Research

A new study coordinated by CU Boulder makes clear the extraordinary speed and scale of increases in energy use, economic productivity and global population that have pushed the Earth toward a new geological epoch, known as the Anthropocene. Distinct physical, chemical and biological changes to Earth’s rock layers began around the year 1950, the research found.

Heat waves, which are projected to become more frequent and intense as the century progresses, could cause as much as 10 times more crop damage than is now projected, a team of researchers led by the University of Colorado Boulder has found.

No country—rich or poor—is immune from the health effects of worsening climate change. Unless we take urgent action, climate change will increasingly threaten global health, disrupt lives and livelihoods, and overwhelm health care systems, according to the 2020 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, published in The Lancet.