Reviews & Analysis

Projections of African ecological responses to climate change diverge widely. This Perspective unpicks some of the reasons for this uncertainty and reveals the importance of accounting for the influences of disturbancesand climate on vegetation.

Mixed crop and livestock farms are the backbone of African agriculture, yet there is little information on how these systems may be affected by changes in climate. Addressing this knowledge gap could help smallholders adapt to climate change.

This Review looks at the state of knowledge on the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a natural climate phenomenon. It discusses recent advances and insights into how climate change will affect this natural climate varibility cycle.

There are hopes thatthe dynamic forms of climate governance appearing in different domains will be effective in tackling climate change. This Perspective assesses the future prospects for this so-called polycentric pattern of climate governance.

Undoing the effects of continuing high carbon dioxide emissions on the oceans could take centuries, if it is possible at all.

The temperature in many office buildings is set according to a method from the 1960s. Consideration of the different metabolic rates of male and females is necessary to increase comfort and reduce energy consumption.

This Perspective explores whether policymakers can learn from adaptive management techniques to make climate policies 'anti-fragile', embracing and benefitting from scientific uncertainty, rather than simply being robust to it.

Climate change awareness, risk perception and policy support vary between and within countries. National-scale comparisons can help to explain this variability and be used to develop targeted interventions.

Persistent drought in the Sahel in the 1970s and 1980s was caused by subtle changes in global sea surface temperatures. Now model results show that the direct effect of increasing greenhouse-gas concentrations led to the subsequent recovery.

Climate change continues to be a controversial issue among political elites in the US. New research shows how ideological views become entrenched through 'echo chambers'.

Submarine permafrost thaw in the Arctic has been suggested as a trigger for the release of large quantities of methane to the water column, and subsequently the atmosphere — with important implications for global warming. Now research shows that microbial oxidation of methane at the thaw front can effectively prevent its release.

Local weather influences perception of climate change. Although weather is not representative of climate, this study shows that the percentage of the population experiencing higher temperatures has increased, in line with climate model projections.

Understanding past climate should help reduce uncertainties in projections of future climate. This Review of palaeosimulation evaluations suggests that existing models capture broad patterns of climate change, but that further improvement is needed.

Policymakers know that the risks associated with climate change mean they need to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. But uncertainty surrounding the likelihood of different scenarios makes choosing specific policies difficult.

Connected and automated vehicles enable new business models, such as self-driving taxis, that could transform transportation. These models have the potential to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, but only if they are developed with energy use in mind.

Projected future CO₂ levels reduce the growth of juvenile salmon and alter their behaviour, with implications for the productivity of coastal ecosystems unless populations can adapt.

Reducing emissions from forests is a key goal of international climate efforts. New research shows how ethnographic approaches can provide better outcomes for people and forests in Asia Pacific.

A simple conceptual model helps to answer the question of which forests are more likely to die following droughts.

A focus on African American communities on the Eastern Shore of Maryland highlights the ways that local cultural knowledge differs from place to place, developing understanding of local climate risks and resources for adaptation.

Deep-sea coral reefs off southeast Australia are threatened by climate change and ocean acidification. An immediate priority to conserve these sensitive ecosystems would be the identification and protection of refugia areas.