Skeptical Science New Research for Week #51 2024
Posted on 19 December 2024 by Doug Bostrom, Marc Kodack
Open access notables
An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:
Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance has long been a challenge, primarily due to uncertainties that dwarf the energy flux changes induced and a lack of precise observational data at the surface. We have employed the Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) method, integrating it with recent developments in surface solar radiation observational data, to refine the ensemble of CMIP6 model outputs. This has resulted in an enhanced estimation of Surface Earth System Energy Imbalance (EEI) changes since the late 19th century. Our findings show that CMIP6 model outputs, constrained by this observational data, reflect changes in energy imbalance consistent with observations in Ocean Heat Content (OHC), offering a narrower uncertainty range at the 95% confidence level than previous estimates. Observing the EEI series, dominated by changes due to external forcing, we note a relative stability (0.22 Wm−2) over the past half-century, but with a intensification (reaching 0.80 Wm−2) in the mid to late 1990s, indicating an escalation in the adverse impacts of global warming and climate change, which provides another independent confirmation of what recent studies have shown.
Fusion of Probabilistic Projections of Sea-Level Rise, Grandey et al., Earth’s Future:
A probabilistic projection of sea-level rise uses a probability distribution to represent scientific uncertainty. However, alternative probabilistic projections of sea-level rise differ markedly, revealing ambiguity, which poses a challenge to scientific assessment and decision-making. To address the challenge of ambiguity, we propose a new approach to quantify a best estimate of the scientific uncertainty associated with sea-level rise. Our proposed fusion combines the complementary strengths of the ice sheet models and expert elicitations that were used in the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Under a low-emissions scenario, the fusion’s very likely range (5th–95th percentiles) of global mean sea-level rise is 0.3–1.0 m by 2100. Under a high-emissions scenario, the very likely range is 0.5–1.9 m. The 95th percentile projection of 1.9 m can inform a high-end storyline, supporting decision-making for activities with low uncertainty tolerance. By quantifying a best estimate of scientific uncertainty, the fusion caters to diverse users.
Earth’s Climate History Explains Life’s Temperature Optima, Schipper et al., Ecology and Evolution:
Why does the growth of most life forms exhibit a narrow range of optimal temperatures below 40°C? We hypothesize that the recently identified stable range of oceanic temperatures of ~5 to 37°C for more than two billion years of Earth history tightly constrained the evolution of prokaryotic thermal performance curves to optimal temperatures for growth to less than 40°C. We tested whether competitive mechanisms reproduced the observed upper limits of life’s temperature optima using simple Lotka–Volterra models of interspecific competition between organisms with different temperature optima. Model results supported our proposition whereby organisms with temperature optima up to 37°C were most competitive. Model results were highly robust to a wide range of reasonable variations in temperature response curves of modeled species. We further propose that inheritance of prokaryotic genes and subsequent co-evolution with microbial partners may have resulted in eukaryotes also fixing their temperature optima within this narrow temperature range. We hope this hypothesis will motivate considerable discussion and future work to advance our understanding of the remarkable consistency of the temperature dependence of life.
Widespread outdoor exposure to uncompensable heat stress with warming, Fan & McColl, Communications Earth & Environment:
Previous studies projected an increasing risk of uncompensable heat stress indoors in a warming climate. However, little is known about the timing and extent of this risk for those engaged in essential outdoor activities, such as water collection and farming. Here, we employ a physically-based human energy balance model, which considers radiative, wind, and key physiological effects, to project global risk of uncompensable heat stress outdoors using bias-corrected climate model outputs. Focusing on farmers (approximately 850 million people), our model shows that an ensemble median 2.8% (15%) would be subject to several days of uncompensable heat stress yearly at 2 (4) °C of warming relative to preindustrial. Focusing on people who must walk outside to access drinking water (approximately 700 million people), 3.4% (23%) would be impacted at 2 (4) °C of warming. Outdoor work would need to be completed at night or in the early morning during these events.
[“uncompensable” means physiologically intolerable, acutely dangerous, ultimately deadly]
Stabilising CO2 concentration as a channel for global disaster risk mitigation, Lu & Tambakis, Scientific Report:
We investigate the influence of anthropogenic CO2 concentration fluctuations on the likelihood of climate-related disasters. We calibrate annual incidence rates against global disasters and CO2 growth spanning from 1960 to 2022 based on a dynamic panel logit model. We also study the sensitivity of disaster incidence to stochastic carbon dynamics consistent with IPCC-projected climate outcomes for 2100. The key insight is that present and lagged CO2 growth contains valuable information about the likelihood of future disaster events. We further show that lowering carbon stock uncertainty by dampening the persistence or the variability of CO2 concentration has a first-order impact on mitigating expected disaster risk.
Fact-checking information from large language models can decrease headline discernment, DeVerna et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences:
This study explores how large language models (LLMs) used for fact-checking affect the perception and dissemination of political news headlines. Despite the growing adoption of AI and tests of its ability to counter online misinformation, little is known about how people respond to LLM-driven fact-checking. This experiment reveals that even LLMs that accurately identify false headlines do not necessarily enhance users’ abilities to discern headline accuracy or promote accurate news sharing. LLM fact checks can actually reduce belief in true news wrongly labeled as false and increase belief in dubious headlines when the AI is unsure about an article’s veracity. These findings underscore the need for research on AI fact-checking’s unintended consequences, informing policies to enhance information integrity in the digital age.
Droughts in Wind and Solar Power: Assessing Climate Model Simulations for a Net-Zero Energy Future, Liu et al., Geophysical Research Letters:
Understanding and predicting “droughts” in wind and solar power availability can help the electric grid operator planning and operation toward deep renewable penetration. We assess climate models’ ability to simulate these droughts at different horizontal resolutions, ∼100 and ∼25 km, over Western North America and Texas. We find that these power droughts are associated with the high/low pressure systems. The simulated wind and solar power variabilities and their corresponding droughts during historical periods are more sensitive to the model bias than to the model resolution. Future climate simulations reveal varied future change of these droughts across different regions. Although model resolution does not affect the simulation of historical droughts, it does impact the simulated future changes. This suggests that regional response to future warming can vary considerably in high- and low-resolution models. These insights have important implications for adapting power system planning and operations to the changing climate.
From this week’s government/NGO section:
How global warming beliefs differ by education levels in India, Morris et al., Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
Given India’s diverse population, it is likely that global warming beliefs vary across different subgroups of the population. Given the large differences in levels of educational attainment in India, education might be an especially important factor in Indians’ global warming beliefs and attitudes. Further, understanding the role of education in public responses to climate change can help inform the design of communication strategies for these different subgroups. There were large differences in global warming awareness. For people who are not literate, 56% say they have never heard of global warming while, for people with a college degree or higher, only 7% say the same. Global warming awareness increases as educational level increases.
U.S. Climate Pathways for 2035 with Strong Non-Federal Leadership, Zhao et al., Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland
The authors assess U.S. climate pathways for 2035 across a range of federal climate ambitions with continued and enhanced non-federal climate action. The authors find that in the event of the reversal of strong federal climate action, enhanced non-federal action alone could still significantly bolster the transition to clean energy. With actions including the widespread adoption of renewable and clean electricity targets, California’s EV sales targets, vehicle miles traveled reduction policies, building efficiency, and electrification standards, industry carbon capture and sequestration targets, oil and gas methane intensity standards, and increased waste diversion efforts, the United States could achieve 54-62% emissions reductions by 2035, even in the context of federal inactions or rollbacks.
Voters Support Phasing Out Fossil Fuel Extraction, Caggiano et al., Climate and Community Institute
While the United States has made progress towards a buildout of clean and renewable energy, there has been very little serious discussion of curtailing fossil fuel extraction. Though many politicians believe that halting existing or new fossil fuel production is politically unpopular, there is surprisingly limited data to back this claim. To better understand how the general public views policies aimed at phasing out fossil fuel production, we conducted a nationally representative survey. Overall, the results demonstrate widespread support for policies to curtail the extraction of fossil fuels.
135 articles in 62 journals by 878 contributing authors
Physical science of climate change, effects
Acceleration of Warming, Deoxygenation, and Acidification in the Arabian Gulf Driven by Weakening of Summer Winds, Lachkar et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2024gl109898
Basic Physics Predicts Stronger High Cloud Radiative Heating With Warming, Gasparini et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2024gl111228
Estimated human-induced warming from a linear temperature and atmospheric CO2 relationship, Jarvis & Forster, Nature Geoscience Open Access 10.1038/s41561-024-01580-5
Intrinsic short Marine Heatwaves from the perspective of sea surface temperature and height, Hu et al., Weather and Climate Extremes Open Access 10.1016/j.wace.2024.100725
Irreversible changes in the sea surface temperature threshold for tropical convection to CO2 forcing, Park et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-024-01751-7
Reductions in atmospheric levels of non-CO2 greenhouse gases explain about a quarter of the 1998-2012 warming slowdown, Su et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-024-01723-x
Thermodynamically inconsistent extreme precipitation sensitivities across continents driven by cloud-radiative effects, Ghausi et al., Nature Communications Open Access 10.1038/s41467-024-55143-8
Observations of climate change, effects
20th century climate warming and human disturbance triggered high aquatic production and strong water-column mixing in maar Lake Xiaolongwan, northeastern China, Tu et al., Anthropocene 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100442
Changes in the Frequency of Observed Temperature Extremes Largely Driven by a Distribution Shift, Patel et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2024gl110707
Decadal variations in near-surface wind speed across the Northern Hemisphere on a centennial timescale and their possible causes, Li et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2024.10.002
Evaluating How Historical Climate Change Affected a Heavy Snowfall Event in Northern Japan in Mid-December 2021 Using Two Pseudo Global Warming Methods, Tamura & Sato, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Open Access 10.1029/2024jd041553
Historical changes in the Causal Effect Networks of compound hot and dry extremes in central Europe, Tian et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-024-01934-2
Twenty Years (2004-2023) Observation of Non-Methane Hydrocarbons in a subtropical Coastal Environment – Indications of Increased Isoprene Emissions., Ahmed et al., Atmospheric Environment 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2024.120993
Instrumentation & observational methods of climate change, effects
HighResClimNevada: a high-resolution climatological dataset for a high-altitude region in Southern Spain (Sierra Nevada), García-Valdecasas Ojeda et al., Open Access 10.5194/essd-2024-522
Spatiotemporal Evolution of Marine Heatwaves Globally, Scannell et al., Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology Open Access 10.1175/jtech-d-23-0126.1
Modeling, simulation & projection of climate change, effects
An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-024-01802-z
More than three-fold increase in compound soil and air dryness across Europe by the end of 21st century, Shekhar et al., Open Access 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3143908/v2
Advancement of climate & climate effects modeling, simulation & projection
An Evaluation of Dynamical Downscaling Methods Used to Project Regional Climate Change, Hall et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Open Access 10.1029/2023jd040591
An improved and extended parameterization of the CO2 15 µm cooling in the middle and upper atmosphere (CO2&cool&fort-1.0), López-Puertas et al., Geoscientific Model Development Open Access 10.5194/gmd-17-4401-2024
Documents, reanalysis, and global circulation models: a new method for reconstructing historical climate focusing on present-day inland Tanzania, 1856–1890, Gooding et al., Climate of the Past Open Access 10.5194/cp-20-2701-2024
Lightweight climate models could be useful for assessing aviation mitigation strategies and moving beyond the CO2-equivalence metrics debate, Arriolabengoa et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-024-01888-5
Cryosphere & climate change
A new approach for evaluating regional permafrost changes: a case study in the Hoh Xil on the interior Qinghai?Tibet Plateau, ZHANG et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2024.12.005
Analysis of fast ice anomalies and their causes in 2023 in Prydz Bay, East Antarctica, Liu et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2024.09.002
Climate Change-Driven Long-Term Stability Risks of Ubiquitous Moraine Dams in Glacial Lakes on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A Multiphysics Coupling Evolution Perspective, Zhou et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2024gl109350
Formation mechanism of climate warming-induced landslides in permafrost along the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering corridor, Wei et al., Frontiers in Earth Science Open Access 10.3389/feart.2024.1503980
Is the Modern Arctic Marginal Ice Zone More Susceptible to Summer Cyclones?, Mundi & L’Ecuyer, Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-24-0026.1
Long-term measurements of seasonal snowpacks indicate increases in mid-winter snowmelt and earlier snowpack disappearance in the northeastern U.S., Wilson et al., PLOS Climate Open Access 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000529
Monitoring northern Greenland proglacial river discharge from space, Chen et al., Remote Sensing of Environment 10.1016/j.rse.2024.114529
Revisiting snowmelt dynamics and its impact on soil moisture and vegetation in mid-high latitude watershed over four decades, Li et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110353
Spatio-temporal variation in snow cover area and its fragmentation in Northeast China, Gu et al., Frontiers in Earth Science Open Access 10.3389/feart.2024.1465071
Temporal and spatial changes of glacial lakes in the central Himalayas and their response to climate change based on multi-source remote sensing data, Cheng et al., Global and Planetary Change 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104675
Widespread Decline of the Warm Season Snow Depth Over Arctic Sea Ice Revealed by Satellite Passive Microwave Measurements, Li et al., International Journal of Climatology 10.1002/joc.8716
Sea level & climate change
Assessing urban growth exposure to sea level rise using a machine learning based model with Alexandria as a case study, Noby et al., Urban Climate Open Access 10.1016/j.uclim.2024.102217
Fusion of Probabilistic Projections of Sea-Level Rise, Grandey et al., Earth’s Future Open Access 10.1029/2024ef005295
Permafrost thaw subsidence, sea-level rise, and erosion are transforming Alaska’s Arctic coastal zone, Creel et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open Access 10.1073/pnas.2409411121
The long–term sea–level commitment from Antarctica, Klose et al., Open Access 10.5194/tc-2023-156
Paleoclimate & paleogeochemistry
Antarctic climate response in Last-Interglacial simulations using the Community Earth System Model (CESM2), Berdahl et al., Open Access 10.5194/cp-2024-19
Response of atmospheric CO2 changes to the Abyssal Pacific overturning during the last glacial cycle, Zhang et al., Global and Planetary Change 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104636
Biology & climate change, related geochemistry
A Review of Theory: Comparing Invasion Ecology and Climate Change-Induced Range Shifting, Flickinger & Dukes, Global Change Biology Open Access 10.1111/gcb.17612
An assessment of live hard coral cover distribution and its physicochemical factors in the Strait of Malacca from 1995 to 2016, Huang et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106833
Articulating futures: Community storylines and assisted ecosystem adaptation in the Great Barrier Reef, Paxton et al., Environmental Science & Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103944
Catastrophic and persistent loss of common murres after a marine heatwave, Renner et al., Science 10.1126/science.adq4330
Demographic processes and fire regimes interact to influence plant population persistence under changing climates, McColl?Gausden et al., Ecography Open Access 10.1111/ecog.07502
Distinct interspecies thermal resistance strategies exhibited by euplanktonic, tychoplanktonic and benthic diatoms under marine heatwaves, Du et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106859
Earth’s Climate History Explains Life’s Temperature Optima, Schipper et al., Ecology and Evolution Open Access 10.1002/ece3.70701
Eastern larch beetle (Dendroctonus simplex LeConte) as a potential threat to western (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) and subalpine larches (Larix lyalli Parl.), Picklo et al., Frontiers in Forests and Global Change Open Access 10.3389/ffgc.2024.1490888
Even protected seaweeds must face a warming ocean: Sea surface temperatures trigger tissue bleaching and breakdown in the unique giant Irish moss (Chondrus crispus), Gibbons et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106907
High- and low-temperature stress responses of Porites lutea from the relatively high-latitude region of the South China Sea, Huang et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106858
Identifying climatically-compatible seedlots for the eastern US: building the predictive tools and knowledge to enable forest assisted migration, Adams et al., Frontiers in Forests and Global Change Open Access 10.3389/ffgc.2024.1449340
Impact of Temperature and Stratification, Modulated by Warming Tsushima Warm Current, on the Spatiotemporal Distribution of Picoplankton in the Northern East China Sea, Kang et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 10.1029/2024jc021649
Increasing environmental fluctuations can dampen variability of endogenously cycling populations, Kortessis et al., Royal Society Open Science Open Access 10.1098/rsos.241066
Inefficient transfer of diatoms through the subpolar Southern Ocean twilight zone, Williams et al., Nature Geoscience Open Access 10.1038/s41561-024-01602-2
Influence of climatic variables on biome transitions in the Colombian and Panamanian Caribbean region, Nuñez-Bolaño et al., Global and Planetary Change 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104669
Long-term warming and acidification interaction drives plastic acclimation in the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries, Sun et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106901
Major distribution shifts are projected for key rangeland grasses under a high-emission scenario in East Africa at the end of the 21st century, Messmer et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-024-01731-x
Marine Protected Areas That Preserve Trophic Cascades Promote Resilience of Kelp Forests to Marine Heatwaves, Kumagai et al., Open Access pdf 10.1101/2024.04.10.588833
Mortality Patterns and Recovery Challenges in Millepora alcicornis after mass bleaching event on Northeast Brazilian Reefs, Vidal et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106864
Performance of Acanthina monodon juveniles under long-term exposure to predicted climate change conditions, Paredes-Molina et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106855
Permafrost instability negates the positive impact of warming temperatures on boreal radial growth, Alfaro-Sánchez et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10.1073/pnas.2411721121
Recurrent Heatwaves Slow Down the Recovery of a Phytoplankton Community, Polazzo et al., Ecology and Evolution Open Access 10.1002/ece3.70539
Recurrent marine heatwaves compromise the reproduction success and long-term viability of shallow populations of the Mediterranean gorgonian Eunicella singularis, Sarda et al., Marine Environmental Research Open Access 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106822
The projected impacts of climate change and fishing pressure on a tropical marine food web, Angelini et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106909
The trade-offs associated with the adaptions of marine microalgae to high CO2 and warming, Liang et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106853
Warm Temperature is Associated With Reduced Body Mass and Diversification Rates While Increasing Extinction Risks in Cold-Adapted Seabirds, Xiong et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.70000
GHG sources & sinks, flux, related geochemistry
Annual grass invasions and wildfire deplete ecosystem carbon storage by >50% to resistant base levels, Maxwell et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-024-01795-9
Dominant Edaphic Controls on Particulate Organic Carbon in Global Soils, Guo et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.17619
GHG emissions intensity analysis. Case study: Bioethanol plant with cogeneration and partial CO2 recovery, Galván et al., Energy for Sustainable Development 10.1016/j.esd.2024.101598
Glacial Atlantic Carbon Storage Enhanced by a Shallow AMOC and Marine Aggregates Sinking, Liu et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2024gl109736
Global upper ocean dissolved oxygen budget for constraining the biological carbon pump, Yamaguchi et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-024-01886-7
Improving GCM-Based Decadal Ocean Carbon Flux Predictions Using Observationally-Constrained Statistical Models, Gooya et al., Earth’s Future Open Access 10.1029/2023ef004204
Interactive effects of management and temperature anomalies on CO2 fluxes recorded over 18 years in a temperate upland grassland system, Winck et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Open Access 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110343
Ocean acidification trends and carbonate system dynamics across the North Atlantic subpolar gyre water masses during 2009–2019, Curbelo-Hernández et al., Biogeosciences Open Access 10.5194/bg-21-5561-2024
Patterns of Carbon and Nitrogen Accumulation in Seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) Meadows of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Apostolaki et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences Open Access 10.1029/2024jg008163
Predicting CO2 and CH4 fluxes and their seasonal variations in a subarctic wetland under two shared socioeconomic pathway climate scenarios, Zhao et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Open Access 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110359
Seasonal CO2 amplitude in northern high latitudes, Liu et al., Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 10.1038/s43017-024-00600-7
Spatial and temporal variations of gross primary production simulated by land surface model BCC&AVIM2.0, Li et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2023.02.001
Study of atmospheric CH4, CO2 and N2O at Waliguan WMO/GAW global station: Time series trend, seasonal variation, and attribution analysis association with meteorological factors, Wei et al., Atmospheric Environment 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2024.120994
System-Wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Mountain Reservoirs Draining Permafrost Catchments on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Zhang et al., Global Biogeochemical Cycles 10.1029/2024gb008112
Zooplankton fecal pellet flux and carbon export: The South China Sea record and its global comparison, Li et al., Global and Planetary Change 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104657
CO2 capture, sequestration science & engineering
Advancing the frontiers of CO2 geological storage: A statistical and computational perspective, Li et al., Earth 10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104906
Synergies of storing hydrogen at the crest of CO2${rm CO}&{2}$ or other gas storage, Rhouma et al., Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology Open Access pdf 10.1002/ghg.2278
The potential of the BBNJ clearing house mechanism to enhance knowledge pluralism in marine carbon dioxide removal assessment, Boettcher & Brent, Frontiers in Climate Open Access 10.3389/fclim.2024.1497476
Decarbonization
A Review of End-of-Life Silicon Solar Photovoltaic Modules and the Potential for Electrochemical Recycling, Lee et al., Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research Open Access 10.1002/aesr.202400254
Beyond the business case: Impacts and resilience post-adoption of decentralized renewable energy for rural livelihoods, Shastry & Rai, Energy for Sustainable Development 10.1016/j.esd.2024.101600
Designing a sector-coupled European energy system robust to 60 years of historical weather data, Gøtske et al., Nature Communications Open Access 10.1038/s41467-024-54853-3
Droughts in Wind and Solar Power: Assessing Climate Model Simulations for a Net-Zero Energy Future, Liu et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access 10.1029/2024gl109416
Large-scale estimation of the potential of battery power for maritime transport in the USA, , Nature Energy 10.1038/s41560-024-01687-4
Technical sizing of renewable energy capacity for large-scale green hydrogen production, MKHAITARI et al., Energy for Sustainable Development 10.1016/j.esd.2024.101595
Texas: A green hydrogen hub to decarbonize the United States and beyond, Lin et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10.1073/pnas.2321347121
The infrastructural ecologies of industrial decarbonisation: Visual methods and psychosocial logics in place-based public engagement, Smith et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103874
Towards energy justice and energy sovereignty: Participatory co-design of off-grid systems in the Brazilian Amazon, Lembi et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103858
Utilizing reconstruction achieves ultrastable water electrolysis, Lin et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10.1073/pnas.2407350121
Climate change communications & cognition
Climate-just behavior: foundations and transformational approaches, West, Environmental Politics 10.1080/09644016.2024.2441021
Empowering Future Generations: Communicating Climate Education through Pedagogy and Fantasy Literature, Rahmadi et al., Environmental Communication 10.1080/17524032.2024.2439403
Fact-checking information from large language models can decrease headline discernment, DeVerna et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open Access pdf 10.1073/pnas.2322823121
Is climate change the problem? A feminist analysis of climate change discourses in Spain and Catalonia, Escayola et al., Environmental Science & Policy 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103970
Agronomy, animal husbundry, food production & climate change
Adaptive capacities of inland fisheries facing anthropogenic pressures, Stokes et al., Global Environmental Change 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102949
Addressing the 2050 demand for terrestrial animal source food, Van Eenennaam, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10.1073/pnas.2319001121
Assessing the impact of carbon mitigation strategies on agricultural GHG emissions: insights from a dynamic CGE model analysis, Gong & Huo, Frontiers in Environmental Science Open Access 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1424076
Deciphering climate variability trends: unveiling the impact on household staple crop productivity in East Wallaga Zone, Ethiopia, Kumsa, Open Access 10.31223/x51704
Forest fertilization transiently increases soil CO2 efflux in young Norway spruce stands in Sweden, Håkansson et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Open Access 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110287
Lower methane and nitrous oxide emissions from rice-aquaculture co-culture systems than from rice paddies in southeast China,, Fang et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109540
Mitigating methane emissions in grazing beef cattle with a seaweed-based feed additive: Implications for climate-smart agriculture, Meo-Filho et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10.1073/pnas.2410863121
Modeling biochar effects on soil organic carbon on croplands in a microbial decomposition model (MIMICS-BC&v1.0), Han et al., Geoscientific Model Development Open Access 10.5194/gmd-17-4871-2024
Seasonal patterns of CO2 exchange in a tropical intensively managed pasture in Southeastern Brazil, Bianchini et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110324
Understanding the impacts of extreme temperature and humidity compounds on winter wheat traits in China, Jiang et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110354
Hydrology, hydrometeorology & climate change
Changes in Extreme Daily Precipitation over the Contiguous United States from Convection-Permitting Simulations, Stinnett et al., Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 10.1175/jamc-d-23-0206.1
Characteristics and projected changes in maximum daily precipitation across the globe, Uchale & Singh, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 10.1002/qj.4912
Dealing with uncertainty in flood risk management and land use planning decisions: Insights from Aotearoa New Zealand, Afsari Bajestani et al., Climate Risk Management Open Access 10.1016/j.crm.2024.100666
Historical and future projections southwest monsoon rainfall extremes: a comprehensive study using CMIP6 simulations, Varikoden et al., Atmospheric Research 10.1016/j.atmosres.2024.107870
More flow upstream and less flow downstream: The changing form and function of global rivers, Feng & Gleason, Science 10.1126/science.adl5728
Climate change economics
Addressing the diversity of Loss and damage in Pacific Island countries to foster a just transition towards a climate-resilient future, Handmer et al., Climate and Development Open Access 10.1080/17565529.2024.2437133
Author Correction: World economies’ progress in decoupling from CO2 emissions, Freire-González et al., Scientific Reports Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41598-024-75404-2
Climate change mitigation public policy research
A technology to solve the water-energy-food crisis? Mapping sociotechnical configurations of agrivoltaics using Q-methodology, Cotton et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103872
Accelerating transitions? Planning for decarbonisation in local and regional energy systems, Poulter et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103875
Climate justice discussions need new participants and new audiences, Mintz-Woo et al., Nature Climate Change Open Access 10.1038/s41558-024-02219-4
Climate policymaking in an autocracy: the case of Russia’s law on GHG emissions, Martus, Environmental Politics 10.1080/09644016.2024.2437885
Co-evolution of risk and cooperation in climate policies under wealth inequality, Pacheco & Santos, PNAS Nexus Open Access 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae550
Collective action without community? Perspectives from project developers and participants in citizen-financed photovoltaic projects, Sierro & Blumer, Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103856
Conflicted climate futures: Climate justice imaginaries as tools for policy evaluation in cities, Diezmartínez et al., Energy Research & Social Science 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103886
Forest vegetation increased across China’s carbon offset projects and positively impacted neighboring areas, Yu et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-024-01962-y
High electricity price despite expansion in renewables: How market trends shape Germany’s power market in the coming years, Liebensteiner et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114448
Investment risks and policy solutions for renewable electricity in Bangladesh, Aziz et al., Energy for Sustainable Development 10.1016/j.esd.2024.101605
Navigating climate-resilience: co-benefits and costs of a net zero development pathway in Ethiopia, Dagne et al., Climate Policy 10.1080/14693062.2024.2438300
Policies to bring about social-ecological tipping points in coal and carbon intensive regions, Todor et al., Global Environmental Change 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102952
Rethinking retrofit: Relational insights for the design of residential energy efficiency policy, Brown et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103863
Smallholder women rising: Intersectional dynamics of resistance to geothermal energy in Western Turkey, Özen, Energy Research & Social Science 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103884
Tax carbon cautiously for sub-Saharan Africa, Ankel-Peters et al., Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-024-02213-w
The uneven foundations of a just transition for workers: a UK perspective, Reay, Frontiers in Climate Open Access 10.3389/fclim.2024.1498156
Towards a just Chinese energy transition: Socioeconomic considerations in China’s carbon neutrality policies, Dong et al., Energy Research & Social Science 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103855
Watt’s in it for you? Unpacking the role of renewable energy cooperatives in the Netherlands in energizing consumer engagement, Rupp et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103883
What is important for consumers’ energy-related decisions? A cross-sectoral systematic review and meta-analysis for the Nordic countries, Zamanipour & Keppo, Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103861
Who is vulnerable in regional energy transitions? An intersectional energy justice analysis of the Rotterdam-the Hague region, Martinez-Reyes et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103859
“Cooperatives of convenience” and corporate appropriation of Ontario’s community renewable energy policy, Tarhan, Energy Research & Social Science 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103849
Climate change adaptation & adaptation public policy research
Climate Warming Will Exacerbate Unequal Exposure to Compound Flood-Heatwave Extremes, Zhao et al., Earth’s Future Open Access 10.1029/2024ef005179
Climatic impacts on electricity consumption of urban residential buildings in China, GUO et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2024.12.004
Contagious risk: Nexus of risk in climate, epidemic, geopolitics, and economic, Li et al., Risk Analysis 10.1111/risa.17687
Navigating psychosocial dimensions: understanding the intersections of adaptation strategies and well-being outcomes in the context of climate change, Heath, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability Open Access 10.1016/j.cosust.2024.101493
Pan-Arctic Assessment of Coastal Settlements and Infrastructure Vulnerable to Coastal Erosion, Sea-Level Rise, and Permafrost Thaw, Tanguy et al., Earth’s Future Open Access 10.1029/2024ef005013
Stabilising CO2 concentration as a channel for global disaster risk mitigation, Lu & Tambakis, Scientific Reports Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41598-024-79437-5
The Role of Catalysts in the Climate Adaptation Process, Solecki et al., WIREs Climate Change 10.1002/wcc.931
Climate change impacts on human health
Adverse health risks to religious groups during heatwaves, Vora et al., Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-024-02207-8
Widespread outdoor exposure to uncompensable heat stress with warming, Fan & McColl, Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-024-01930-6
Climate change & geopolitics
Geopolitical, economic risk and the time-varying structure of extreme risk in the carbon emissions trading market, Mi et al., Frontiers in Environmental Science Open Access 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1499743
Informed opinion, nudges & major initiatives
Acknowledging the historic presence of justice in climate research, Coolsaet et al., Nature Climate Change Open Access 10.1038/s41558-024-02218-5
Humid heat exceeds human tolerance limits and causes mass mortality, Matthews et al., Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-024-02215-8
Articles/Reports from Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations Addressing Aspects of Climate Change
Power Trip. How utilities use customer money to fund lobbying, corporate branding, and luxury lifestyle expenses , Karlee Weinmann and Itai Vardi, Energy and Policy Institute
As state lawmakers prepare to convene for their 2025 legislative sessions, they have a clear opportunity to rein in a common practice by monopoly utilities to charge their customers for inappropriate and unnecessary expenses. The authors include real-world examples showing how the nation’s most prominent investor-owned utilities have routinely tried to charge customers — and often succeeded — for problematic expenses ranging from staff lobbying and slick corporate advertising to private jet flights and spa services. Additionally, the authors outline policy solutions designed to protect utility customers from shouldering such expenses.
Energy Parks: A New Strategy To Meet Rising Electricity Demand, Gimona et al., Energy Innovation Policy & Technology
The authors explore a solution to meet rising electricity demand that can be deployed quickly and affordably: Energy parks. Energy parks integrate multiple renewable energy sources and storage solutions like batteries and potentially co-locate with electricity consumers, such as factories or data centers, all connected to the grid at a single point. They do this to speed up development, share costly onsite infrastructure, and directly connect complementary resources.
Within Our Power. Cut Emissions Today To Insure Tomorrow, Risalat Khan, Insure Our Future
The author analyzes the role of the global insurance industry in fueling or averting catastrophic climate breakdown. The author examines what 20 years of climate attribution science reveals about today’s insurance crisis, explores the status of gross direct premiums from insuring fossil fuels and renewable energy activities, and analyzes the coal, oil, and gas policies of 30 leading primary insurers and reinsurers. The author also offers policy recommendations for lawmakers and regulators.
Renewable Energy Trends, Edition 2: Site Selection for Solar, Paces
The race to scale renewable energy development continues to accelerate, with solar energy at the forefront of the transition to a cleaner future. Building on prior research focused on Illinois and New York, the authors broaden the scope to include 10 additional states, offering a comprehensive perspective of the challenges and opportunities developers face. Analyzing data from January through October 2024, the authors highlight compounding challenges for solar developers: dwindling land availability, shrinking parcel sizes, and declining feeder capacities.
How global warming beliefs differ by education levels in India, Morris et al., Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
Given India’s diverse population, it is likely that global warming beliefs vary across different subgroups of the population. Given the large differences in levels of educational attainment in India, education might be an especially important factor in Indians’ global warming beliefs and attitudes. Further, understanding the role of education in public responses to climate change can help inform the design of communication strategies for these different subgroups. There were large differences in global warming awareness. For people who are not literate, 56% say they have never heard of global warming while, for people with a college degree or higher, only 7% say the same. Global warming awareness increases as educational level increases.
A Clean Energy Deployment Baseline for the Energy Community and Low-Income Tax Credit Bonuses, Seel et al., Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The authors explore how the new federal tax credit incentives are impacting clean energy deployment patterns and establishes historical baselines against which future changes can be compared. They include a few case studies of clean energy projects going specifically to areas that were recently impacted by coal power plant closures to provide concrete examples of investments in Energy Communities. However, they do not assess how much of the incentive benefits pass from clean energy developers to hosting communities, nor do they offer a comprehensive view of the economic effects of clean energy deployment on Energy Communities.
Granular Certificate Market Readiness Report, LevelTen Energy, The GC Trading Alliance
A growing number of organizations are setting their sights on increasingly sophisticated clean energy procurement strategies. This trend toward more granular time- and location-based targets represents a distinct departure from the established approach to addressing Scope 2 emissions, accomplished by matching electricity consumption with clean energy procurements on an annualized basis. For these new goals to be achieved, a novel suite of tools and markets must emerge to support procurement efficiency and drive signals that reward Carbon Pollution-Free Electricity investments when and where they are needed most. Core to achieving these ends is a transition from the use of Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), which track the year and month of electricity generation, to Granular Certificates (GCs), which track generation intervals down to the hourly, or even sub-hourly level, and provide improved locational detail.
The Global Commitment 2024 Progress Reprot, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Over 1,000 organizations from across the world, including businesses representing 20% of all plastic packaging produced globally and over 50 government signatories, have mobilized behind the Global Commitment’s common vision of a circular economy for plastic, in which it never becomes waste. Signatories set ambitious 2025 targets to help realize that common vision. This sixth-annual progress report looks at how the signatories are faring against these targets and key lessons learned along the way.
How conflict, climate change and the environment intersect in Yemen, Barry et al., Adelphi Research
Climate change, overexploitation and 10 years of civil war are leading to the degradation of natural resources in Yemen. Impacts on social cohesion and conflict are widespread at the local level, but are poorly reflected in conflict analysis, programming and high-level peace efforts. The authors outline the relationship between conflict, climate change, and the environment in Yemen, spotlighting dynamics around water and arable land.
An Action Plan for Maritime Energy and Emissions Innovation, Messner et al., Department of Energy and Department of Transportation
The authors present a strategy to reduce and eliminate nearly all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. maritime sector by 2050, in line with the U.S. economy-wide goal of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. To reach this goal, the action plan outlines actions, objectives, targets, and activities to scale low- and net-zero emissions fuels, energies, and technologies; strengthen the maritime workforce; bolster shipbuilding capacity; and expand complementary landside infrastructure. The action plan supports industry, mariners, communities, civil society, sub-national governments, and other interested parties that will decarbonize the maritime sector alongside the U.S. government.
Implementation Plan 2025-2026 for the Arctic Research Plan 2022-2026, Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee, National Science and Technology Council
The Arctic Research Plan is a high-level strategy for the next five years. Its overarching goals will be accomplished through biennial implementation plans with specific objectives and deliverables. The Implementation Plan 2025-2026 provides specific actions that the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee and its member agencies will take to promote research aimed at improving community resilience and well-being, advancing scientific understanding of ongoing changes in the Arctic system, creating more sustainable economies and livelihoods, and improving risk management and hazard mitigation.
Methane: keep up the momentum, Environment and Climate Change Committee, House of Lords
The authors note that in charting a path forward, the UK Government should balance economic considerations of action on methane against the cost implications of climate and adaptation impacts of inaction on methane. In order to build on past progress and secure future gains, the UK Government must focus on key areas including publishing a methane action plan detailing the actions that will be taken on methane through 2030 and the emissions reductions expected by sector as a result; prioritize diplomatic actions that will have the greatest international impact—and enhance global momentum on methane mitigation; and ensure the UK’s world-leading scientific strengths in greenhouse gas measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification are matched by a policy and regulatory framework that keeps pace with international best practices.
Survey: More Californians than ever recognize climate change is caused mostly by human activities, Othering and Belonging Institute
More Californians than ever recognize that global climate change is driven by human activities. But while awareness of climate change’s causes has grown among the state’s residents, most have yet to recognize how environmental conditions are fueling transnational migration. Comparing results from 2017 to 2024, there was a 9 percentage-point increase (61% to 70%) in the share of Californians who believe global climate change is caused “mostly by human activities.” The uptick is due in large part to Californians between the ages of 18 to 39. For this age group, the share that say climate change is mostly human-caused increased from 63% to 84%. The shares also increased across each of the state’s four largest race/ethnicity groups, led by Black and Latinx Californians
New Climate Scenario Interrogatories in RBC for P&C Insurers, National Association of Insurance Commissioners
New interrogatories are presented for the disclosure of climate-conditioned catastrophe exposure for hurricane and wildfire only in the catastrophe risk component of the Property and Casualty Risk-Based Capital blanks, aka, climate scenario interrogatories.
EU Agricultural Outlook, 2024-2035, Bolsi et al., European Commission
The authors present the medium-term outlook for EU agricultural markets and income until 2035, complemented by a partial assessment of the environmental implications of projections and a ‘what-if’ scenario assessing the resilience of the EU meat sector in view of its heavy reliance on imported protein feed. The outlook is subject to various uncertainties. Agricultural productivity growth is challenged by pressures from climate change and impacts on key natural resources, notably water and soil, which limit the potential for yield growth and induce a shift of agroclimatic zones northwards, affecting crop cultivation patterns.
Next-generation geothermal, McLaughlin et al., World Resoruces Institute
The authors provide an overview of next-generation geothermal systems, including enhanced geothermal systems, closed loop, and superhot systems. It covers current developments within the industry, environmental impacts, and policy options. While geothermal energy can be used as a source of both heat and electricity, the authors focus only on uses in the electricity sector.
An Action Plan for Rail Energy and Emissions Innovation, Popovich et al., DOE, DOT, EPA, DOL, and HUD
The authors propose actions to reduce and nearly eliminate emissions in the U.S. rail sector, in line with the U.S. economy-wide goal of net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. They also propose actions to leverage the rail system to reduce emissions from other modes. The national goal of achieving a zero-emission freight system by 2050 draws our attention to the fact that freight transport cannot be addressed simply mode by mode, but it should instead be treated as an interdependent system.
Inside the Race to the Top. The race for cleantech among Chinese provinces, US states, and European countries, Walter, RMI
Cleantech has unleashed a global revolution, driven from the bottom up. Three major blocs — Europe, the United States, and China — are in a race to the top on cleantech. Yet, the real frontier of change lies within — at the country, state, and province level inside each bloc. The authors examine the energy transition across more than 110 territories across the three blocs. It is a follow-up to a previous report on cleantech progress in the United States, China, and Europe. It digs deeper into the local trends, looking at regional differences within each bloc on renewable energy deployment, electric vehicle adoption, electrification, and cleantech manufacturing.
Clean Power 2030 Action Plan: A new era of clean electricity, UK Government
Clean Power by 2030 will herald a new era of clean energy independence and tackle three major challenges: the need for a secure and affordable energy supply, the creation of essential new energy industries, supported by skilled workers in their thousands, the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit our contribution to the damaging effects of climate change. Clean power by 2030 is a sprint towards these essential goals.
Critical Analysis, with a Focus on Agriculture, Land, and Food, Darrin Qualman, National Farmers Union
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) are lower-emission, non-fossil-fuel energy sources for the world’s aircraft fleet—“drop-in” fuels that require no modifications to aircraft or engines. The proposal is to make SAFs largely from biological sources: corn, soybeans, and canola now and over the next decade or so, and then increasingly from straw and other “agricultural residues” and from purpose-grown energy crops such as grasses or fast-growing trees (with a minor portion from forestry residues). There is a third phase proposed: to use clean renewable energy to extract hydrogen from water and carbon from the air and combine these into a liquid fuel. But such “Electro-fuels” remain speculative and the very high costs and energy requirements suggest they may remain unfeasible.
Voters Support Phasing Out Fossil Fuel Extraction, Caggiano et al., Climate and Community Institute
While the United States has made progress towards a buildout of clean and renewable energy, there has been very little serious discussion of curtailing fossil fuel extraction. Though many politicians believe that halting existing or new fossil fuel production is politically unpopular, there is surprisingly limited data to back this claim. To better understand how the general public views policies aimed at phasing out fossil fuel production, we conducted a nationally representative survey. Overall, the results demonstrate widespread support for policies to curtail the extraction of fossil fuels.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE Public Opinion Survey, Abacas Data, Environemntal Defence
A survey was conducted with 2,700 adult Canadians over the age of 18 from November 29 to December 4, 2024. Canadians are split. Roughly one-third of Canadians (35%) say they trust oil and gas companies – 10% strongly and 25% somewhat – while 31% express some degree of distrust. Trust & distrust are regional. Distrust tends to be more prominent in British Columbia, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada, while trust in the industry is higher in Alberta & the Prairies. Most Canadians prefer prioritizing renewable energy sources (54%) over fossil fuel production as it concerns Canada’s approach to energy development going forward. The rest, 36%, want a balanced approach, while 11% would rather prioritize fossil fuels. This view is prevalent even in geographies where there is higher trust in the oil and gas sector like Alberta & the prairies.
Climate Tech Report: Industry trends, JP. Morgan
Climate technology, or climate tech, is an important part of advancing the transition to a low-carbon economy. Climate tech enables companies to decarbonize operations via transformative innovations, such as sourcing renewable energy, intelligently managing energy use, and transitioning to electric fleets. Financing is key to realizing these technologies and is unique to each startup: it is based on the company’s stage of development, industry dynamic, and operational needs. The authors explore the maturity and market adoption of various climate technologies, delve into industry trends and offer an insightful look into notable factors and considerations.
Climate Risks Present a Significant Threat to the U.S. Insurance and Housing Markets, Joint Economic Committee Democrats
Climate-exacerbated disasters, such as wildfires, hurricanes, floods, drought, and excessive heat, are increasing risk and causing damage to homes across the country. Alongside the physical destruction and loss of life, these disasters are also making home insurance more expensive and are even leading some insurers to stop offering plans altogether in areas like California, Florida, and Louisiana. Rising premiums and this issue of uninsurability could seriously disrupt the housing market and stress state-operated insurance programs, public services, and disaster relief. Given this rising threat, innovations in climate mitigation and adaptation, insurance options, and disaster relief are essential for protecting Americans and their finances. Climate change threatens housing markets and requires action from both the private and public sectors to stabilize markets and protect American homes. Though support from the public sector may be harder to rely on in the coming years, Congress can still use its appropriations powers to bolster promising resilience programs and support more transparency in the industry. Innovations in the insurance business model and an increased focus on mitigation and resilience to climate risks will protect homes before disasters hit and help Americans get back on their feet quickly.
Encouraging Cooperation in Climate Collective Action Problems, Martin et al., Environmental Protection Agency
The authors examine how behavioral science can help solve the climate collective action problem. Behavioral science studies how people make decisions, such as whether to cooperate or free-ride when faced with collective action dilemmas. The authors review existing research to find relevant evidence and identify concrete policy implications for Ireland.
National assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England 2024, United Kingdom Environment Agency
Understanding current and future flood and coastal erosion risks is vital to ensuring that policymakers, practitioners, and communities are ready to adapt to a changing climate.?A new National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA) has been created. It provides a single picture of current and future?flood risk from rivers, the sea, and surface water for England. The last full update to NaFRA was in 2018. It uses the best available data both from the Environment Agency and local authorities. The new data on the depth of flooding also provides more information to help people understand the potential flood hazards they could face.?Alongside this, the National Coastal Erosion Risk Map (NCERM) has been updated. The last update to NCERM was in 2017. The new NCERM provides the most up-to-date national picture of current and future coastal erosion risk for England. It uses the best available evidence from the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes.?For the first time, both NaFRA and NCERM account for the latest UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) and the potential impact of climate change on flood and coastal erosion risk.
Energy, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of U.S. LNG Exports, OnLocation, Inc, US. Department of Energy
This multi-volume study updates the Department of Energy’s (DOE) understanding of the potential effects of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports on the domestic economy; U.S. households and consumers; communities that live near locations where natural gas is produced or exported; domestic and international energy security, including effects of U.S. trading partners; and the environment and climate. DOE intends to use the study to inform its public interest review of, and ultimately decisions in, certain applications to export LNG to countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement (FTA) requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas, and with which trade is not prohibited by U.S. law or policy (non-FTA applications), future proceedings, and for other purposes.
U.S. Climate Pathways for 2035 with Strong Non-Federal Leadership, Zhao et al., Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland
The authors assess U.S. climate pathways for 2035 across a range of federal climate ambitions with continued and enhanced non-federal climate action. The authors find that in the event of the reversal of strong federal climate action, enhanced non-federal action alone could still significantly bolster the transition to clean energy. With actions including the widespread adoption of renewable and clean electricity targets, California’s EV sales targets, vehicle miles traveled reduction policies, building efficiency, and electrification standards, industry carbon capture and sequestration targets, oil and gas methane intensity standards, and increased waste diversion efforts, the United States could achieve 54-62% emissions reductions by 2035, even in the context of federal inactions or rollbacks.
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We know it’s frustrating that many articles we cite here are not free to read. One-off paid access fees are generally astronomically priced, suitable for such as “On a Heuristic Point of View Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light” but not as a gamble on unknowns. With a median world income of US$ 9,373, for most of us US$ 42 is significant money to wager on an article’s relevance and importance.
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How is New Research assembled?
Most articles appearing here are found via RSS feeds from journal publishers, filtered by search terms to produce raw output for assessment of relevance.
Relevant articles are then queried against the Unpaywall database, to identify open access articles and expose useful metadata for articles appearing in the database.
The objective of New Research isn’t to cast a tinge on scientific results, to color readers’ impressions. Hence candidate articles are assessed via two metrics only:
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