Research on a warming planet and its widening effects. Covers climate extremes, biodiversity loss, sea-level rise, food and water security, and mitigation strategies.
A new study finds that extreme heat events have expanded globally, with some regions experiencing more frequent heat events in spring and fall. This shifts the focus from average temperatures to individual extreme heat events, which are harder on the body when arriving at unexpected times.
A study analyzed the largest dataset on CO₂ budgets of northern peatlands, finding that lower water tables increase CO₂ emissions in response to rising temperatures. Higher water tables, on the other hand, reduce this effect. Rewetting drained peatlands is crucial for mitigating temperature-driven CO2 emissions, as the climate changes.
Researchers at Stony Brook University propose a technology to electrochemically enhance ocean alkalinity without seawater pretreatment, reducing costs and increasing carbon offset quality. This approach enables 'negative emission' carbon offsets and has significant implications for ocean carbon capture and net-zero goals.
Glacial lakes in the Alaknanda Basin are multiplying and expanding, posing a significant risk of devastating floods. The study highlights the need for continued monitoring and assessment to mitigate the impacts of climate change on the region.
Researchers from São Paulo State University tracked moisture sources and predicted droughts in the Amazon using water isotopes. The study demonstrated that daily precipitation monitoring can provide an early warning system for droughts, which are caused by El Niño and the warming of the North Atlantic.
The 'Lost Lakes' database provides real-time information on Arctic thermokarst lakes, enabling local communities to monitor changes in permafrost landscapes and respond effectively. Since 2016, around 10,000 lakes have lost significant areas or disappeared, with significant seasonal fluctuations.
Extreme weather events like drought, flooding, and wildfires alter soil carbon inputs, microbial processes, and sequestration, with repeated drought leading to declining soil organic carbon. The review highlights the importance of protecting soil carbon for climate mitigation and sustainable agricultural productivity.
Climate extremes in the Amazon are getting worse, with the central north region experiencing rapid growth in extreme temperatures and water stress. The region, home to extensive indigenous territories and high forest cover, was not previously considered a hotspot for climate change.
A multidisciplinary group of researchers examines potential interactions between urban green spaces, vector-borne diseases, and climate change to inform 21st century public health decisions. The study highlights the need for balancing benefits of urban green spaces with risks of vector-borne diseases under climate change.
A new study suggests that support for biodiversity conservation measures can be less divisive than climate change measures, particularly among people with egalitarian worldviews. Cultural worldviews and relational values of nature also play a significant role in shaping policy support, the researchers found.
A new study projects significant disparities in access to food, water, and energy by 2050, with lower-income groups facing significant challenges. The study finds that in some regions, lower-income people could spend up to 50% of their income on food, while higher-income groups spend only 5%.
Researchers found ancient methane in every river sampled from Svalbard glaciers, indicating a natural feedback loop that may worsen as the Arctic warms. The study suggests that the physical state of the glacier bed and geological sources of methane are key factors in methane release.
Researchers developed a physics-based AI approach to predict global-scale carbon cycling in ocean sediments, resolving a long-standing challenge in climate science. The study reveals key findings on dissolved organic carbon behavior, including 11% of particulate organic carbon returning to seawater.
Researchers warn that marine heatwaves can intensify extreme weather, disrupt fisheries and aquaculture, and threaten coastal livelihoods, ultimately posing risks to human health. Marine heatwaves also have significant psychological impacts on communities, causing grief, anxiety, and uncertainty about the future.
A new study led by HKU reveals that increasing atmospheric dryness suppresses rainfall in tropical cyclones, constraining expected increases in typhoon rainfall. The study proposes a unified framework for understanding tropical cyclone rainfall, accounting for precipitation efficiency and atmospheric dryness.
UVic researchers played a significant role in Canada's Changing Climate Report 2026, providing detailed assessments of past and future climate changes in Canada. The report finds that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are driving widespread changes, including extreme heat, warming oceans, and rising sea levels.
A new study found that forests with greater tree species diversity show smaller declines in productivity during compound climate extremes and recover more effectively afterwards. Biodiversity acts as a form of biological insurance, helping forests maintain stability in an increasingly unpredictable climate.
A major report finds that Heathrow expansion is incompatible with UK climate targets due to aviation emissions and the lack of sustainable technologies like sustainable aviation fuels and greenhouse gas removals. The report concludes that the UK's aviation sector already exceeds its share of the Seventh Carbon Budget by around 40%.
A recent international study identifies the importance of integrating different land use initiatives, involving various social groups, and continuously refining measures to prevent wildfires. The researchers advocate a long-term, preventive approach to shaping resilient landscapes that combine ecological, economic, and social objectives.
A study finds that younger cohorts and regions with lower economic development will experience higher lifetime heatwave exposure under climate change. Climate change is widening inequalities between generations and regions, with younger people facing more frequent and intense heat extremes.
A KIT study reveals correlation between heat and demographic structure, with air and land surface temperature showing different patterns. The results indicate a clear spatial correlation between population structure and heat, with different demographics exposed to varying temperature levels in cities.
A new review highlights key knowledge gaps in Antarctic coastal observations, limiting estimates of ice loss and future sea-level rise. The authors emphasize the need for improved observations at a pan-Antarctic scale to predict future change.
A UBC-led study finds that insects pose a more immediate threat to North American forests, with over 60% of areas projected to experience 30% more insect pressure by mid-century. Climate change and pests could jeopardize critical carbon sinks and air quality, costing billions of dollars in economic losses.
A new study from the University of Mississippi and Texas A&M University demonstrates a simpler, lower-cost way to produce carbon-recycling catalysts at larger scales, addressing a major barrier to commercial adoption. The new catalyst could reduce the cost of recycling to $145 per ton, some $255 below the current market price.
The Arctic melt season has extended by seven and a half days since 1979, driven by sea ice forming later in the fall, with implications for the global climate system. The changing sea ice properties also impact the ecosystem, including the health of algae, which affects the entire food web and fisheries in the sub-Arctic and Arctic.
A UNIGE study shows that climate communication campaigns designed to appeal to people's emotions, such as evoking a sense of wonder, are more effective at inspiring climate action than those relying solely on scientific facts. Messages that include images and draw on moral or ethical considerations also achieve better results.
Researchers analyzed 8.1 million emergency department visits to identify the most at-risk patients during heat waves, offering a near-real-time opportunity to implement protective measures. The study suggests that delays in identifying those most at-risk are no longer necessary, and timely evidence is increasingly essential for effecti...
The EU-funded projects SpongeBoost, SpongeScapes, and SpongeWorks have published a joint policy brief recommending aligning EU policies to scale up sponge restoration across Europe. The policy brief highlights the importance of restoring the natural sponge function of landscapes to strengthen water and climate resilience.
A research team at the Wyss Institute has engineered bacteria to produce higher amounts of siderophores, molecules that extract iron from silicate minerals, speeding up rock weathering and removing CO2 from the atmosphere. This process has the potential to be implemented at industrial scales, offering a new climate-regulating strategy.
Research suggests that insects struggle with hypoxia and hypobaria at higher elevations, limiting their ability to pollinate and survive. Insects with aquatic larval stages and high energy demands are particularly affected, highlighting the need for targeted conservation strategies.
A new study highlights the impact of coastal freshening on the giant amphipod species Paraceradocus miersi, which lose salts, gain water, and suffer gill damage in diluted waters. The research warns that continued freshening may pose a significant threat to many marine invertebrates and reshape the global ocean's communities.
A warming tropical pool has temporarily slowed Antarctic ice loss by triggering a Rossby wave train and reorganizing moisture transport, resulting in a 695 billion-ton mass gain. This phenomenon, linked to tropical warm-pool warming, demonstrates the complex interactions between atmospheric circulation and ice sheet mass changes.
A University of Michigan study found that El Niño events have become nearly 40% stronger in the last 40 years than in the pre-industrial era. The study, which examined modern and ancient corals in the Galápagos Islands, found that El Niño events in the last four decades were stronger than any in the 1,000 years prior to about 1850.
A Peking University team developed a homogenized gridded climate dataset for China, removing non-climatic signals from traditional meteorological observations. The dataset helps detect and attribute climate change, overcoming difficulties in correcting gradual and abrupt inhomogeneities.
A new study found that El Niño events have become nearly 40% stronger in the last 40 years than they were in the pre-industrial era. The researchers used coral reconstructions from the Galápagos Islands to examine historic El Niño patterns and confirm that the current El Niño event is superimposed on global warming, likely to superchar...
A Northwestern University study identified 33 diagnoses associated with extreme heat exposure, including skin conditions, multiple sclerosis, and traffic accidents. The findings could help emergency departments and health care systems better prepare for heat waves, which are becoming more prevalent with climate change.
A study of 25 European cities found that only 11.6% of climate strategies include green spaces, despite their potential to alleviate climate change effects such as heatwaves and heavy rain. Cities prioritize measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but neglect adaptation strategies that incorporate green spaces.
A study analyzed 1,694 articles and found an annual growth rate of 9.5% in research addressing climate change and animal production. The study also noted an increase in interdisciplinarity, methodological sophistication, and new agendas focused on sustainability, adaptation, resilience, and animal welfare.
A historic drought in northern Kenya led to a shift in livelihoods, with fishing becoming a crucial source of food and income among the Daasanach community. The study found that drought can alter not only physical health and food access but also cultural norms and settlement patterns, with women experiencing greater hardship than men.
The study found that regional deployment of marine cloud brightening could induce a global mean cooling of approximately 0.9°C, alleviating the global land drying trend. However, different regions exhibit varying responses, with some experiencing mitigated or overcompensated drought stress, while others face exacerbated conditions.
A new study reveals that climate change can lead to a significant increase in wheat prices, with severe water scarcity being a key driver. The researchers found that wheat prices are more closely linked to water scarcity than other crops, and that compound drought events are expected to become more common in a warmer climate.
Baleen whales are taking advantage of the warming Greenland Sea, with regular feeding frenzies observed in recent years. The abundance of whales has increased significantly, with over 4,000 humpback whales, 6,000 fin whales, and 6,000 minke whales visiting the region in 2024.
A team from Osaka Metropolitan University created a coconut oil-based fuel that can be added to jet fuel without lowering performance. The fuel blend showed comparable thermal efficiency and reduced hydrocarbon emissions, making it a promising alternative.
A new correspondence published in The Lancet highlights the importance of human health in the clean energy transition, citing a quintuple win of healthier populations, energy security, and climate mitigation. The authors recommend framing the transition around shared prosperity and wellbeing, and using metrics grounded in community har...
Researchers found that hot temperatures during development reduced the brightness of Morpho butterfly iridescence, making them duller and more susceptible to predation. The effects of this color change on predators or possible mates remain unknown.
The climate impact taxonomy provides a shared framework linking measurable climate changes with risks and adaptation options, helping policymakers and practitioners make informed decisions. The taxonomy identifies key patterns, including regional scales and the need for both mitigation and adaptation.
A recent study published in Nature found that Antarctica's brief rebound in 2021-2023 was caused by climate variability, not a new normal. The researchers linked the extra precipitation to the tropical warm pool, a warm patch of ocean in the western Pacific and eastern Indian oceans, which made an outsized contribution to extreme weath...
Researchers analyzed ice cores from the Andes in Peru, revealing a 2,000-year-old record of global methane evolution. The findings support the hypothesis that tropical methane emissions dominated the Earth during the pre-industrial period, with human-driven agricultural and industrial emissions contributing to increases in later periods.
A new study reveals that Antarctica's recent snowfall surge was caused by climate variability, not a long-term trend. The surge added mass to East Antarctica, but mass loss continued in West Antarctica, highlighting the need for continued monitoring and research.
Researchers analyzed data from over 9,300 cases of diarrhea in Africa, finding that climate change affects disease risk, but factors like vaccination and access to transportation can reduce impact. Climate drivers vary by pathogen and location, with temperature being key in Kenya and rainfall in Mali and The Gambia.
Global mangrove cover has increased by 47,720 hectares worldwide between 1985 and 2025, according to new analysis, but some key regions, such as Indonesia, have lost significant mangrove cover, highlighting uneven progress in mangrove ecosystem changes.
Copper sulfide catalysts reconstruct their surface during Potential-Step electrolysis, producing compounds like formic acid and suppressing hydrocarbon formation. Sulfur and oxygen play distinct roles, promoting hydrogen adsorption and generating neighboring Cu0/Cu+ sites for carbon–carbon bond formation.
A recent NTU Singapore study found that 76% of Indo-Pacific coral reefs may struggle to keep pace with accelerating sea-level rise, threatening coastal protection and marine habitats. Reefs can grow only so quickly, and if sea level rises faster than a reef can build upwards, the reef will sit under progressively deeper water.
Scientists propose a colossal cliff across ancient North America may have exposed Grand Canyon's oldest rocks nearly a billion years before it was carved by the Colorado River. The study suggests the 'great escarpment' of steep rocky cliffs formed when the supercontinent Rodinia broke apart 800 million years ago.
Older women in Australia are facing growing risk of hidden homelessness due to climate change, unpaid care work, and financial inequality. The problem is compounded by a lack of affordable housing and inadequate social protections, leaving them exposed to housing insecurity and poverty.
Climate researchers have discovered a significant increase in neighborhood-level hurricane warnings, widespread wildfires in the US, and unprecedented changes in Earth's energy budget. These findings suggest that greenhouse gases are driving these trends, with smoke and fire-related carbon emissions rising due to increased aridity.
A new study suggests that the Great Lakes' ice cover may experience a temporary increase in average ice cover due to natural global cycles, but this does not mean the lakes will escape the consequences of climate change. The research, supported by the US National Science Foundation, found that the lakes' ice cover is synced to strong b...
Researchers developed an end-to-end machine-learning guided workflow to create high-performing materials for separating methane from nitrogen. The new zinc-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provide state-of-the-art gas adsorption and separation while reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
A weakening Atlantic Ocean current system, known as the AMOC, could exacerbate global warming by distributing heat unevenly around the planet. During periods with a strong AMOC, the global ocean loses heat, while weak AMOC periods lead to a net increase in heat stored by the ocean.
A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that tomato plants can optimize water use during a specific 'golden hour' when sunlight is strong but heat and dry air are minimal. This discovery could give plant breeders a powerful tool to develop crops that can thrive in increasingly unpredictable climate conditions.