International

"Barren hillsides broken up by thin strips of white snow are a familiar sight for regular visitors to ski resorts near Beijing. The 2022 Winter Olympics host, which is under 150 miles from the rapidly expanding Gobi Desert, is famous for cold and dry winters."

"It’s been dubbed the perfect invader, but the marbled crayfish may offer a sustainable food source and even help prevent disease".

"The explosion probably won’t cool the planet as some previous eruptions have done, but it could affect weather in the short term."

"Pollution from plastics is a global emergency in need of a robust UN treaty, according to a report."

"To match the festive spirit of South America’s first Olympics, officials from Brazil, the host country for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, boasted that the medals hung around the necks of athletes on the winners’ podium were also a victory for the environment: The gold was produced free of mercury and the silver recycled from thrown away X-ray plates and mirrors."

"The decline of seed-dispersing animals is damaging plants’ ability to adapt to climate breakdown, a study has found."

"Earth simmered to the sixth hottest year on record in 2021, according to several newly released temperature measurements."