climate change

A study published in Science Advances estimates that economic losses due to heatwaves caused by climate change between 1992 and 2013 exceeded $5 trillion. Moreover, lower-income countries were more affected than richer regions.

An international study published in the journal PNAS has associated deforestation and climate change with different species of monkeys and lemurs that usually live in trees spending more time on the ground. This implies that they would be exposed to a greater number of hazards. The research has taken place in 47 species in different parts of the Americas and Madagascar.

Red kites (Milvus milvus) born during a period of drought are disadvantaged throughout their lives, according to a study of a population of red kites in the Doñana National Park. The research is published in Nature Communications. 

A study published in Science analyses the potential climate benefits of afforestation - both planting trees to create new forests and reforesting old ones - of the world's drylands. The authors show that the cooling effect of afforestation of this vast area would only amount to a decrease of about 1 % of projected greenhouse gas emissions in the business-as-usual and medium-emissions climate scenarios.

The Plenary of the Senate has approved this afternoon the Proposition of Law for the recognition of legal personality to the Mar Menor lagoon and its basin. The law, which was approved in Congress last July, comes from a Popular Legislative Initiative signed by more than 600,000 people.

International research on more than 3,000 tree and shrub species in 164 cities -including Barcelona, Valencia and Santa Cruz de Tenerife- reveals that up to two-thirds of urban tree species may already be experiencing climatic conditions that exceed their potential climate tolerance. The study is published in Nature Climate Change.

Last week saw the conclusion of the XL Annual Meeting of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology under the theme: "Challenges of the 21st Century: Environment, Climate Change and Social Inequalities". Climate change is the most important environmental challenge with an impact on public health facing society today. It is also a social challenge, as it further accentuates inequalities and inequities in health.

At Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) press conference ahead of their Champions League opener, Kylian Mbappé and Christophe Galtier (PSG player and coach) were asked about the team's recent trip by plane to Nantes and why they didn't travel by train, when the distance is 341 kilometres and the train takes less than two hours. Both laughed at the question and Galtier replied, ironically, that next time they were considering doing it in a "sailing carriage".

The so-called Oceans Treaty, promoted by the UN, has had to be stopped, not concluded, due to the impossibility of reaching an agreement. After a process of more than 16 years, only half a session separates us from the word failure. Let us hope that the resumption of the last session, possibly in the spring of 2023, will offer us the agreement we all wish for.

This summer's monsoon rains in Pakistan are ten times heavier than usual and have already affected more than 33 million people. Some six and a half million are in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 400,000 refugees. Pakistan's prime minister has called them "the worst in the country's history".