Nature Climate Change

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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.
Updated: 3 hours 13 min ago

International trade reduces emissions through technology transfer led by key emitters

Tue, 03/17/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02595-z

Technology advancement is essential for climate action, yet the uneven distribution of technological progress across the world can slow mitigation. Through empirical and scenario analysis, researchers find that participating in trade agreements could enhance technological transfers and lead to emission reductions.

Technological advances mitigate the impact of climate change on electric vehicle battery lifetimes

Mon, 03/16/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 16 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02581-5

We combined electric vehicle simulation and battery degradation models with high-resolution downscaled climate data for 300 global cities. Climate change was predicted to reduce battery lifetime by 8% on average for batteries manufactured between 2010 and 2018 versus 3% for batteries produced after 2019. Thus, technological advances in electric vehicle battery manufacturing demonstrate important climate adaptation co-benefits.

Dry soils lose more carbon when warm

Fri, 03/13/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02585-1

The massive carbon store in soils is vulnerable to anthropogenic warming. Now, a study shows that climate-driven changes in precipitation can mediate soil carbon responses to warming, with drought amplifying soil carbon losses.

Increasing risks of post-experimental ecology

Fri, 03/13/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02583-3

Increasing risks of post-experimental ecology

Principles for a post-growth scenario of ambitious mitigation and high human well-being

Fri, 03/13/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02580-6

Post-growth scholarship seeks to address the limitations of growth-oriented mitigation scenarios by exploring the potential of profound socio-economic transformations. This Perspective synthesizes core principles for modelling post-growth futures.

Drought amplifies warming-induced soil carbon loss in a decade-long experiment

Fri, 03/13/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02584-2

The response of soil carbon to warming is critical feedback that has been difficult to constrain. This study uses a long-term experiment to show that precipitation modulates microbial and therefore carbon dynamics; drought leads to carbon loss with warming, but wet conditions increase soil carbon.

Policy interactions reshape the outcomes of carbon pricing policies

Wed, 03/11/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 11 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02578-0

The adoption and effectiveness of carbon pricing are highly reshaped by interactions with other climate mitigation policies. A global comparative assessment of policy synergies and conflicts can guide policymakers in designing policy portfolios that can achieve higher mitigation cost-effectiveness.

Cross-national comparative assessment of synergies and conflicts in climate policy mixes

Wed, 03/11/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 11 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02574-4

Interactions between climate policy instruments can have synergistic and conflicting effects, but these interactions are not systematically understood. This research provides global evidence on how policy characteristics and interactions in different contexts could lead to different outcomes.

Climate policy feasibility across Europe relies on the conditional middle

Wed, 03/11/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 11 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02562-8

The feasibility of climate policies hinges on public support. A survey of 13 EU countries shows that ‘middle groups’—citizens whose support across mitigation measures varies, rather than being uniformly supportive or opposed—play a pivotal role in shaping overall public policy support and electoral outcomes.

Changing bird nutrient inputs

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02592-2

Changing bird nutrient inputs

Amplified variability

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02593-1

Amplified variability

Design impacts building emissions

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02591-3

Design impacts building emissions

Symbolic policies foster support

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02594-0

Symbolic policies foster support

Living in the overshoot age

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02589-x

Overshoot, the temporary crossing of climate targets before warming is reversed, has shifted from theoretical models to an urgent reality. Addressing this challenge requires effective strategies, global collaboration of different stakeholders and fair governance systems to manage the unprecedented risks.

Breaking the language barrier in adaptation

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02515-7

Youth-led translation efforts provide solutions to make climate knowledge accessible worldwide.

Antarctic minerals in a warming world

Mon, 03/09/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 09 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02586-0

Climate change will expose new ice-free areas of Antarctica. Now a study explores how climate change might spur the first ‘gold rush’ on the unexploited continent.

Additionality requirements of carbon markets could penalize Indigenous stewardship

Wed, 03/04/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 04 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02576-2

Despite strong evidence that Indigenous stewardship sustains biodiversity and carbon stocks, carbon markets typically reward recovery from degradation rather than protection, often excluding Indigenous-managed lands. Rethinking additionality could align climate mitigation with care, equity and long-term ecosystem stewardship.

Author Correction: The hard road back from overshoot

Tue, 03/03/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 03 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02604-1

Author Correction: The hard road back from overshoot

Technological improvements in EV batteries offset climate-induced durability challenges

Mon, 03/02/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 02 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02579-z

Electric vehicles (EV) will be widely adopted in the near future, but worsening climate change will impact the performance and longevity of EV batteries. This research reveals the scale and distribution of these effects and how technological advancements could mitigate battery lifetime reductions.

Prospects and challenges of risk-based insurance pricing for disaster adaptation

Fri, 02/27/2026 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 27 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02577-1

Regulation of property insurance pricing involves trade-offs that will determine how disaster risks impact households’ budgets. Allowing prices to reflect property-specific risks offers several benefits, but may cause a range of negative unintended consequences associated with declines in coverage.

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