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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A coalition on compliance carbon markets to make climate clubs politically feasible
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 16 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02541-5
Economists have spent a decade designing the perfect climate club, yet political reality has hitherto rendered these designs practically infeasible. The Open Coalition on Compliance Carbon Markets offers a path forward, but only if its architects recognize that understanding political feasibility is crucial to turning a declaration into a functioning carbon pricing club that could close the emissions gap.Accounting for ocean impacts nearly doubles the social cost of carbon
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 15 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02533-5
Oceans provide essential ecosystem services to human society, yet the climate impacts on blue capital have long been ignored. Incorporating the latest works on ocean science and economics, researchers show that accounting for the potential damage would almost double the social cost of carbon estimation.Increased deciduous tree dominance reduces wildfire carbon losses in boreal forests
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 15 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02539-z
More frequent fires in the North American boreal are causing shifts from conifer to deciduous forests. This study finds that when deciduous forests burn, their carbon losses are driven by weather, but are lower than in conifer forests, potentially dampening climate–fire feedbacks.Impacts of global warming on coastal flood risk to European surface transport infrastructure
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 14 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02518-4
A Europe-wide probabilistic assessment of coastal flood risk to road and rail infrastructure, at different levels of global warming, shows that each increment of warming amplifies flood damage. Smaller economies face the greatest relative economic impacts, and several countries will need to increase and potentially realign transport investments towards climate resilience.Coastal flood risk to European surface transport infrastructure at different global warming levels
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 14 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02510-y
Transport networks in coastal zones are critical for human activities and are faced with increasing flooding risk. Using a detailed risk analysis in Europe, the authors show that the affected networks and expected annual damage will increase considerably with global warming.Weakening mountain vegetation aspect asymmetry due to altered energy conditions
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 12 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02542-4
The authors quantify long-term (2003–2024) changes in Northern Hemisphere mountain aspect asymmetry—the difference in vegetation density between polar-facing and equatorial-facing slopes. They show a weakening trend, linked to changing hydrothermal conditions.Enduring impacts of El Niño on life expectancy in past and future climates
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 09 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02534-4
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation threatens human health, and its impacts are likely to intensify under climate change. This research examines how historical El Niño–Southern Oscillation events have caused life expectancy and economic losses across the Pacific Rim and projects future impacts and vulnerable groups.Channelized melt beneath Antarctic ice shelves previously underestimated
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 09 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02537-1
Channelized subsurface melting is an important process in the dynamics of ice shelves. Here the authors present observational data from Antarctic ice shelves and show that their basal melt is up to 50% higher than previously assumed.Irreversibility in climate action
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 08 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02526-4
Although climate action is undermined by political interests and institutional inertia, multiple safeguards are in place to prevent backsliding on progress so far, and positive feedbacks reinforce progress despite opposing forces. Key elements of climate action are irreversible and can be further strengthened by commitments, investments and positive narratives.AI-driven weather forecasts for climate adaptation in India
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 08 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02521-9
Advanced monsoon onset prediction with multi-week lead time via an artificial intelligence (AI) weather model helps smallholder farmers adapt to a changing climate.Successes in climate action
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 08 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02546-0
Climate action clearly needs greater ambition in the face of increasing physical, biological and social impacts. However, it is important to acknowledge successes, including safeguards that protect action so far, and there are initiatives being implemented across scales that are effective.Communicating the need for climate action
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 05 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02503-x
It is essential to understand the best way to frame a persuasive message aimed at increasing concern about climate change and support for pro-environmental action. Now a Registered Report presents a large-scale study that tests and compares the effectiveness of ten widely cited messaging strategies.A registered report megastudy on the persuasiveness of the most-cited climate messages
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 05 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02536-2
How to effectively communicate climate change to the public has long been studied and debated. Through a registered report megastudy, researchers tested the ten most-cited climate change messaging strategies published, finding that many had significant, but small, effects on climate change attitudes.Barents Sea atlantification driven by a shift in atmospheric synoptic timescale
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02535-3
The Atlantic Ocean is having an increasing influence on the Arctic but the drivers of this are unclear. By combining ocean modelling and deep learning methods, the authors show that the increased flow through the Barents Sea Opening is driven by spectral changes of atmospheric variability.Building material stock drives embodied carbon emissions and risks future climate goals in China
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02527-3
Reducing the embodied carbon emissions of building material stock is essential for mitigation. Using a high-resolution multiyear dataset in China, researchers show the historically massive contributions of these emissions during past decades of rapid urbanization and the potential risks for future climate goals.Greening schools for climate-resilient, inclusive and liveable cities
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 29 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02519-3
Transforming school environments into nature-based climate shelters not only promotes cooling and greening under extreme heat, but also fosters quality education, ecological restoration, empowerment and reconnection with nature, and provides children with healthier, safer, more playful, equitable and climate-proof spaces.Heatwave attribution in seconds
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 24 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02532-6
Heatwave attribution in secondsForaging constrained by heat and dark
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 24 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02530-8
Foraging constrained by heat and darkRising lake and reservoir emissions
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 24 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02529-1
Rising lake and reservoir emissionsInequalities in resilience and preparedness
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 24 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02531-7
Inequalities in resilience and preparedness