Fred Pearce

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About Fred Pearce

Fred Pearce is a freelance author and journalist based in the U.K. He is a contributing writer for Yale Environment 360 and is the author of numerous books, including The Land Grabbers, Earth Then and Now: Amazing Images of Our Changing World, and The Climate Files: The Battle for the Truth About Global Warming.

5 Articles

A view of Earth from the Inspiration4 mission. Inspiration4 Crew via Flickr

The upper atmosphere is cooling — and scientists are worried

A new study reaffirming that global climate change is human-made also found the upper atmosphere is cooling dramatically because of rising CO2 levels. Scientists are worried about the effect this cooling could have on orbiting satellites, the ozone layer, and Earth’s weather.

Race Against Climate Change

News | June 6th 2023

View of the Sudd swamp in South Sudan. Photo by Inna67895/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Will a Nile canal project dry up Africa’s biggest wetland?

South Sudan is moving ahead with plans for a 240-mile canal to divert water from the White Nile and send it to Egypt. But critics warn the megaproject would desiccate the world’s second-largest wetland, impacting its rich wildlife and the rains on which the region depends.

Race Against Climate Change

News | July 8th 2022

Steel manufacture is currently responsible for 11 percent of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Photo by zephylwer0 / Pixabay

Can the most-polluting heavy industries decarbonize?

The production of steel, cement, and ammonia together emit about one-fifth of all human-caused CO2. Technologies are emerging that promise to decarbonize these problem industries, but analysts warn big challenges remain before the processes can be cleaned up.

Race Against Climate Change

News | October 1st 2021

Net-zero emissions: Winning strategy or destined for failure?

Net-zero emissions — balancing emissions by absorbing equivalent amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere — is the defining approach of international climate efforts. But some scientists are arguing that this strategy simply allows the perpetuation of the status quo and is certain to fail.

Race Against Climate Change

News, Energy | June 3rd 2021

Lead battery recycling is a global health hazard. Why have so few people heard of it?

From African shantytowns to the backstreets of China’s cities, small-scale businesses that recycle the lead from auto batteries are proliferating. Experts say the pollution from these unregulated operations is a lethal threat — with children being the most vulnerable to poisoning.

News | November 24th 2020