Arguments
Skeptical Science New Research for Week #22 2024
Posted on 30 May 2024 by Doug Bostrom, Marc Kodack
Open access notables
Unveiling Unprecedented Methane Hotspots in China's Leading Coal Production Hub: A Satellite Mapping Revelation, Han et al., Geophysical Research Letters:
China is likely the world's largest anthropogenic source of methane emissions, with coal mine methane (CMM) being the predominant contributor. Here, we deploy 2 years of satellite observations to survey facility-level CMM emitters in Shanxi, the most prolific coal mining province in China. A total of 138 detected episodic events at 82 facilities are estimated to emit 1.20 (+0.24/−0.20, 95% CI) million tons of methane per year (Mt CH4/yr) during 2021–2023, roughly equivalent to 4.2 times the integrated flux from the Permian plumes and four times of the integrated flux from the Four Corners plumes, two of the world's largest hotspots for oil and gas methane emissions. This work reveals the heavy-tailed distribution characteristic of CMM emission sources for the first time, with 20% of emitters contributing approximately 50% of total emissions.
Maritime Freight Carbon Emission in the U.S. using AIS data from 2018 to 2022, Cheng et al., Scientific Data:
Global maritime emissions, a 3% contributor to greenhouse gases, anticipate a surge of 90–130% by 2050. Regulatory challenges persist due to international governance gaps. Legislative strides, including the EU Emission Trading System, highlight global efforts. In the U.S., despite legislative commitment, consensus hurdles impede cross-regional carbon management. Prevailing top-down emissions estimation methods warrant scrutiny. This paper unveils U.S. maritime emissions intricacies, focusing on carbon accounting, transfer, and compensation for cargo and tanker vessels. Leveraging AIS data (2018–2022), an activity-based/bottom-up approach navigates emissions calculations, aiming to reshape understanding and foster strategic reductions.
Abrupt increase in Greenland melt enhanced by atmospheric wave changes, Graversen et al., Climate Dynamics:
Recent Greenland ice-sheet melt constitutes a considerable contribution to global sea-level rise. Observations indicate an approximate zero mass balance of the ice sheet until the late 1990s, after which a strong increase in melting occurred. This cannot be attributed linearly to gradually-increasing global warming. Instead the abrupt shift has been linked to atmospheric circulation changes, although causality is not fully understood. Here we show that changes of atmospheric waves over Greenland have significantly contributed to the shift into a strong melting state.
Central-Pacific El Niño-Southern Oscillation less predictable under greenhouse warming, Chen et al., Nature Communications:
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant mode of interannual climate variability in the tropical Pacific, whose nature nevertheless may change significantly in a warming climate. Here, we show that the predictability of ENSO may decrease in the future. Across the models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6), we find a robust decrease of the persistence and predictability for the Central Pacific (CP) ENSO under global warming, notably in passing through the boreal spring. The strength of spring predictability barrier will be increased by 25% in the future. The reduced predictability of CP ENSO is caused by the faster warming over surface ocean in tropical Pacific and, in turn, the enhanced thermodynamical damping rate on CP ENSO in response to global warming. In contrast, the predictability of Eastern Pacific ENSO will not change. Our results suggest that future greenhouse warming will make the prediction of CP ENSO more challenging, with far-reaching implications on future climate predictions.
How the public understands and reacts to the term “climate anxiety”, Gregersen et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology:
Analyses of an open-ended question asking what people think of when they hear or read the term “climate anxiety” showed that most respondents (52%) provided neutral descriptions (e.g., worry about climate change impacts), 27% viewed climate anxiety as unfounded, irrational, or excessive, and equal proportions of respondents critiqued the term specifically for contributing to such negative associations (6%) or referred to climate anxiety as a reasonable and rational reaction (6%). These findings indicate that among some audiences, using the term climate anxiety may provoke reactance and be perceived as distracting from political actions to mitigate climate change. Our results give important insights into the potential consequences of the terms we use when reporting on climate distress.
Trust in climate science and climate scientists: A narrative review, Cologna et al., PLOS Climate:
We identify several reasons that lead some audiences to be distrustful or skeptical about the competence, integrity, benevolence, and openness of climate scientists–four key dimensions of trustworthiness. Given the narrative style of this review and the continuously developing research on trust in climate science, we invite more systematic reviews on the topic which could help to identify potentially overlooked correlates of (dis)trust in climate science. We find no clear evidence that respectful advocacy by climate scientists negatively affects trustworthiness perceptions. However, the effect of advocacy on perceived trustworthiness seems to be dependent on the policy in question. We provide several recommendations that can help climate change communicators become more trustworthy.
From this week's government/NGO section:
GenCost 2023?24: Final report, Graham et al., CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator
GenCost is a leading economic report for business leaders and decision-makers planning reliable and affordable energy solutions to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The authors highlight wind power’s slower recovery from global inflationary pressures, resulting in upward revisions for both onshore and offshore wind costs over the next decade. Despite this, updated analysis reaffirms that renewables, including associated storage and transmission costs, remain the lowest cost, new build technology out to 2050. The inclusion of large-scale nuclear costs this year was prompted by increased stakeholder interest in nuclear technology following the updated cost estimates for SMRs in the 2023-24 consultation draft.
Extreme heat in disadvantaged communities, Bruzgul et al., ICF Climate Center
The authors use the latest climate projections to understand how people living in “communities that are marginalized and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment,” as defined by the Justice40 Initiative, could potentially be exposed to extreme heat in the coming decades. Because the risks of extreme heat are acute for human health and energy reliability, the analysis focuses on potential exposure to extreme heat levels that have impacts on those two areas.
135 articles in 53 journals by 688 contributing authors
Physical science of climate change, effects
Cloud Radiative Effects Associated With Daily Weather Regimes, Zhao, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2024gl109090
Global aviation contrail climate effects from 2019 to 2021, Teoh et al., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Open Access 10.5194/acp-24-6071-2024
Increasing frequency and lengthening season of western disturbances are linked to increasing strength and delayed northward migration of the subtropical jet, Hunt, Open Access pdf 10.5194/egusphere-2023-1778
On the Driving Factors of the Future Changes in the Wintertime Northern-Hemisphere Atmospheric Waviness, Yamamoto & Martineau Martineau, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2024gl108793
The effects of warm-air intrusions in the high Arctic on cirrus clouds, Dekoutsidis et al., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Open Access 10.5194/acp-24-5971-2024
Observations of climate change, effects
Contributions of changes in atmospheric circulation and thermodynamic factors to trends in spring gale events in northern China from 1973 to 2020, Zhang et al., Climatic Change 10.1007/s10584-024-03749-8
Multivariate extremes in lakes, Woolway et al., Nature Communications Open Access 10.1038/s41467-024-49012-7
Precipitation and hydrological extremes during the warm season in response to climate change: the example from the Polish Carpathians, Wypych & Ustrnul, Regional Environmental Change Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10113-024-02252-1
Thermal bioclimate in Greece based on the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and insights into 2021 and 2023 heatwaves, Pantavou et al., Theoretical and Applied Climatology Open Access pdf 10.1007/s00704-024-04989-5
Trends in intraseasonal temperature variability in Europe: Comparison of station data with gridded data and reanalyses, Krauskopf & Huth Huth, International Journal of Climatology 10.1002/joc.8512
Variabilities and trends in the onset, peak, and retreat of Intertropical Discontinuity (ITD) annual migrations over West Africa between 1979 and 2020, Odekunle et al., Climate Dynamics 10.1007/s00382-024-07270-7
Variability and trends in tropical precipitation intensity in observations and climate models, Gu & Adler, Climate Dynamics 10.1007/s00382-024-07287-y
Instrumentation & observational methods of climate change, effects
Biogeographic patterns of daily wildfire spread and extremes across North America, Balik et al., Frontiers in Forests and Global Change Open Access 10.3389/ffgc.2024.1355361
Low-cost UAV Coordinated Carbon Observation Network: carbon dioxide measurement with multiple UAVs, Zhao et al., Atmospheric Environment 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2024.120609
Natural Hazards in a Changing World: Methods for Analyzing Trends and Non-Linear Changes, Vogel et al., Earth's Future Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023ef003553
Modeling, simulation & projection of climate change, effects
Central-Pacific El Niño-Southern Oscillation less predictable under greenhouse warming, Chen et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-024-48804-1
Climate variability and change in Ecuador: dynamic downscaling of regional projections with RegCM4 and HadGEM2-ES for informed adaptation strategies, Portalanza et al., Frontiers in Climate Open Access pdf 10.3389/fclim.2024.1344868
Current trend and future projection of tropical cyclone intensity over the Bay of Bengal, Pal & Chatterjee, Theoretical and Applied Climatology 10.1007/s00704-024-05014-5
Elevation dependent precipitation changes in historical and future times in the Himalayan Upper Ganga Basin, India, Singh et al., Atmospheric Research 10.1016/j.atmosres.2024.107501
Future extreme and compound events in Angola: CORDEX-Africa regional climate modelling projections, Soares et al., Weather and Climate Extremes Open Access 10.1016/j.wace.2024.100691
High-Resolution Climate Simulations Over the Eastern Mediterranean Black Sea Region Using the Pseudo-Global Warming Method With a CMIP6 Ensemble, Ba?çaci et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023jd040145
Joint probabilistic behaviour of climate extremes over the Godavari River basin, India, Kumar et al., International Journal of Climatology 10.1002/joc.8486
Sorely reducing emissions of non-methane short-lived climate forcers will worsen compound flood-heatwave extremes in the Northern Hemisphere, Li et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2024.05.003
Will the 2022 compound heatwave-drought extreme over the Yangtze River Basin become Grey Rhino in the future?, Feng et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2024.05.004
Advancement of climate & climate effects modeling, simulation & projection
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
Controls on the Strength and Structure of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in Climate Models, Nayak et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2024gl109055
Developing a climatological simplification of aerosols to enter the cloud microphysics of a global climate model, Proske et al., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Open Access 10.5194/acp-24-5907-2024
Evaluating nine different air-sea flux algorithms coupled with CAM6, Jiang et al., Atmospheric Research 10.1016/j.atmosres.2024.107486
Evaluating the East Asian summer precipitation from the perspective of dominant intermodel spread modes and its implication for future projection, Shi, International Journal of Climatology 10.1002/joc.8491
Is Bias Correction in Dynamical Downscaling Defensible?, Risser et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl105979
Modeling atmospheric brown carbon in the GISS ModelE Earth system model, DeLessio et al., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Open Access 10.5194/acp-24-6275-2024
Screening CMIP6 models for Chile based on past performance and code genealogy, Gateño et al., Climatic Change 10.1007/s10584-024-03742-1
Underestimated Land Heat Uptake Alters the Global Energy Distribution in CMIP6 Climate Models, Steinert et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl107613
Cryosphere & climate change
A Predictive Theory for Heat Transport Into Ice Shelf Cavities, Finucane & Stewart, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2024gl108196
Abrupt increase in Greenland melt enhanced by atmospheric wave changes, Graversen et al., Climate Dynamics Open Access pdf 10.1007/s00382-024-07271-6
Early aerial expedition photos reveal 85 years of glacier growth and stability in East Antarctica, Dømgaard et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-024-48886-x
Illuminating Snow Droughts: The Future of Western United States Snowpack in the SPEAR Large Ensemble, Schmitt et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023jd039754
Widespread seawater intrusions beneath the grounded ice of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, Rignot et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open Access pdf 10.1073/pnas.2404766121
Biology & climate change, related geochemistry
A new approach to geostatistical synthesis of historical records reveals capuchin spatial responses to climate and demographic change, Jacobson et al., Ecology Letters Open Access pdf 10.1111/ele.14443
Acclimation to warming but not hypoxia alters thermal tolerance and metabolic sensitivity in an estuarine crustacean, Bridge et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106565
Asymmetrical Impact of Daytime and Nighttime Warming on the Interannual Variation of Urban Spring Vegetation Phenology, Yin et al., Earth's Future Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023ef004127
Characteristics and drivers of vegetation productivity sensitivity to increasing CO2 at Northern Middle and High Latitudes, Chai & Hu, Ecology and Evolution Open Access 10.1002/ece3.11467
Column-Compound Extremes in the Global Ocean, Wong et al., AGU Advances Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023av001059
Individual and combined impacts of carbon dioxide enrichment, heatwaves, flow velocity variability, and fine sediment deposition on stream invertebrate communities, Hunn et al., Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.17336
Lag effects of vegetation of temperature stress on and its ecological risk assessment, Fu et al., Frontiers in Environmental Science Open Access pdf 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1424578
Plant species phenology differs between climate and land-use scenarios and relates to plant functional traits, Plos et al., Ecology and Evolution Open Access 10.1002/ece3.11441
Potential decoupling of CO2 and Hg uptake process by global vegetation in the 21st century, Yuan et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-024-48849-2
Response of Southern Ocean Resource Stress in a Changing Climate, Anugerahanti & Tagliabue, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl107870
Rising plant demand strengthens nitrogen limitation in tidal marsh, Langley et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.17342
Shifting the paradigm: The role of introduced plants in the resiliency of terrestrial ecosystems to climate change, Kharouba, Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.17319
Soil warming alters tree water use and canopy stomatal conductance in a mixed subtropical forest, Hu et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110073
Southern Ocean phytoplankton under climate change: a shifting balance of bottom-up and top-down control, Xue et al., Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-2023-171
GHG sources & sinks, flux, related geochemistry
Climate Change Dominates the Interannual Variation of Carbon Export Efficiency in Each Season in the Northern Gulf of Mexico During 1998–2011, Gong et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106564
Climate warming accelerates carbon release from foliar litter—A global synthesis, Chen et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.17350
Maritime Freight Carbon Emission in the U.S. using AIS data from 2018 to 2022, Cheng et al., Scientific Data Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41597-024-03391-0
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
Unveiling Unprecedented Methane Hotspots in China's Leading Coal Production Hub: A Satellite Mapping Revelation, Han et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2024gl109065
Using Free Air CO2 Enrichment data to constrain land surface model projections of the terrestrial carbon cycle, Raoult et al., Biogeosciences Open Access 10.5194/bg-21-1017-2024
Whole-soil warming leads to substantial soil carbon emission in an alpine grassland, Chen et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-024-48736-w
CO2 capture, sequestration science & engineering
Evaluating Climate Change Competence in Pre-teens: Instrument Development and Validation, Ortega-Quevedo et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology Open Access 10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102329
Prudent carbon dioxide removal strategies hedge against high climate sensitivity, Schaber et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-024-01456-x
Public perception of carbon dioxide removal in three Asian regions, Atris et al., Sustainability Science 10.1007/s11625-024-01515-4
Social perspectives of carbon capture, transportation, utilization, and storage in Switzerland, Dallo et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103588
Spatial-temporal evolution and prediction of carbon storage in Mohe city by linking the logistic-CA-Markov and InVEST models, Yan et al., Frontiers in Earth Science Open Access pdf 10.3389/feart.2024.1383237
Synergies of storing hydrogen at the crest of CO2${rm CO}&{2}$ or other gas storage, Sun et al., Energy & Fuels Open Access 10.1021/ef010067n
Taking stock of carbon dioxide removal policy in emerging economies: developments in Brazil, China, and India, Schenuit et al., Climate Policy Open Access pdf 10.1080/14693062.2024.2353148
Decarbonization
A geographically disaggregated approach to integrate low-carbon technologies across local electricity networks, Few et al., Nature Energy Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41560-024-01542-6
Adopting electric school buses in the United States: Health and climate benefits, Choma et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open Access pdf 10.1073/pnas.2320338121
Biological fermentation pilot-scale systems and evaluation for commercial viability towards sustainable biohydrogen production, Zhang et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-024-48790-4
Community-based wind energy development does not work? Empirical evidence from residents in Canada and Ireland, Baxter et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114199
Green hydrogen futures: Tensions of energy and justice within sociotechnical imaginaries, Virens, Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103587
Public views about the world's largest proposed solar farm in remote Australia, Zander et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114197
Geoengineering climate
A Living Assessment of Different Materials for Stratospheric Aerosol Injection—Building Bridges Between Model World and the Messiness of Reality, Visioni et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2024gl108314
Rethinking the Susceptibility-Based Strategy for Marine Cloud Brightening Climate Intervention: Experiment With CESM2 and Its Implications, Chen et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2024gl108860
Aerosols
Constraining effects of aerosol-cloud interaction by accounting for coupling between cloud and land surface, Su et al., Science Advances Open Access pdf 10.1126/sciadv.adl5044
Long-Term Trends in Aerosols, Low Clouds, and Large-Scale Meteorology Over the Western North Atlantic From 2003 to 2020, Park et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 10.1029/2023jd039592
Climate change communications & cognition
Climate summits and protests have a strong impact on climate change media coverage in Germany, Lochner et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-024-01434-3
How the public understands and reacts to the term “climate anxiety”, Gregersen et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology Open Access 10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102340
Perceptions of climate change threat across 121 nations: The role of individual and national wealth, Hornsey & Pearson, Journal of Environmental Psychology Open Access 10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102338
Perceptions on and impacts of environmental changes under multiple stressors: a case study from two communities in northern Fennoscandia, Eilola et al., Regional Environmental Change Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10113-024-02241-4
The educational divide in climate change attitudes: Understanding the role of scientific knowledge and subjective social status, Hoekstra et al., Global Environmental Change Open Access 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102851
The framing of Indigenous and local ecological knowledge amidst climate change education in the COP27 cyberspace, Dean & Parks, Climate and Development 10.1080/17565529.2024.2356180
Trust in climate science and climate scientists: A narrative review, Cologna et al., PLOS Climate Open Access pdf 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000400
Agronomy, animal husbundry, food production & climate change
Bibliometric analysis of publications on the effect of animal production on climate change from past to present, Çelik, Frontiers in Earth Science Open Access pdf 10.3389/feart.2024.1402407
Climate change may alter the availability of wild food plants in the Brazilian semiarid, da Silva et al., Regional Environmental Change 10.1007/s10113-024-02250-3
Climate-resilient agricultural ploys can improve livelihood and food security in Eastern India, Dey et al., Environment, Development and Sustainability 10.1007/s10668-023-03176-2
How does climate change affect the food security and vulnerability of women? A systematic review of gender perspectives, Moon, Frontiers in Climate Open Access 10.3389/fclim.2024.1374469
Long-term straw return to a wheat-maize system results in topsoil organic C saturation and increased yields while no stimulating or reducing yield-scaled N2O and NO emissions, Yao et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.109937
National forest carbon harvesting and allocation dataset for the period 2003 to 2018, Wang et al., Earth System Science Data Open Access pdf 10.5194/essd-16-2465-2024
The enduring nature of cranberry production in a changing climate: The interplay of extreme weather, knowledge networks, and adaptation, Pisani Gareau et al., PLOS Climate Open Access 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000350
Hydrology, hydrometeorology & climate change
A research on the relationship between landslide area changes and environmental factors in the southern Tibetan plateau, Xu et al., Frontiers in Earth Science Open Access pdf 10.3389/feart.2024.1403888
An attribution study of very intense rainfall events in Eastern Northeast Brazil, Vasconcelos Junior et al., Weather and Climate Extremes Open Access 10.1016/j.wace.2024.100699
Aridity shifts in the MENA region under the Paris Agreement climate change scenarios, Hamed et al., Global and Planetary Change 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104483
Artificial Trends or Real Changes? Investigating Precipitation Records in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Champagne et al., Journal of Hydrometeorology Open Access 10.1175/jhm-d-23-0182.1
Impact of change in land use/land cover and climate variables on groundwater recharge in a tropical river basin, Beeram et al., Environment, Development and Sustainability 10.1007/s10668-023-03216-x
Possible role of anthropogenic climate change in the record-breaking 2020 Lake Victoria levels and floods, Pietroiusti et al., Open Access pdf 10.5194/egusphere-2023-1827
Precipitation and hydrological extremes during the warm season in response to climate change: the example from the Polish Carpathians, Wypych & Ustrnul, Regional Environmental Change Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10113-024-02252-1
Widespread societal and ecological impacts from projected Tibetan Plateau lake expansion, Xu et al., Nature Geoscience Open Access 10.1038/s41561-024-01446-w
Climate change economics
Has climate change promoted the high-quality development of financial enterprises? Evidence from China, Lyu & Xiao, Frontiers in Environmental Science Open Access pdf 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1332748
Climate change mitigation public policy research
A just energy transition for Indigenous peoples: From ideal deliberation to fairness in Canada and Australia, Rioux-Gobeil & Thomassin, Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103593
Acceptance of demand-side flexibility in the residential heating sector — Evidence from a stated choice experiment in Germany, Bender et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114145
Are decarbonization strategies municipality-dependent? Generating rural road transport pathways through an iterative process in the Swedish landscape, de Oliveira Laurin et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103570
Assessing the impact of electric vehicles in Mexico’s electricity sector and supporting policies, Maldonado et al., Energy Policy 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114152
Charging change: Analysing the UK's electric vehicle infrastructure policies and market dynamics, Sun et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114178
Climate change policies and income inequality, Bettarelli et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114176
Climate concepts for supporting political goals of mitigation and adaptation: The case for “climate crisis”, Haueis, WIREs Climate Change Open Access pdf 10.1002/wcc.893
Data donation: Using the gift relationship framework to address privacy and environmental issues of energy consumption data collection, Lee et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103596
EU’s sustainable finance disclosure regulation: does the hybrid reporting regime undermine the goal to reorient capital to climate action?, Cochran et al., Climate Policy Open Access pdf 10.1080/14693062.2024.2353115
Examining the inaction in energy renovation decisions: The role of transaction costs in single-family households in Sweden, Lundmark, Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103591
Integrated assessment modeling of a zero-emissions global transportation sector, Speizer et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-024-48424-9
Lessons from European Union just transition toolkits: A regional investment framework for Greece and Germany, Tranoulidis et al., Energy Research & Social Science 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103603
Net zero retrofit of older tenement housing – The contribution of cost benefit analysis to wider evaluation of a demonstration project, Higney & Gibb, Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114181
Policies and tools for climate change policy implementation: a panel data analysis at industrial and commercial level, Huru et al., Frontiers in Environmental Science Open Access 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1380342
Principles for embedded emissions accounting to support trade-related climate policy, White et al., Climate Policy Open Access 10.1080/14693062.2024.2356803
Renewable energy adoption among Türkiye's future generation: What influences their intentions?, Acikgoz & Yorulmaz, Energy for Sustainable Development 10.1016/j.esd.2024.101467
SWOT analysis of Brazilian energy policy: A comparative panel data analysis of the twenty largest economies, Melo dos Santos et al., Energy Policy 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114172
The risk paradox: Exploring asymmetric nexus between climate policy uncertainty and renewable energy technology budgets, Zhou et al., Risk Analysis 10.1111/risa.14315
To Abate, or Not to Abate? The Arising of the Win–Win Solution Under Time Consistent Emission Taxation, Calvert, IUPAC Standards Online Open Access 10.1515/iupac.62.0026
Tracking the roadmaps to sustainability: what do the symmetric effects of eco-digitalization, green technology, green finance, and renewable energy portend for China?, Han et al., Environment, Development and Sustainability 10.1007/s10668-023-04289-4
Who bears the cost of renewable power transmission lines? Evidence from housing values, Harleman, Energy Policy 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114179
Who heats and cools? Access to residential heating and cooling in Northern California and implications for energy transitions, Elmallah et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114169
Why renovation obligations can boost social justice and might reduce energy poverty in a highly decarbonised housing sector, Müller et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114168
Climate change adaptation & adaptation public policy research
Adaptation challenges experienced by entities serving Alaska Native village infrastructure needs, Brown et al., Regional Environmental Change 10.1007/s10113-024-02245-0
Adaptation to climate change in the mountain regions of Central Asia: A systematic literature review, Saidaliyeva et al., WIREs Climate Change 10.1002/wcc.891
Climate concepts for supporting political goals of mitigation and adaptation: The case for “climate crisis”, Haueis, WIREs Climate Change Open Access pdf 10.1002/wcc.893
Crafting effective oversight for the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel on sites at risk of climate and coastal hazards, Brown et al., Frontiers in Climate Open Access pdf 10.3389/fclim.2024.1356724
Evaluating Adaptation Pathways in a Complex Multi-Risk System, Schlumberger et al., Earth's Future Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023ef004288
Pathways to transformative adaptation in southern African cities: A criteria-based assessment in Harare and Durban, Pasquini et al., Environmental Science & Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103784
Probabilistic Medium-Range Forecasts of Extreme Heat Events Over East Asia Based on a Global Ensemble Forecasting System, Tak et al., Weather and Climate Extremes Open Access 10.1016/j.wace.2024.100694
The Multi-Scalar Inequities of Climate Adaptation Finance: A Critical Review, Venner et al., Current Climate Change Reports Open Access pdf 10.1007/s40641-024-00195-7
Willingness to incur private costs for climate adaptation? Public support for undergrounding electricity transmission lines in California, Uji et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114182
Climate change impacts on human health
Climate Change, Environment, and Health: The implementation and initial evaluation of a longitudinal, integrated curricular theme and novel competency framework at Harvard Medical School, Kline et al., PLOS Climate Open Access 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000412
Promoting transdisciplinary collaboration in academia: uniting for climate-resilient health, Qamar et al., Frontiers in Climate Open Access pdf 10.3389/fclim.2024.1304643
Uniformly elevated future heat stress in China driven by spatially heterogeneous water vapor changes, Wang et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-024-48895-w
Other
Increasing frequency and lengthening season of western disturbances are linked to increasing strength and delayed northward migration of the subtropical jet, Hunt, Open Access pdf 10.5194/egusphere-2023-1778
Informed opinion, nudges & major initiatives
‘Mind the Gap’—reforestation needs vs. reforestation capacity in the western United States, Dobrowski et al., Frontiers in Forests and Global Change Open Access pdf 10.3389/ffgc.2024.1402124
Book reviews
Calum Nicholson and Benoit Mayer (eds). Climate migration: critical perspectives for law, policy, and research, Feldman, Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences 10.1007/s13412-024-00940-2
Jon J. Berger. Solving the climate crisis: frontline reports from the race to save earth, Stern et al., Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences 10.1007/s13412-024-00937-x
Articles/Reports from Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations Addressing Aspects of Climate Change
Extreme heat in disadvantaged communities, Bruzgul et al., ICF Climate Center
The authors use the latest climate projections to understand how people living in “communities that are marginalized and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment,” as defined by the Justice40 Initiative, could potentially be exposed to extreme heat in the coming decades. Because the risks of extreme heat are acute for human health and energy reliability, the analysis focuses on potential exposure to extreme heat levels that have impacts on those two areas.
Burning Ground: Tackling Climate Change and Conflict in South-central Somalia, Kheira Tarif, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
The author presents findings from two projects in Somalia that exemplify how climate action can be used as a platform for reducing violent conflict over natural resources; fostering cross-clan collaboration on climate-smart infrastructure and nature-based solutions; and forging or strengthening relationships between formal authorities and rural communities. The projects also highlighted challenges and associated trade-offs, including balancing the interests of humans and nature in project design, ensuring political sustainability of project outcomes and evaluating the long-term impacts of project activities. The report offers lessons for climate action and peacebuilding in Somalia and in other fragile and conflict-affected areas.
Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists, Calvo et al., Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
The conversion and loss of rangelands is done in silence and attracts little public attention. Pastoralist livelihoods and cultures around the world are under threat from shortsighted policies, weak governance, and economic incentives that undermine their production systems. Rangelands operate as complex social-ecological systems with critical values, processes, goods, and services. Pastoralism and extensive livestock production systems are deeply rooted in the rangelands and often the most effective means to protect, sustainably manage, and restore rangelands. Greater political attention and informed investments are urgently needed to safeguard and improve the health and productivity of the rangelands and their inhabitants.
GenCost 2023?24: Final report, Graham et al., CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator
GenCost is a leading economic report for business leaders and decision-makers planning reliable and affordable energy solutions to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The authors highlight wind power’s slower recovery from global inflationary pressures, resulting in upward revisions for both onshore and offshore wind costs over the next decade. Despite this, updated analysis reaffirms that renewables, including associated storage and transmission costs, remain the lowest cost, new build technology out to 2050. The inclusion of large-scale nuclear costs this year was prompted by increased stakeholder interest in nuclear technology following the updated cost estimates for SMRs in the 2023-24 consultation draft.
World Heart Report 2024, World Heart Federation
All countries and stakeholders must urgently work together to accelerate efforts to curb air pollution levels and implement policy and health interventions to protect people from its most harmful effects. These actions will be critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goals related to cutting non-communicable disease mortality, as well as having broader benefits in tackling the climate crisis. The Global South’s burden is exacerbated by gaps in air pollution monitoring, policy and health interventions, and heightened vulnerabilities to the climate crisis and its' environmental events – phenomena that both worsen and are worsened by air pollution.
Lessons from first deployment of Dynamic Line Ratings, AES
The authors share AES’ experience in selecting dynamic line ratings (DLR) and LineVision’s DLR solution as well as the planning for and the execution of deployment of 42 LineVision sensors across five AES transmission lines in Indiana and Ohio, each selected for their diverse characteristics and anticipated customer benefit. The authors summarize initial results from the DLR system and highlight insights from lessons learned and next steps. The purposes of sharing information through the case study are to (a) increase market understanding of the beneficial uses of DLR and (b) accelerate future deployment of the technology throughout the U.S. electrical grid.
Obtaining articles without journal subscriptions
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.
- Here's an excellent collection of tips and techniques for obtaining articles, legally.
- Unpaywall offers a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that automatically indicates when an article is freely accessible and provides immediate access without further trouble. Unpaywall is also unscammy, works well, is itself offered free to use. The organizers (a legitimate nonprofit) report about a 50% success rate
- The weekly New Research catch is checked against the Unpaywall database with accessible items being flagged. Especially for just-published articles this mechansim may fail. If you're interested in an article title and it is not listed here as "open access," be sure to check the link anyway.
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:
- Was an article deemed of sufficient merit by a team of journal editors and peer reviewers? The fact of journal RSS output assigns a "yes" to this automatically.
- Is an article relevant to the topic of anthropogenic climate change? Due to filter overlap with other publication topics of inquiry, of a typical week's 550 or so input articles about 1/4 of RSS output makes the cut.
A few journals offer public access to "preprint" versions of articles for which the review process is not yet complete. For some key journals this all the mention we'll see in RSS feeds, so we include such items in New Research. These are flagged as "preprint."
The section "Informed opinion, nudges & major initiatives" includes some items that are not scientific research per se but fall instead into the category of "perspectives," observations of implications of research findings, areas needing attention, etc.
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Journals covered
A list of journals we cover may be found here. We welcome pointers to omissions, new journals etc.
Previous edition
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