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In 2023, national and international climate policy advanced in many areas but also faced substantial domestic hurdles in others. Countries agreed on new global initiatives and many major emitters expanded national climate policies. However, others rolled back existing policies and continued to support fossil fuels, slowing down global progress.
In 2023, global full-depth ocean heat content (OHC) reached a record increase of 464 ± 55 ZJ since 1960, with strong heat gain observed in the Southern and Atlantic Oceans. OHC was 16 ± 10 ZJ higher than in 2022, continuing the long-term increasing trend that started in 1960.
To explore career opportunities outside of academia, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment interviewed Giuliana Viglione about their career path from a graduate student to a climate journalist at Carbon Brief.
Grapes produced for winemaking are highly susceptible to changes in climate, particularly extreme heat and drought. This Review examines the changing geography of existing and emerging winegrowing regions, and recommends adaptation measures to increasing heat and modified drought, pest and disease pressure.
The use of groundwater with high levels of geogenic contaminants, such as arsenic, has caused severe health impacts and mortality in communities globally. This Review examines the drivers and occurrence of groundwater contamination by naturally occurring arsenic, fluoride, selenium and uranium.
With continued anthropogenic warming, an ice-free Arctic (sea ice area <1 million km2) is inevitable. This Review outlines the various characteristics of an ice-free Arctic, highlighting that future emission trajectories will determine where, how frequently and how long the Arctic will be ice free each year.
Growing awareness of environmental risks and mounting regulatory and consumer pressure have driven unprecedented demand for environmental science expertise in the corporate sector. Recruiting skilled individuals with academic backgrounds and fostering collaboration among businesses, research institutions, universities and environmental professionals are vital for enhancing environmental knowledge and capability in companies.
To explore career opportunities outside of academia, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment interviewed Tim Armitage about their career path from a postdoctoral researcher to a geoscience consultant at the British Geological Survey.
To explore career opportunities outside of academia, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment interviewed Sarah Clancy about their career path from a postdoctoral researcher to a technical policy advisor at Northumbrian Water.
To explore career opportunities outside of academia, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment interviewed Sandra Snæbjörnsdóttir about their career path from postdoctoral researcher to Chief Scientist at Carbfix.
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean provide numerous ecosystem services that benefit people globally, but many are ‘invisible’ to markets and to some decision makers. A subset of these services — Antarctic tourism, commercial fisheries, and a suite of inter-related regulating services — are conservatively valued at ~US $180 billion annually, highlighting their importance.
Accurate and timely food production data are needed to promote food security and sustainability, but data scarcity exists across national and international levels. This Review examines data availability and reliability for crops, livestock and aquatic food production and recommends solutions to address data scarcity.
The different contributions of long-term and short-term variability to the evolution of ice sheets lead to substantial uncertainties in ice sheet models. This Review describes the response of ice sheets to oceanic, atmospheric and hydrological processes across a range of timescales.
