Nature Climate Change
Nature Climate Change is a monthly journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research papers that describe the most significant and cutting-edge research on the causes, impacts and wider implications of global climate change. The journal publishes climate research across the physical, biological and social sciences and strives to integrate and communicate interdisciplinary research. The journal aims to play a leading role in: providing accessibility to a broad audience to research published both within and outside the journal; raising the visibility of climate change research in related research communities as well as the mainstream media; and offering a forum for discussion of the challenges faced by researchers and policy makers (and other interested parties) in understanding the complex mechanisms and impacts associated with the Earth’s changing climate.
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Distinguishing leaf scorching from senescence under climate extremes
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 26 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02682-1
Distinguishing leaf scorching from senescence under climate extremesExtreme heat and the limits of tree and forest resilience
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 26 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02679-w
The 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome shows how acute thermal stress challenges prevailing assumptions about ecological resilience and adaptation. Extreme heat events are revealing physiological limits in forests that are not captured by conventional climate risk frameworks.The continuous global greening under climate change
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 26 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02681-2
Global greening has persisted under climate change, with feedbacks for Earth’s future climate. Here I look back on a critical 2016 study that resolved the patterns and drivers of global greening and consider how this work influences studies to monitor, model and manage greening.Mental health as both outcome and determinant in climate adaptation
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 26 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02673-2
Mental health should not be viewed solely as a passive outcome of climate adaptation. Rather, it serves as a key determinant of cognitive capacity and shapes the effectiveness of climate adaptation. Here we call for the integration of mental health into adaptation assessments and policy implementation.Multi-channel analysis suggests the UK faces large climate-related losses
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 25 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02664-3
A methodology that incorporates climate risks to health, productivity and agriculture and other sector-specific channels, as well as catastrophic, cross-boundary and missing risks, has been applied to assess climate impacts in the UK. The results show a 2% reduction in welfare, in gross domestic product-equivalent terms, up to 2030 and losses of more than 10% by 2100, under a baseline scenario.Climate change is causing more local extinction of temperate species than tropical species
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 25 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02671-4
Climate change is driving loss of biodiversity worldwide, yet whether tropical or temperate species are more vulnerable to warming remains debated. Large-scale analyses of more than 5,100 plant and animal species show that climate change has caused more frequent local extinctions of temperate species than tropical species, overturning decades of previous studies.Declining tropical sea surface temperature variability under post-2050s greenhouse warming
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 25 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02684-z
Tropical climate, including sea surface temperatures (SSTs), varies with natural cycles such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Indian Ocean Dipole and Atlantic Niño/Niña variability. This work shows that the SST variability weakens under future greenhouse warming, with implications for predictability.Multi-centennial response of marine carbon pumps to global warming
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 25 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02686-x
Changes in the ocean in response to climate change could impact its ability to function as a carbon sink. This study shows that under high emissions, circulation changes will reduce anthropogenic carbon uptake even as biological storage increases, whereas under low emissions, temperature is the key factor.Long-term multiple global change interactions amplify belowground carbon allocation
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 23 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02678-x
Soil carbon is a critical component of the terrestrial carbon sink and is impacted by the total belowground carbon allocation (TBCA). This study uses a long-term multifactor grassland experiment to show that elevated temperature and CO2 increased the TBCA over time, modulated by drought and N addition.Global heat stress intensification and its expanding footprint on the human population
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 22 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02670-5
The authors assess global changes in heat stress since 1950, considering daytime extremes, nocturnal heat and compound day–night events. They show multidimensional intensification, with an increased frequency of extremes and expanded spatial and temporal footprints of heat stress on humans.Ecological integrity of avoided deforestation projects
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 22 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02657-2
The authors assess 133 avoided deforestation projects for their ability to safeguard forest ecological integrity. While some projects maintain integrity, most show variable outcomes, with mixed, negligible or negative effects relative to matched controls.Climate change drives ecological novelty and new social challenges
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 19 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02672-3
Ecosystems are changing rapidly because of climate change, and this will have increasing social effects around the globe. We suggest that common social responses to rising novelty are often counterproductive, and we advocate for strategies that also allow for acceptance and adaptation to changes in nature.Comprehensive national climate damage assessments framework applied to the UK
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 19 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02665-2
The economic impact of climate change has been widely acknowledged, yet current assessments remain fragmented and uncertain. Researchers develop a comprehensive channel-specific framework, apply it to the UK and show that the potential welfare loss could be much larger than previous estimates.Temperate local extinctions from climate change are outpacing tropical extinctions
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 18 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02669-y
The authors analyse global-scale resurvey data for 5,151 species to reveal the sensitivity of tropical versus temperate species to climate change. They show significantly higher frequencies of local extinction in temperate species than in tropical species, linked to faster warming at high latitudes.Author Correction: Priority science can accelerate agroforestry as a natural climate solution
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02693-y
Author Correction: Priority science can accelerate agroforestry as a natural climate solutionAttributing carbon to capital owners
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02654-5
Greenhouse gas emissions are typically attributed to where they are produced or consumed. A recent analysis traces them to capital owners, revealing a stronger concentration and offering new perspectives on how they are distributed — and why it matters.Globally constrained forest biophysical cooling benefits under rising atmospheric dryness
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02677-y
The biophysical effects of forests on climate are important for mitigation, but the impacts of climate change on these effects are unclear. This study shows that vapour pressure deficit is the primary driver of trends in forest biophysical cooling, regulated by plant anisohydricity.Global inequalities in ownership-based carbon footprints
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02662-5
An ownership-based approach to carbon accounting is emerging alongside production- and consumption-based frameworks. This study provides global estimates, identifies which countries are net owners of emissions abroad and traces the concentration of ownership emissions among top wealth groups.An early warning system to forecast biodiversity risks of extreme temperatures
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 16 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02641-w
Climate change is predicted to increase extremes of weather, affecting ecosystems and resulting in biodiversity losses. We leveraged advances in climate seasonal forecasts to develop an early warning system that helps identify exposure of species to extreme temperatures. The forecasts provided by this system can guide the implementation of mitigation measures.Asymmetric intensification increases global disparities in cropland use and emissions
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 16 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02666-1
The authors classify cropland and emissions changes for 174 countries over 30 years. They highlight the asymmetric intensification of global disparities, with imports from countries with high emissions intensities and low-efficiency cropland expansion rising 4.2-fold since 1992.