Reviews & Analysis

Behavioural science offers valuable insights for mitigating climate change, but existing work focuses mostly on consumption and lacks coordination across disciplines. In this Perspective, the authors make six recommendations for improving the quality and impact of behavioural research on mitigation.

Groundwater recharge replenishes aquifers and enables them to sustain irrigated agriculture and household water access, but the sensitivity of recharge to climate change remains unclear. Our analysis of global recharge rates demonstrates their sensitivity to climatic conditions, implying that amplified and nonlinear impacts of climate change on recharge rates are likely.

Children’s education outcomes are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This Review examines the impact of various climate stressors on children’s educations, develops a framework to understand these risks, and discusses methodological challenges and directions for future research.

River water quality affects water security and is expected to degrade under climate change—an issue that has garnered limited attention. Here the authors review the impacts of climate change and climate extremes on water quality, highlighting the pivotal role of land–river connectivity.

In a changing climate, tree trunks serve as crucial refuges for animals, particularly ectotherms, seeking to escape extreme climatic conditions. Therefore, while climate change could generally promote population growth among ectotherms, deforestation could reverse these positive effects in some populations or exacerbate the negative impacts of climate change in others.

Local governments need extensive funding to realize transformative climate ambitions and this raises the spectre of privileging outside interests over just transitions. Now, research unearths how such private financial interests shape city climate actions in ways both broader, and potentially more brittle, than previously understood.

Methane concentrations are rising faster than ever in the atmosphere. Now, a compilation of observations points towards increased methane emissions from Arctic wetlands as being partly responsible.

Oceans, covering more than 70% of Earth’s surface, play a vital role in regulating the climate by absorbing heat and carbon dioxide. Now research shows oceans have warmed by more than 1.5 °C since the beginning of the industrial era, challenging previous estimates and emphasizing the urgency of global action.

Tropical instability waves (TIWs) are an important component of the equatorial Pacific climate. An analysis of satellite observations, in situ measurements and ocean circulation models indicates that TIW activity has intensified in the central equatorial Pacific by approximately 12 ± 6% per decade since the 1990s.

Climate warming can impact predators directly as well as indirectly by affecting their prey and habitat. How predators respond to such changes is largely unknown. Now, experimental work shows the ability of spiders to adjust their webs in response to warming-induced changes in plant communities that alter prey size distributions.

Recent US climate bills mark a major step in domestic climate actions, while their successful implementation relies on strong assumptions. This Perspective discusses potential challenges regarding supply, consumer demand and political polarization and how insights of social science could help to overcome these challenges.

Justice issues are integral to a variety of climate science and policy processes. This Perspective provides a framework, based on philosophical theory, to explain key justice concepts and how they can be applied in climate discussions.

Public engagement is necessary for climate action, yet it is difficult to achieve. This Perspective explores three assumptions about public engagement and provides suggestions for overcoming these to facilitate better engagement.

A warming climate can alter the food sources that support animals in Arctic ecosystems. Now, research provides empirical evidence of such a shift, with widespread implications for global carbon cycling.

This Perspective evaluates efforts using machine learning to track global progress on adaptation, focusing on recent efforts in text analysis. It discusses practical and theoretical challenges, lessons learned and ways forward. It urges the adaptation community to prepare for a paradigm shift.

Both warming and precipitation changes are affecting the global carbon cycle, although the impact of the frequency and intensity of climate extremes on carbon cycling is unclear. Now, research suggests that most extreme events enhance soil organic carbon losses under warming globally.

The shale gas revolution has provided a cheap and relatively clean alternative for coal, but it also threatens the future market for renewables. Recent projections indicate that without tightening climate policy, shale gas will indefinitely delay the transition to net zero.

The Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO), a large storm system over the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, plays a crucial role in our ability to forecast Earth’s weather 2–4 weeks in advance. Now, research suggests that the predictability of the MJO itself is increasing and will continue to increase with global warming.

Underlying net-zero GHG accounting approaches is the assumption that emissions can be balanced by removals such that their net climate effect is zero. However, CO₂ removals may not be equal and opposite to CO₂ emissions in their climate impact, indicating the need to consider non-CO₂ effects.

Fire severity is expected to increase as a result of warming. This will potentially amplify climate change due to its impact on the carbon cycle. This Review discusses ecosystem carbon loss and recovery following wildfire, and highlights where further work is needed to inform model predictions.