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Several approaches are used to assess species’ vulnerability to climate change. Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of such methods should help conservationists minimize biodiversity losses.
The probability of a hiatus in global warming is calculated, with a 10-year event having a probability of ∼10%, but a 20-year event less than 1%. The current 15-year event is found to have up to 25% chance of continuing for another 5 years.
Understanding the vulnerability of different US coastal communities to the likely harmful effects of ocean acidification on shellfisheries should inform the development of effective adaptation measures.
Policies designed to encourage adaptation to climate change may conflict with regulation aimed at protecting environmental quality. This paper analyses the trade-offs between two fundamental ecosystem services that will be impacted by climate change: provisioning services derived from agriculture and regulating services in the form of freshwater quality.
Thermal stresses associated with climate change have contributed to the spread of white-band disease in important reef-building corals in the Caribbean.
Solar radiation management – a form of geoengineering – could be used to cool the planet but has potential risks. A scenario for solar radiation management is proposed that is temporary, moderate and can be adjusted in light of new information.
How should the IPCC communicate its findings, not just to policymakers, but to a wider audience? In today's online environment, readers demand an open and transparent interaction, but the responses must be both rapid and authoritative. As the IPCC debates its future, it must be bold in engaging with social media.
Over-reliance on charcoal sourced from native forests rather than plantations doubled CO2 emissions from Brazil’s steel industry between 2000 and 2007.
Climate models predict an increase in intense rainfall events due to a warmer atmosphere retaining more moisture. This study looks at observations from the central USA and reports that there has been an increase in the frequency of flooding, but little evidence for larger flood peaks.
This study investigates the relative contributions to Arctic warming from natural and anthropogenic forcers—greenhouse gases and aerosols. About 60% of greenhouse-gas warming is found to be offset by other anthropogenic forcings, which is greater than observed on a global scale.
The characteristics and views of people sceptical about climate change have been analysed extensively. A study now confirms that sceptics in the US have some characteristics of a social movement, but shows that the same group dynamics propel believers.
Consensus about the reality of climate change is growing, but the public is still divided between those who believe in its human causes and those who do not. Now research shows that such division can be explained in terms of a socio-political conflict between these opposing groups. Efforts to build support for mitigation policies should include approaches that transform intergroup relations.