Global Warming

Swiss Voters Back Green Energy

Voters in Switzerland have backed a new climate bill designed to cut fossil fuel use and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The government says the country needs to protect its energy security and the environment, as glaciers melt rapidly in the Swiss Alps. The law will require a move away from dependence on imported oil and gas towards the use of renewable sources.

In Sunday's referendum 59.1% of voters backed the green energy proposals. Opponents had argued the measures would push up energy prices.

Hot Seas Around UK

Some of the most intense marine heat increases on Earth have developed in seas around the UK and Ireland, the European Space Agency (Esa) says. Water temperatures are as much as 3 to 4C above the average for this time of year in some areas, according to analysis by Esa and the Met Office. The sea is particularly warm off the UK's east coast from Durham to Aberdeen, and off north-west Ireland.

Scientists warn that intense heat like this can kill fish and other sea life, sometimes on a huge scale. The warm sea around the UK comes as air and ocean surface temperatures worldwide have been spiking sharply in recent months. Global sea surface temperatures for both April and May were the highest ever recorded in Met Office data that goes all the way back to 1850.

Scientists are not sure why we are seeing this record heat in the waters around the UK and across the North Atlantic, but they say climate change is certainly playing a crucial role.