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The production of traded goods accounts for a significant proportion of global greenhouse-gas emissions. Now analysis reveals that emissions embodied in imports from developing countries have out-stripped emission reductions made by developed countries at home over the past 20 years.
Over half of all anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere are removed naturally by land and ocean carbon sinks. New analysis indicates that the land sink is increasing in some surprising places.
The roles that microorganisms play in carbon storage are not fully understood. Now modelling results show that the activity of a single group of soil fungi may significantly enhance ecosystem carbon-storage capacity.
Sectors such as steel manufacturing are looking to make the same products using less raw material. Adopted more widely, this approach could go a long way to cutting emissions, writes Sonja van Renssen.
On 9 May this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a special report on the role of renewable energy in mitigating climate change. Georgie Weedon speaks to Ottmar Edenhofer, co-chair of the working group behind the report, about its key findings and implications.
Those frustrated with political inertia on climate change are increasingly seeking an alternative route through the courts, but here too they are likely to see slow progress.
An assessment of future ecosystem services and human well-being in the Great Barrier Reef region, led by social-ecological system scientist Erin Bohensky, draws on expertise in ecology, economics, sociology, geography, hydrology and oceanography.
The impacts of climate change on human organizations depend not only on the level of emissions but also on the social and economic structures in place. A study identifies three dimensions on which to build a new set of scenarios to assess climate change effects on human systems.
Current policies to reduce emissions from forest loss could mean that rising demand for food is not met. A new approach to forest conservation that reduces emissions while meeting demand for agricultural products may be feasible, but more expensive.
Preventing deforestation—a key goal of international climate policy—can incur an opportunity cost for local communities who depend on forest resources for their livelihoods. A study compares the cost of carbon conservation through forest protection with that of a scheme that directly alleviates the demand for forest conversion.
Subzero temperatures at high latitudes typically restrict shipping but facilitate ground transportation. A study quantifies the impacts of climate change on Arctic transportation by mid-century and finds that all eight Arctic states will probably suffer steep declines in inland transport, but will reap the benefits of faster sea travel.
Ocean acidification due to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions has negative effects on many marine organisms, but the long-term impacts are less well known. A study into the effects of natural carbon dioxide seeps on coral reefs and seagrasses confirms model predictions that acidification may contribute to reduced diversity and resilience.
