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 43 min ago

Hoping for better

Tue, 01/09/2024 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 09 January 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01922-y

Soaring temperatures hit the headlines throughout 2023; only time will tell if the annual climate talks have pivoted from discussion and debate to meaningful progress for climate action.

Publisher Correction: Climate warming restructures food webs and carbon flow in high-latitude ecosystems

Tue, 01/09/2024 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 09 January 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-024-01926-2

Publisher Correction: Climate warming restructures food webs and carbon flow in high-latitude ecosystems

Justice considerations in climate research

Mon, 01/08/2024 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 08 January 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01869-0

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.

Hydrological cycle amplification reshapes warming-driven oxygen loss in the Atlantic Ocean

Mon, 01/08/2024 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 08 January 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01897-w

Oxygen loss has been observed in the world’s oceans, due mainly to warming temperatures that reduce oxygen solubility and increase stratification. This study shows climate-induced salinity changes also impact oxygen patterns with effects either accelerating or counteracting warming-driven changes.

African rice cultivation linked to rising methane

Thu, 01/04/2024 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 04 January 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01907-x

The increase in atmospheric methane has been accelerating since 2007, and identifying drivers is critical for climate mitigation. In this study, the authors show that the expansion of rice cultivation in Africa accounts for 7% of rising emissions.

Assumptions and contradictions shape public engagement on climate change

Thu, 01/04/2024 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 04 January 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01904-0

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.

Warming food webs at high latitudes

Wed, 01/03/2024 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 03 January 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01894-z

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.

Climate warming restructures food webs and carbon flow in high-latitude ecosystems

Wed, 01/03/2024 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 03 January 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01893-0

The authors quantify changes in carbon flow to Arctic tundra and boreal forest consumers under warming. Small-mammal specimens separated by 30 years and wolf spiders from short-term warming experiments show similar patterns of change, switching from plant-based to fungal-based food webs.

The social costs of hydrofluorocarbons and the benefits from their expedited phase-down

Wed, 01/03/2024 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 03 January 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01898-9

Hydrofluorocarbons are a class of important greenhouse gases, and quantitative estimates of their social cost are still lacking. This research develops a set of direct estimates of their economic costs and shows their rapid phase-down could lead to large climate benefits.

The potential of wealth taxation to address the triple climate inequality crisis

Fri, 12/29/2023 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 29 December 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01891-2

The triple climate inequality crisis, or disparities in contributions, impacts and capacity to act within and between countries, is a central issue in addressing climate change. This Comment advocates for progressive wealth taxation as a viable solution to the finance gap.

Tackling inequality is essential for behaviour change for net zero

Fri, 12/29/2023 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 29 December 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01900-4

Policies and psychological approaches often overemphasize individual agency, overlooking how socioeconomic inequality can constrain access to low-carbon alternatives. We argue that tackling these inequalities is urgent for impactful, equitable behaviour change.

Adaptation requires attuning to shifting temporal patterns

Wed, 12/27/2023 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 27 December 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01899-8

Communal life is characterized by the shared timing of human and environmental events. Climate change is disrupting these timings, creating mismatches in these coordinated temporal patterns and requiring adaptive governance.

The next generation of machine learning for tracking adaptation texts

Wed, 12/27/2023 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 27 December 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01890-3

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.

Soil organic carbon losses exacerbated by climate extremes

Fri, 12/22/2023 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 22 December 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01873-4

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.

Saleemul Huq (1952–2023)

Fri, 12/22/2023 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 22 December 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01901-3

Saleemul Huq (1952–2023)

Responses of soil organic carbon to climate extremes under warming across global biomes

Fri, 12/22/2023 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 22 December 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01874-3

Warming temperatures associated with climate change are expected to impact soil carbon stocks, yet the effect of more frequent and intense extreme climate events on soil carbon is yet unclear. This study shows that most extremes enhance soil carbon loss globally, with variation across ecosystems.

Shale gas revolution could paralyse the energy transition

Wed, 12/20/2023 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 20 December 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01892-1

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.

MJO’s predictability on the rise

Wed, 12/20/2023 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 20 December 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01895-y

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.

Increase in MJO predictability under global warming

Wed, 12/20/2023 - 12:00am

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 20 December 2023; doi:10.1038/s41558-023-01885-0

The Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) is a key feature of tropical weather on a multi-weekly timescale. Here, the authors show that the MJO becomes more predictable with climate change, potentially allowing better subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasting.

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