The United Nations weather agency said carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached record highs last year, intensifying climate change and extreme weather. The World Meteorological Organization said CO2 growth rates have tripled since the 1960s, reaching levels that existed 800,000 years ago. The report, released Wednesday, highlights emissions from coal, oil, and gas, along with wildfires, as major contributors. Despite flat fossil fuel emissions last year, CO2 levels continue to rise. The agency has urged policymakers to reduce emissions, warning that the world is heading into a dangerous state. Other greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide have also hit record levels.

A new study finds that climate change is already causing all sorts of problems on Earth, but soon it will be making a mess in orbit around the planet too. MIT researchers calculate that as global warming continues it may reduce the available space for satellites in low Earth orbit by anywhere from one-third to 82% by the end of the century. That's because climate change makes the upper atmosphere cooler and less dense. Dead satellites and debris won't fall to Earth as much, which is nature's way of cleaning up what humanity launches. So space will become more littered.