Key Facts Space & Astronomy Webb Spots Earliest Known Black Hole Astronomers pushed cosmic limits by identifying the most distant black hole ever confirmed – in a tiny galaxy dubbed CAPERS-LRD-z9, only ~500 million years after the Big Bang sciencedaily.com. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) detected telltale spectroscopic signatures of fast-moving gas in this…
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Climeworks’ Generation 2 DAC uses modular solid-sorbent containers; the Orca plant in Iceland has operated since 2021 at 4,000 t/yr, and Mammoth is designed for 36,000 t/yr (72 modules), though by May 2024 only 12 modules were online and capture was ~100 t. Gen3, unveiled in 2024, doubles CO₂ capture per module and cuts energy…
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The United Nations’ International Court of Justice on July 23 issued an advisory opinion declaring climate change an urgent and existential threat and urged states to cooperate to achieve concrete emission reduction targets, warning of potential compensation claims for wealthy polluters under international law. On July 23, the Trump administration moved to dismantle the EPA’s…
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Global energy investment is projected to reach $3.3 trillion in 2025, with about $2.2 trillion directed to clean energy technologies. Solar is expected to attract $450 billion in 2025, making it the single biggest area of energy investment. China added 198 GW of solar and 46 GW of wind between January and May 2025, with…
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TIROS-1, launched by NASA on April 1, 1960, weighed about 120 kg and transmitted over 19,000 cloud images in 78 days, proving the concept of space-based weather observation. GOES-16 (GOES-East), launched in 2016 as part of the GOES-R series, delivers 0.5 km resolution imagery across 16 spectral bands and can scan as often as 30…
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Radar altimeters on TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, Jason-3, and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich have provided a global mean sea level record since 1992, showing a rise of about 3.3 millimeters per year and roughly 10 centimeters over 30 years. Arctic summer sea ice extent has declined by about 12% per decade since the 1980s, with the Arctic…
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