Reviews & Analysis

A warmer world will shift mortality patterns around the world. Research suggests that the mortality costs from climate change will be massively larger than previously thought, despite accounting for future adaptation and rising incomes.

Summits on climate change, organized by various (international) institutions on a frequent basis, seek to discuss and decide on future initiatives for climate action. Research now shows that there is significant variation in their effectiveness in terms of climate mitigation.

Years of research on adaptation to climate change shows that many efforts are counterproductively increasing vulnerability, rather than reducing it — known as ‘maladaptation’. Now a study suggests ways forward by identifying four structural challenges that need to be overcome in adaptation implementation.

Quantifying historical trends in tropical cyclone activity has proved difficult, but a new reconstruction reveals a clear global decline over the past century, driven by an increasingly cyclone-hostile environment in the troposphere.

The world’s poorest households, who often depend on agricultural incomes, are increasingly vulnerable to weather-induced shocks. A recent study shows how anti-poverty programmes can help to protect both consumption and income when exposed to shocks.

How the species that form ecological communities respond to climate change will affect the future resilience of ecosystems, and their capacity to support humankind. The responses of animals and plants to four decades of warming demonstrate the sensitivity of high-latitude ecosystems to increasing temperatures.

Climate change and rising CO₂ concentrations have been increasing plant productivity over the past two decades. Now, research projects that this increase will cease over most of the Northern Hemisphere, except the Arctic, by 2060.

Anthropogenic climate change is accelerating melting at the surface of the Greenland ice sheet. Evidence now suggests that extensive melting is also occurring at the base of the ice at much faster rates than previously thought.

In response to future warming and freshening of the North Atlantic Ocean, climate models project a slowing of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). Geological data and climate modelling for the past 11,700 years suggest the AMOC may be much less sensitive to large freshening of the ocean than often assumed.

Global warming is expected to have beneficial impacts on overwintering crops in cool and temperate regions of the world. Now, statistical analysis that combines different sources of historical yield and meteorological data reveals that decreases in snowpack insulation partly reduce yield benefits of winter wheat.

Estimating future economic and domestic water use is difficult due to uncertain changes in climate and socioeconomic conditions. Now, research estimates future water use in the United States could decrease or more than double by 2070 under plausible socioeconomic and climate scenarios.

Controversy remains as to whether nuclear power should be part of a sustainable future energy mix. Phasing out nuclear too rapidly could lead to substantial health damages from air pollution.

As the ozone hole begins to heal, concentrations of harmful ground-level ozone are also increasing. Work now shows the impacts that both changes are having on the Southern Ocean and our wider climate system.

The glaciers in the Arctic are affected greatly by the amplified warming of this region. Work now documents a link between variations in the annual mass balance of Arctic glaciers and changes in tropospheric circulation patterns.

Developed countries are about to experience unprecedented demographic changes. The increasing population, wealth and carbon-intensive lifestyles of senior citizens raise concerns that should be addressed.

Increasing Arctic temperatures accelerate coastal erosion, threatening coastal communities and infrastructure, and adding carbon to the atmosphere. Research now predicts that Arctic coastal erosion on the pan-Arctic scale will exceed its historical range of variability and increase two to three times by the end of the century.

Climate mitigation policies are enacted in the interconnected climate, land, energy and water sectors. Now, a study shows regionally different land-use change emission pricing policies can increase competition for water in African river basins.

Climate change is threatening coral-reef-associated ecosystem services and people’s well-being. Addressing direct and indirect coral reef stressors while developing pathways towards recovery and adaptations could mitigate negative impacts, especially in coastal developing countries.