberian crater show that the last time atmospheric carbon dioxide was at present levels, global temperatures were 14.4 degrees hotter, forests covered the tundra and sea levels were up to 130 feet higher than they are today. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

How Bad Will It Be When the Permafrost Melts?

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Feb 23, 2013 If the Earth's average global temperature rises by another few tenths of a degree, a large area of Siberian permafrost will start to melt uncontrollably, releasing 160 to 290 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in the years that follow. But the dangers have been overhyped, a British climate scientist says. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Russian Authorities Aren’t Toying Around

Staff / Truthdig Feb 16, 2012 After a protest against the Russian government composed entirely of plush toys and figurines captured the attention of the press and local authorities in Barnaul, Russia, last month, government officials have gone so far as to specify that inanimate playthings can't assemble for public political gatherings. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S., Russian Satellites Collide, Go Boom

Staff / Truthdig Feb 12, 2009 It's getting crowded in space. A U.S. telecommunications satellite and a defunct Russian satellite smacked into each other in orbit over Siberia on Tuesday. According to NASA, no one was to blame for the unprecedented collision: "We don't have an air traffic controller in space." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Russian Flag on North Pole Seabed

Staff / Truthdig Aug 3, 2007 Although Canada and the U.S., among other nations, are disputing Russia's claim to vast territory in the Arctic, Russia has planted its flag on the ocean floor at the North Pole. Why does it matter? Well, some 25 percent of the Earth's oil reserves might be at stake. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )