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.
Updated: 3 hours 34 min ago
Careful land allocation for carbon dioxide removal is critical for safeguarding biodiversity
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 05 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02567-3
A spatial assessment of global decarbonization scenarios reveals that land allocated for carbon dioxide removal substantially overlaps with areas of high biodiversity importance. The implications of such overlap depend on location and mode of implementation and demonstrate that careful assessment will be required when implementing decarbonization pathways to safeguard biodiversity.The expanding Indo-Pacific freshwater pool and changing freshwater pathway in the South Indian Ocean
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 03 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02553-1
Ocean salinity could change as the climate warms. Here the authors show that the South Indian Ocean has freshened most of the Southern Hemisphere oceans and highlight the mechanisms behind this freshening, as well as the implications for Indian Ocean stratification and structure.Enhanced effect of warming on the leaf-onset date of boreal deciduous broadleaf forest
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 02 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02528-2
The authors consider the changing sensitivity of the leaf-onset date to temperature (ST) for boreal deciduous broadleaf forests. ST increased between 1982–1996 and 1998–2012—potentially linked to enhanced chilling accumulation—but this increase is underestimated in phenology models.Biodiversity implications of land-intensive carbon dioxide removal
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 30 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02557-5
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) plays an important role in decarbonization pathways to meet climate goals, but some methods are land-intensive. Multimodel analysis reveals conflicts between biodiversity and CDR that are distributed unevenly, and shows that synergies are crucial to meet climate and conservation goals.Climate change demands coordinated adaptation strategies of drinking water treatment
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 26 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02547-z
Climate change is tightening its grip on the world’s drinking water, threatening both safety and supply. Without urgent and coordinated adaptation of treatment systems, this overlooked vulnerability could compromise global water security.Global trends in ocean fronts and impacts on the air–sea CO<sub>2</sub> flux and chlorophyll concentrations
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 22 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02538-0
Changes in ocean fronts could impact biological productivity and carbon exchange. By analysing satellite and reanalysis data, the authors identify areas with active frontal activity and rapid change in properties, as well as highlighting the correspondence with surface productivity and CO2 uptake.Broadening climate migration research across impacts, adaptation and mitigation
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 21 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02545-1
Current climate migration literature focuses on quantifying the link between climate drivers and migration, yet overlooks its broader and more complex interactions with mitigation, adaptation and climate impacts. This Perspective highlights key gaps and offers concrete solutions.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.