Volume 13 Issue 7, July 2023

Adjusting green public support programmes to green premiums can reduce public spending, yet this is challenged by uncertainty. Underfunding green technologies can delay the green transition, and overfunding them can increase transition costs. Both risks of under- and overfunding can be reduced using responsive adjustments.

Climate change impacts on insect pollinators has largely focused on changes in abundance and range, yet pollination capacity also relies on ability to acquire, process and respond to information. We argue for the urgent need to focus on these largely overlooked processes by describing how insect sensory ecology and behaviour are affected by temperature and highlighting key knowledge gaps that should be addressed.

The industrial emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas and stratospheric ozone-depleting substance, have increased since 2010. However, untapped abatement potential for industrial emissions currently exists through low-cost technologies.

Greenland is central to climate research and research now shows that Greenlanders are far more aware of a rapidly changing Arctic climate than of the underlying global causes. However, their willingness to harness new opportunities exceeds fear of climate change’s consequences.

Decades of deforestation and climate change have led to the southeastern Amazon becoming a carbon source region. Now, research shows that this carbon source region still sustains its own biomass production, but further degradation would decrease moisture recycling and amplify carbon losses to the atmosphere.

Museum collections are a source for monitoring population changes at an evolutionary timescale. A comparative genomic study across time and space of populations of willow flycatchers (Empidonax traillii) reveals evidence of genetic responses to climate change through adaptation in genes associated with changing climatic conditions in southwestern North America.

Under current land-use regulation, carbon dioxide emissions from biofuel production exceed those from fossil diesel combustion. Therefore, international agreements need to ensure the effective and globally comprehensive protection of natural land before modern bioenergy can effectively contribute to achieving carbon neutrality.

Climate policy adoption in one country increases the probability of adoption in neighbouring countries. Governments can thus support global climate action by adopting a leadership role in climate policy and do not need to worry about freeriding behaviour.

Better adaptation methods are needed in the face of rapid climate change. A pilot process for inclusive adaptation planning reveals that empowering citizens to identify climate impacts, and to discuss interventions to adapt to them, leads to better awareness of and preparedness for future climate change events.

When the Arctic Ocean will become free of sea ice is uncertain in climate-model projections. If a mismatch between the observed and the modelled sensitivity of sea ice to changes in atmospheric circulation is properly accounted for, then projections show that ice loss is slower and the Arctic could be sea-ice-free a decade later.

The potential effect of globally expanding organic farming on cropland soil organic carbon stocks has been estimated using a modelling approach. The results reveal that large-scale expansion of organic farming could lead to a reduction in soil organic carbon stocks unless appropriate farming practices, such as increased cover cropping, are adopted.

An integrated assessment model calibrated on past economic and climate development is used to estimate the historical time-series of the social costs of carbon from 1950 to 2018. The extent to which individual countries reduced global wealth through their fossil and industrial-process carbon dioxide emissions was then assessed.

Environmental justice should be a central concern in adaptation action to avoid reproducing marginalizing power structures. Critical race theory can provide novel and valuable perspectives that contribute to promoting equity in climate change adaptation research and practices.

In this Perspective, the authors discuss the importance of considering phenotypic plasticity in conservation actions. They propose a framework to directly connect plasticity to management and a road map for developing tools to highlight where considering plasticity could be beneficial or required.

The extent to which sea level will rise under climate change is uncertain, with some of this uncertainty being quantifiable and some unquantifiable. This Review discusses past and present presentations of this uncertainty in IPCC and regional assessments, as well as their influence on users' interpretations.

Greenland is at the heart of climate research, yet the related perceptions of Greenland’s Indigenous population have long been overlooked. Findings based on two nationally representative surveys reveal a large gap between the scientific consensus and Kalaallit views.

Increasing individual awareness could help communities better prepare for climate change. Here a pilot study using participatory system mapping finds that the process increases awareness and preparedness for climate risk, and identifies considerations for promoting citizen-led adaptation.

International diffusion of carbon pricing policies can result in large global greenhouse gas emission reductions. Here, the authors quantify these benefits from diffusion that provide additional support for leadership in climate policy.

Bioenergy has been widely viewed as an alternative for fossil fuels and an option for carbon dioxide removal, but there are doubts given the induced land-use changes. This study shows the importance of uniform regulation and comprehensive coverage of carbon-rich areas in reducing total emissions.

Achieving global carbon neutrality will lead to a low-warming future and impact renewable energy production. This study demonstrates that deep mitigation pathways can bring positive feedback that enhances and stabilizes solar and wind energy production.

Dense-water formation around Antarctica could be reduced as climate change alters sea-ice formation and circulation patterns. This study shows there has been an over 40% reduction in dense-water formation in the Weddell Sea since 1992, which could affect global overturning circulation.

When the Arctic will be seasonally sea ice free is highly uncertain. Here, the authors use the Arctic’s response to atmospheric circulation to recalibrate models and show that sea-ice-free conditions are delayed by a decade compared to the original ensemble.

The authors simulated the impact of organic farming expansion on soil organic carbon. They found that soil organic carbon stock may be at risk of decline if the complete conversion to organic farming does not involve additional practices such as widespread cover cropping and residue recycling.

Warming affects forest soil denitrification and nitrogen losses. The authors show that temperature enhances nitrous oxide and dinitrogen but varies by soil; temperature sensitivities are similar across soils but are higher for dinitrogen, suggesting complete denitrification in a warmer climate.

Genetic adaptation may be an important response to climate change, but limited examples of climate adaptation in wild populations exist. Comparing genetic data from historical bird specimens and contemporary individuals, the authors show shifts consistent with adaptation to climate change.

Historical CO₂ emissions could lead to future climate damages and harm human inclusive wealth. This analysis proposes the concept of climate wealth borrowing and quantifies the country-specific present value of climate change impacts arising from energy and industrial CO₂ emissions of the period of 1950–2018.