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The year 2024 has once again been characterized by a large number of devastating climate-related hazards. While many of these events were likely to have been exacerbated by climate change, they also provide drastic reminders of the degree to which humans can influence whether a meteorological extreme develops into a disaster.

The tipping points framing is widely used in climate discussions but receives mixed feedback. This Perspective critiques it for oversimplifying the complexities of natural and social systems and failing to drive effective action, and offers recommendations for future improvements.

A rigorous analysis of twenty-first-century multi-hazard exposure for US Southeast Atlantic coastal communities indicates that up to 70% of residents will be exposed daily to shallow and emerging groundwater by approximately 2100. This threat further exacerbates the impacts of other coastal stressors, such as flooding, beach erosion and subsidence, under expected future climate change scenarios.

Recent discussions have raised concerns about the long-term effectiveness of coral reef restoration efforts, questioning whether current interventions can effectively address the ongoing loss of reef ecosystems. However, details matter and vary greatly with respect to scale, social context and benefits, and diverse approaches are needed to maintain functional coral reef ecosystems.

There is a closing window of opportunity to ensure a sustainable future for all, with deep and rapid action needed this decade. Inclusive and just climate resilient development advances sustainable development and keeps open pathways to a liveable planet but requires urgent and fundamental shifts in prevailing development politics and practice.

Multiple climate-related coastal hazards could impact people, infrastructure and ecosystems, yet previous works often focused on flooding only. By analysing the future exposure to four types of hazard along the US Southeast Atlantic coast, this research emphasizes the risks beyond flooding.

Wildfires are raging around the globe with increasing intensity and frequency, transforming ecosystems and affecting the climate of regions far beyond. Now, a study shows that boreal forest fires are amplifying Arctic warming due to increased local solar absorption from biomass burning aerosols.

A novel type of climate oscillation might emerge in the Arctic Ocean owing to sea-ice melting. The air–sea coupling feedbacks occurring in the ice-free Arctic Ocean would trigger periodic warm–cold temperature oscillations, similar to El Niño and La Niña in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

Climate change poses a substantial threat to global health by altering environmental conditions and impacting vaccine effectiveness. We explore how climate change impacts vaccines and worsens inequities, highlighting the need for further research and targeted interventions.

Online image search results depict climate change differently across the world. Countries with high (versus low) levels of climate concern encounter more emotional images, creating a difference that can change how people think and feel about climate change.

Boreal fires are expected to increase with warming, but how the aerosols emitted in these fires affect the climate is not well understood. Here the authors show that this increase in boreal fire aerosols results in a positive radiative forcing, leading to additional Arctic warming.

The influence of internet search algorithms on users’ beliefs and behaviours remains understudied. This study finds that nationwide climate concern predicted the emotional content of Google Image Search outputs, which subsequently influenced users’ climate concern and support for climate policy.

Abrupt transitions in the climate system are discussed mostly in terms of mean state changes. Here, the authors use simulations to show that a decline in Arctic sea ice can lead to a new multidecadal mode of surface temperatures in the Arctic Ocean.

Ocean alkalinity enhancement is a commonly touted method for marine carbon dioxide removal but many questions remain, including its capacity for large-scale carbon removal. Computer models have now been used to map the timescales and efficiency of carbon removal at global scale, revealing important regional differences.