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In a global-scale study, we investigated the contribution of individual and multiple global change stressors to soil carbon variables, which revealed that an increasing number of global change stressors will reduce the amount of carbon in soils, challenging their capacity to mitigate climate change.
A comprehensive analysis of observations and model simulations finds that future global mean warming is likely to be larger than previously thought, and that limiting global warming to well below 2°C will be more difficult than previously anticipated.
Our multi-model analysis of international shipping shows the potential for decreasing global annual emissions in the coming decades, up to a reduction of 86% by 2050. Drop-in biofuels, renewable alcohols and green ammonia stand out as the main substitutes for conventional maritime fuels.
When the temperature increases, so do the energetic requirements of species. We find that the energetic stress caused by increases in temperature pushes fish species to consume the first prey they encounter to fulfil their immediate needs, rather than focusing on more energetically rewarding prey. This behaviour increases the vulnerability of communities to climate change.
Analysis of patent data from 1990 to 2019 reveals a global decline in the invention and international diffusion of high-quality methane-targeted abatement technologies (MTATs) from 2010 to 2019. Moreover, there is a mismatch between where MTAT inventions are concentrated and the countries or regions expected to have most growth in future methane emissions.
Groundwater recharge replenishes aquifers and enables them to sustain irrigated agriculture and household water access, but the sensitivity of recharge to climate change remains unclear. Our analysis of global recharge rates demonstrates their sensitivity to climatic conditions, implying that amplified and nonlinear impacts of climate change on recharge rates are likely.
In a changing climate, tree trunks serve as crucial refuges for animals, particularly ectotherms, seeking to escape extreme climatic conditions. Therefore, while climate change could generally promote population growth among ectotherms, deforestation could reverse these positive effects in some populations or exacerbate the negative impacts of climate change in others.
Tropical instability waves (TIWs) are an important component of the equatorial Pacific climate. An analysis of satellite observations, in situ measurements and ocean circulation models indicates that TIW activity has intensified in the central equatorial Pacific by approximately 12 ± 6% per decade since the 1990s.