Arguments
Skeptical Science New Research for Week #9 2026
Posted on 26 February 2026 by Doug Bostrom, Marc Kodack
Open access notables
Relative Vulnerability of US National Parks to Cumulative and Transformational Climate Impacts, Michalak et al., Conservation Letters
National Parks are under threat from multiple interacting climatic changes, which have already triggered transformations in these protected landscapes. We conducted a multidimensional analysis of climate-change vulnerability for National Parks to identify which parks are most at risk of climate-change impacts and therefore in the greatest need of targeted climate-change vulnerability assessment and planning. We identified 174 (67%) parks as most exposed to one or more potentially transformative climate impacts including fire, drought, sea-level rise, and forest pests and diseases. Cumulative vulnerability across multiple dimensions was the highest for parks in the Midwest and eastern United States due to high physical exposures, the exacerbation of existing stressors, and high surrounding land-use intensity. Western parks exhibited lower cumulative vulnerability due to less intense land use and topography that may provide climatic refugia. However, western parks tended to be most exposed to multiple transformative impacts. These widespread, diverse threats highlight not only the need for coordinated evaluation of vulnerabilities from multiple perspectives, but also the need for park managers to evaluate and plan for potentially irreversible ecological changes to the landscapes and resources that parks are intended to preserve.
[At time of publication the US executive branch has acted to censor access to previously available information about climate change for park visitors.]
Increasing synchronicity of global extreme fire weather, Yin et al., Science Advances
Concurrent extreme fire weather creates favorable conditions for widespread large fires, which can complicate the coordination of fire suppression resources and degrade regional air quality. Here, we examine the patterns and trends of intra- and interregional synchronous fire weather (SFW) and explore their links to climate variability and air quality impacts. We find climatologically elevated intraregional SFW in boreal regions, as well as interregional synchronicity among northern temperate and boreal regions. Significant increases in SFW occurred during 1979 to 2024, with more than a twofold increase observed in most regions. We estimate that over half of the observed increase is attributable to anthropogenic climate change. Internal modes of climate variability strongly influence SFW in several regions, including Equatorial Asia, which experiences 43 additional intraregional SFW days during El Niño years. Furthermore, SFW is strongly correlated with regional fire-sourced PM2.5 in multiple regions globally. These findings highlight the growing challenges posed by SFW for firefighting coordination and human health.
Coastlines retreat tipping point under storm climate changes, Aparicio et al., Scientific Reports
Projected changes in ocean–atmosphere coupling under global warming suggest an intensification of storm climates, which, combined with sea-level rise, poses profound challenges to the resilience of sandy shorelines. Therefore, the definition of relevant indicators assessing beach response regimes to wave climate is crucial for future forecasts Here, we analyze 23 years of satellite-derived shoreline positions together with offshore wave data to quantify storm-induced erosion and post-storm recovery tendencies at synoptic scales. Our approach integrates statistically robust storm composites, compared against in situ observations from six sites worldwide, and demonstrates that daily storm-induced shoreline dynamics can be inferred from monthly global shoreline datasets. By extending the analysis using 60-year of wave reanalysis, we identify a critical threshold beyond which shoreline evolution shifts from a seasonal to a storm-dominated regime, leading to persistent erosion trajectories. Since the late 1950s, the proportion of storm-dominated beaches has increased by 2% globally, with pronounced hot-spots emerging. While local beach morphology remain essential to fully resolve coastal dynamics, our findings reveal coherent large-scale tendencies that complement site-specific surveys and provide a global framework to guide targeted field efforts. These results highlight the pivotal role of storm regime shifts in shaping the future evolution of sandy shorelines.
Deliberate destabilization on trial: Fair-process lessons from the Czech Coal Commission, ?ernoch et al., Energy Research & Social Science
Expert commissions have become pivotal in coal-phase-out governance, yet their capacity to unsettle incumbent coal regimes remains contested: do they genuinely shift entrenched power relations or merely create an illusion of participatory legitimacy? Drawing on energy-justice and transition studies, this article approaches the issue from the perspective of procedural justice and assumes this tenet of justice is crucial in shaping the outcome of an institutionally induced destabilization. We develop a four-part framework of procedural justice – member selection, stakeholder balance, deliberative conditions, and public transparency – and apply this framework to the Czech Coal Commission (2019–2021), which was established as an expert body tasked with establishing the coal phase-out schedule. Our results show that the Czech Coal Commission was blatantly procedurally unjust. Discretionary appointments, industry-leaning membership, and compressed timelines that circumscribed substantive deliberation ultimately enabled coal incumbents to retain power over the outcome. This case underscores that rigorous procedural design is a necessary precondition for commissions to function as effective agents of destabilization within fossil-fuel regimes, and that design choices must be addressed if similar bodies are to support credible and socially legitimate coal exits.
From this week's government/NGO section:
Nearly half of Americans think they'll see catastrophic impacts of climate change in their lifetimes, Alexander Rossell Hayes, Economist/YouGov
A majority (59%) of Americans believe that the world's climate is changing as a result of human activity. A further 22% say the climate is changing but not because of human activity. Only 6% say the climate is not changing Nearly half (45%) of Americans think they will see catastrophic impacts of climate change in their lifetimes. About one-third (31%) do not think they will see catastrophic effects, with the remaining 24% not sure A majority (57%) of Americans say the U.S. should do more to address climate change. Only 16% say that the U.S. should do less Most Democrats (90%) and a majority (58%) of Independents say the U.S. should do more to address climate change. Republicans are more divided: 25% say the U.S. should do more, 29% say it should not change what it's doing, and 33% say it should do less Younger adults are more likely than older Americans to say the U.S. should do more to address climate change.
Global Warming’s Six Americas, Fall 2025, Leiserowitz et al., Yale University and George Mason University
In 2009, the authors identified Global Warming’s Six Americas – the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive – six distinct audiences within the American public. The Fall 2025 Climate Change in the American Mind survey finds that 25% of Americans are Alarmed and that the Alarmed outnumber the Dismissive (11%) by a ratio of more than 2 to 1. Further, when the Alarmed and Concerned are grouped together, about half of Americans (52%) fall into one of these audiences. Overall, Americans are more than twice as likely to be Alarmed or Concerned than they are Doubtful or Dismissive (24%).
99 articles in 56 journals by 670 contributing authors
Physical science of climate change, effects
Coastlines retreat tipping point under storm climate changes, Aparicio et al., Scientific Reports Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41598-026-40886-9
Ecological Feedbacks in the Earth System, Donges et al., Earth System Dynamics Open Access pdf 10.5194/esd-12-1115-2021
The Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) Plays a Nonnegligible Role in the Arctic Lower-Stratospheric Temperature Change, Li et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0185.1
The role of atmospheric circulation changes in Western European warm season heat extremes, Noest et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics Open Access 10.5194/wcd-7-439-2026
Upper-ocean stratification changes control ENSO amplitude shift under sustained global warming, Zhang et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-026-69931-x
Observations of climate change, effects
Deep Learning Identifies the Climate Warming Signal in Global Ocean Chlorophyll From Satellite Records, Lin et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2025gl120669
Global warming drives an increase in pre-monsoon tropical cyclone activity over the North Indian Ocean, Shan et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-026-69818-x
Heat and Cold Waves in Brazil: An ERA5-Based Analysis of Trends and Seasonality (1980–2024), Silva & Sheridan, International Journal of Climatology Open Access 10.1002/joc.70294
Increasing synchronicity of global extreme fire weather, Yin et al., Science Advances Open Access 10.1126/sciadv.adx8813
Long-Term Trends of Heat Stress Over the Coastal Regions of India, Rohini et al., International Journal of Climatology 10.1002/joc.70307
More than a century of oceanic hydrography observations reveals profound climate-related changes in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean and its Arctic Gateways, Coyne et al., Earth System Science Data Open Access 10.5194/essd-18-1463-2026
Scenario of global climate change in the Stratosphere-Mesosphere-Thermosphere-Ionosphere system, Lastovicka et al., PLOS Climate Open Access 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000836
Temporal and Spatial Changes of Extreme Climate Events in Mongolia During 1961–2023, Liu et al., International Journal of Climatology 10.1002/joc.70305
Instrumentation & observational methods of climate change, effects
A Climatology of Gridded Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature for the Southeastern United States, Thompson & Brown, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 10.1175/jamc-d-25-0125.1
A decade of sea ice concentration retrieved from sentinel-1, Wulf et al., Remote Sensing of Environment Open Access 10.1016/j.rse.2026.115252
More than a century of oceanic hydrography observations reveals profound climate-related changes in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean and its Arctic Gateways, Coyne et al., Earth System Science Data Open Access 10.5194/essd-18-1463-2026
Modeling, simulation & projection of climate change, effects
Assessing the Changes in Indian Summer Monsoon in Warm Climates: Mid-Pliocene and Future Projection by the End of 21st Century, Dahiya et al., International Journal of Climatology 10.1002/joc.70290
Changes in MJO Teleconnections in the Southeast U.S. Under Global Warming in the CESM2 Large Ensemble, Cui & Maloney, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2025gl119926
Future Impacts of Climate Change on Global Fire Weather: Insight from Weighted CMIP6 Multimodel Ensembles, Gallo et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-24-0540.1
How Frequent Will the Rarest Daily Rainfall Records of Hurricane Ida’s Remnants Be in the Future?, Dollan et al., Journal of Hydrometeorology 10.1175/jhm-d-25-0088.1
No “Wet Gets Wetter” in Kilometer-Scale Mock-Walker Circulations, Sokol et al., AGU Advances Open Access pdf 10.1029/2025av002040
User-Relevant Climate Indices and Associated Uncertainties From Transient Convection-Permitting Climate Model Projections, Pinto et al., International Journal of Climatology Open Access 10.1002/joc.70304
Advancement of climate & climate effects modeling, simulation & projection
Attributing improved diurnal temperature range simulations in CMIP6 to enhanced forcing responses, Sun et al., Atmospheric Research 10.1016/j.atmosres.2026.108888
CMIP6 climate model spread outweighs glacier model spread in 21st-century drought buffering projections, Ultee et al., The Cryosphere Open Access 10.5194/tc-20-1339-2026
Evaluation of model performance in simulating extreme precipitation indices over eastern China: A comparison of CORDEX and NEX-GDDP models, Yu et al., Atmospheric Research 10.1016/j.atmosres.2026.108760
Cryosphere & climate change
Basal Melting Variability of the Ross Ice Shelf From Mixing Ratios of Simulated Water Masses (1993–2018) and Potential Climatic Drivers, Pochini et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans Open Access 10.1029/2025jc023103
Long-Term Snow Avalanche Trends in High Mountain Asia: Climatic Drivers and Impacts, Caiserman et al., Earth's Future Open Access pdf 10.1029/2025ef006503
Seven-decade of mass balance change in selected large Himalayan and Karakoram glaciers: Climatic drivers and regional contrasts, Hussain et al., Global and Planetary Change 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105361
The impact of 75 years of climate change on Mediterranean glacier mass balance, Wang et al., Global and Planetary Change Open Access 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105370
Biology & climate change, related geochemistry
Abrupt permafrost thaw linked to diatom proliferation in a Tibetan thermokarst lake, He et al., Global and Planetary Change 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105394
Accelerated north–east shift of the global green wave trajectory, Mahecha et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open Access 10.1073/pnas.2515835123
eBird Data Highlight Shifts in Wetland Resources Structuring Waterfowl and Shorebird Abundance, Donnelly et al., Ecology and Evolution Open Access pdf 10.1002/ece3.73061
Ecological Feedbacks in the Earth System, Donges et al., Earth System Dynamics Open Access pdf 10.5194/esd-12-1115-2021
Experimental evaluation of marine fogging as a coral bleaching intervention method, Hendrickson et al., Marine Environmental Research Open Access 10.1016/j.marenvres.2026.107943
Geographically-dependent coastal marine heatwaves: Insights from coastal seas around a semi-enclosed bay, Hu et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2025.09.012
Hungary's Current Climate Conditions Converge With the North-Mediterranean of the 1980s: A Case Study in Mediterranean Ant Species New to Hungary, Cs?sz et al., Ecology and Evolution Open Access pdf 10.1002/ece3.73096
Impact of climate change-induced temperature and salinity fluctuations on mussel byssus production and attachment strength, Shen et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2026.107936
Marine heatwaves shift intertidal marine communities in the SW Atlantic, Mazzuco et al., PeerJ Open Access 10.7717/peerj.20858
Persistence of coral reef structures into the twenty-first century, Cornwall et al., Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 10.1038/s43017-026-00764-4
Rising atmospheric CO2 reduces nitrogen availability in boreal forests, Bassett et al., Nature Open Access 10.1038/s41586-025-10039-5
Seasonal bias and overlooked climate impacts in mangrove ichthyoplankton research: emerging threats and knowledge gaps, Vieira Arruda Júnior et al., Marine Environmental Research Open Access 10.1016/j.marenvres.2026.107946
Spatial Heterogeneity in Phytoplankton Responses to Marine Heatwaves in the Northeast Subarctic Pacific, Kong & Tortell, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans Open Access pdf 10.1029/2025jc022864
Species-Specific Responses to Multiple Climatic Variables Predict Diverging Locations of Future Climate Change Refugia, Rose et al., Diversity and Distributions Open Access pdf 10.1111/ddi.70158
Uniting Range and Phenological Shifts to Better Understand Effects of Climate Change on Communities, Hale & DeMarche, Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.70764
GHG sources & sinks, flux, related geochemistry
A gridded (0.1° × 0.1°) methane emission dataset for India for 2023 to redefine global climate studies, Mishra et al., Earth System Science Data Open Access pdf 10.5194/essd-18-1367-2026
Application of CH4 monitoring technology based on UAV platform in Shengli Oilfield, He et al., Frontiers in Environmental Science Open Access pdf 10.3389/fenvs.2026.1746916
Carbon storage in coastal reed ecosystems, Williamson et al., Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-23-1327-2026
Decreases in South Pacific and South Atlantic sea-air CO2 fluxes caused by extreme precipitation, Li et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-026-69847-6
Dominance of large trees in carbon storage of Peruvian Amazon forest, Lozano et al., Frontiers in Forests and Global Change Open Access pdf 10.3389/ffgc.2025.1711078
Long-term effects of drainage and rewetting on the degradation and preservation of peat organic matter in sub-tropical climate, Sapir et al., Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-23-1403-2026
Mild Decade-Warming Shifts Soil Organic Carbon Composition Without Altering Total Stock in Temperate and Subtropical Forests, Yang et al., Ecology Letters 10.1111/ele.70339
Plant diversity’s positive effect on soil respiration diminishes with increasing productivity in global forests, Laffitte et al., Nature Communications Open Access 10.1038/s41467-026-69594-8
Synthesis of data products for ocean carbonate chemistry, Jiang et al., Earth System Science Data Open Access pdf 10.5194/essd-18-1405-2026
Warm and wet spring compensated for the reduction in carbon sinks due to an extreme summer heatwave-drought event in 2022 in southern China, Zhang et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111060
CO2 capture, sequestration science & engineering
A multi-criteria framework for prioritizing performance indicators for carbon capture technologies: a hybrid Fermatean fuzzy decision support approach, Al-kuwari et al., Environmental Systems Research Open Access 10.1186/s40068-026-00460-8
Downdraft Devices for Negative Emissions—Quantification Study and Environmental Implication, Yao et al., Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology Open Access 10.1002/ghg.2392
Uncertainties of enhanced rock weathering for climate-change mitigation, Schiedung et al., Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 10.1038/s43017-026-00761-7
Decarbonization
Climate Implications of Hydrogen Deployment Considering Changes in Emissions From Direct and Indirect Forcers, O’Rourke et al., Earth's Future Open Access pdf 10.1029/2025ef007025
Empirical estimates of installed capacity density for solar photovoltaic and onshore and offshore wind power plants, Covey et al., Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability Open Access 10.1088/2634-4505/ae437f
How much travel is enough? Minimum levels for sustainable mobility: A systematic literature review, Peeters et al., Energy Research & Social Science 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104580
Leveraging Wind Energy for Electricity and Hydrogen Production: A Sustainable Solution to Power Shortages and Eco-Friendly Alternative Fuel, Elnaggar et al., Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research Open Access 10.1002/aesr.202500049
Modelling UK air quality implications of decarbonisation using hydrogen, Brighty et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115179
Solution-processed electrochromics for synergistic solar and radiative heat management, Xie et al., Nature Sustainability 10.1038/s41893-026-01774-2
Strategies for synergistic reduction of plastic leakage and greenhouse gas emissions in China, Bai et al., Nature Communications Open Access 10.1038/s41467-026-69893-0
Toward traceable global systems for end-of-life photovoltaic waste, Huang & Long, Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-026-69171-z
Climate change communications & cognition
Are Numbers Necessary to Identify Low-Emission Lifestyles? An Experimental Study on Heuristics and Carbon Competence., Merten et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology Open Access 10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102948
Educational systems as drivers of social change for climate adaptation: evidence from Southeast Europe, Naydenov & Atanasova, Frontiers in Climate Open Access 10.3389/fclim.2026.1763521
How do moral values relate to climate change attitudes? An analysis of language use on X (formerly Twitter) and Weibo, Song et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102736
What determines One's information seeking intention: Integrating information seeking theories in the context of climate change with Korean sample, Jang & Kim, Journal of Environmental Psychology 10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102941
Agronomy, animal husbundry, food production & climate change
Effect of future climate change and adjusting the sowing date on wheat production in the North China plain, Zhao & Xiao, Theoretical and Applied Climatology 10.1007/s00704-026-06088-z
Framing agricultural climate risks for policy action: insights from impact chain assessments in five European regions, Ihrfors et al., Frontiers in Climate Open Access 10.3389/fclim.2026.1717714
Greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from duckweed cultivation systems using diluted liquid manure, Stadtlander et al., Scientific Reports Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41598-026-39270-4
Multiple global change factors amplify nitrogen loss and croplands are at the highest risk, Ding et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-026-03316-2
Hydrology, hydrometeorology & climate change
A capability-based assessment of flood impacts: Towards more human-centred climate policy, Some et al., Climate Risk Management Open Access 10.1016/j.crm.2026.100802
CMIP6 climate model spread outweighs glacier model spread in 21st-century drought buffering projections, Ultee et al., The Cryosphere Open Access 10.5194/tc-20-1339-2026
How Frequent Will the Rarest Daily Rainfall Records of Hurricane Ida’s Remnants Be in the Future?, Dollan et al., Journal of Hydrometeorology 10.1175/jhm-d-25-0088.1
River temperature response to atmospheric heatwaves is modulated by discharge and meltwater, van Hamel et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access 10.1038/s43247-026-03269-6
Seasonal variations and trends of very wet days in Iran, Kianjam et al., Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans Open Access 10.1016/j.dynatmoce.2026.101644
Climate change economics
AI in Carbon Sink Trading: Using Attack Trees to Assess Low- to Medium-Risk Scenarios, Zhu et al., Risk Analysis Open Access pdf 10.1111/risa.70209
Climate-related risks and resilience of conventional banks: the role of sustainable development, Hakimi et al., Frontiers in Climate Open Access 10.3389/fclim.2026.1693243
Emergence of Antarctic mineral resources in a warming world, Lucas et al., Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-026-02569-1
Stranded futures? Quantifying the asset risks of industrial decarbonisation in developed economies, AbdulRafiu, Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104621
Climate change mitigation public policy research
A new European energy policy paradigm revealed by changes in hydrogen strategies, Kneebone et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115159
Coniferous vs. deciduous: why it is important to optimize the reforestation in Russia to save forests and preserve more carbon?, Shvarts et al., Frontiers in Forests and Global Change Open Access pdf 10.3389/ffgc.2026.1763500
Deliberate destabilization on trial: Fair-process lessons from the Czech Coal Commission, ?ernoch et al., Energy Research & Social Science Open Access 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104573
Evaluating readiness for hydrogen in the United States aviation industry from a policy lens, Beutler-Greene et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115188
Navigating climate change in carbon negative Bhutan: Insights from policy influencers and comparison to the wider Himalayan region, Dorji et al., Journal of Mountain Science Open Access pdf 10.1007/s11629-025-9752-7
Systemic acceleration capacity in net-zero transitions: electrifying transportation in California, Goedeking & Rogge, Environmental Politics Open Access 10.1080/09644016.2026.2616990
Climate change adaptation & adaptation public policy research
Crumbling cliffs and intergenerational cohesivity: a new climate praxis model for engaged community action on accelerated coastal change, Parsons et al., Geoscience Communication Open Access pdf 10.5194/gc-8-213-2025
Educational systems as drivers of social change for climate adaptation: evidence from Southeast Europe, Naydenov & Atanasova, Frontiers in Climate Open Access 10.3389/fclim.2026.1763521
Relative Vulnerability of US National Parks to Cumulative and Transformational Climate Impacts, Michalak et al., Conservation Letters Open Access pdf 10.1111/con4.70020
Rising Air-Conditioning Use Intensifies Global Warming, Zhang et al., Nature Communications Open Access 10.1038/s41467-026-69393-1
Unpacking the role of climate variability on displacement in the Greater Horn of Africa, Villa et al., PLOS Climate Open Access 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000594
Climate change impacts on human health
A pathways framework for the climate change-mental health-violence nexus in informal settlements, Winter, Urban Climate 10.1016/j.uclim.2026.102844
Escalating labor risks from sequential extreme precipitation–heatwave events in China under a warming future, Ju et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2026.01.006
Heat exposure and agricultural workers' health: A global systematic review with implications for Peri-urban and semi-urban Southeast Asia, Tran et al., Urban Climate Open Access 10.1016/j.uclim.2026.102811
Long-Term Trends of Heat Stress Over the Coastal Regions of India, Rohini et al., International Journal of Climatology 10.1002/joc.70307
Prevalence and factors associated with the adoption of heat-adaptive behaviors among residents of a French southern region, Guillon & Bourret Soto, Journal of Environmental Psychology Open Access 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102883
Projecting and valuing climate change impacts on anxiety and depression in the contiguous USA: a damage function approach, Belova et al., The Lancet Planetary Health Open Access 10.1016/j.lanplh.2025.101426
Thermal environment simulation and risk assessment in urban commercial areas under extreme high temperatures, Chen et al., Urban Climate 10.1016/j.uclim.2026.102826
Informed opinion, nudges & major initiatives
Brazil endangers global climate and health, Machado et al., Science 10.1126/science.aee6316
Defunding Chile’s climate research will undermine science and the region, Poveda et al., Nature 10.1038/d41586-026-00592-y
EU leaders should not rush to revamp green-hydrogen rules, , Nature 10.1038/d41586-026-00560-6
The hard road back from overshoot, Palmer, Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-026-02573-5
Why China and Europe should collaborate to ‘defossilize’ the world’s carbon, , Nature Open Access pdf 10.1038/d41586-026-00383-5
Articles/Reports from Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations Addressing Aspects of Climate Change
Nearly half of Americans think they'll see catastrophic impacts of climate change in their lifetimes, Alexander Rossell Hayes, Economist/YouGov
A majority (59%) of Americans believe that the world's climate is changing as a result of human activity. A further 22% say the climate is changing but not because of human activity. Only 6% say the climate is not changing Nearly half (45%) of Americans think they will see catastrophic impacts of climate change in their lifetimes. About one-third (31%) do not think they will see catastrophic effects, with the remaining 24% not sure A majority (57%) of Americans say the U.S. should do more to address climate change. Only 16% say that the U.S. should do less Most Democrats (90%) and a majority (58%) of Independents say the U.S. should do more to address climate change. Republicans are more divided: 25% say the U.S. should do more, 29% say it should not change what it's doing, and 33% say it should do less Younger adults are more likely than older Americans to say the U.S. should do more to address climate change.
A Review of Media Coverage of Climate Change and Global Warming in 2025, Media and Climate Change Observatory, University of Colorado Boulder in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education
In 2025, our Media and Climate Change Observatory (MeCCO) has detected that climate-related issues, events, and developments garnered less frequent coverage through intersecting political, economic, scientific, cultural as well as ecological and meteorological themes than in recent years. Across the globe, coverage has diminished 14% in 2025 from the previous year 2024 and is 38% lower than the highest year of coverage in 2021. In fact, 2025 coverage ranks just 10th in the past 22 years the MeCCO team has tracked coverage of climate change or global warming across the global news sources. When comparing the months of 2025 with the same months of previous years, a general decrease is observed compared to 2024 in all regions. This decrease is greater in the press of Africa, the Middle East, the North America, and Europe. And it is less pronounced in the press of Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. Unlike in previous years, in 2025 no record was broken in the volume of articles referencing “climate change” or “global warming” per month in any region. Only in January 2025 did Asian newspapers break the record compared to the January of previous years. The drop in December is noteworthy, with the volume of coverage in Europe and the North America reaching levels not seen since August 2016 and February 2018, respectively.
Global Warming’s Six Americas, Fall 2025, Leiserowitz et al., Yale University and George Mason University
In 2009, the authors identified Global Warming’s Six Americas – the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive – six distinct audiences within the American public. The Fall 2025 Climate Change in the American Mind survey finds that 25% of Americans are Alarmed and that the Alarmed outnumber the Dismissive (11%) by a ratio of more than 2 to 1. Further, when the Alarmed and Concerned are grouped together, about half of Americans (52%) fall into one of these audiences. Overall, Americans are more than twice as likely to be Alarmed or Concerned than they are Doubtful or Dismissive (24%).
Measuring and Maintaining Carbon Markets in Canada, Tim Weis and Ian Sanderson, Pembina Institute
The authors provide input on Environment and Climate Change Canada’s discussion paper, Driving Effective Carbon Markets in Canada. They view industrial pricing as one of the most effective, market-based mechanisms for reducing emissions while preserving competitiveness, leading to achieving Canada’s goal of climate competitiveness. Increase stringency using market tests: The federal benchmark should require systems to meet clear outcome-based tests — such as maintaining an effective compliance price of at least 75% of the headline price and ensuring sustained net demand for credits — to prevent oversupply and preserve a credible price signal. Clarify enforcement and backstop triggers: Establish independent, automatic criteria — based on annual price and demand tests — to identify failing systems and trigger timely corrective action or implementation of the federal backstop. Protect the carbon price signal: Exclude mechanisms such as Emissions Reduction Accounts that weaken credit demand and risk double counting. Expand and harmonize coverage: Pricing systems should apply consistently across provinces and include smaller facilities — especially in oil and gas — where emissions coverage gains outweigh administrative costs.
Compass Project: Guiding minds and inspiring action in climate change education, Climate Cares Centre, Imperial College London and the University of Oxford
There is an urgent need to support young people to navigate diverse climate change related emotions and experiences, and to build and sustain strong mental health and purpose in an uncertain world. Young people also need opportunities to imagine the future they want to be a part of, and see their role in creating it. In this report, the authors explore how this can be achieved through integrating emotional resilience into climate change education. Emotional resilience includes the social and emotional skills that can promote wellbeing, help prevent mental health challenges from developing, and improve academic attainment. In the context of climate change, this can look like creating space to learn about and process climate-related emotions, or supporting young people to build agency for climate action.
Decarbonizing the Peak: A Roadmap for Retiring and Replacing Massachusetts’ Fossil Fuel Peaker Plants by 2050, Bejjani et al., Massachusetts Clean Peak Coalition
Massachusetts has committed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, a goal that requires retiring the state’s fossil fuel peaker power plants and replacing them with clean, reliable alternatives. The authors show that net-zero technologies can meet the state’s peak electricity demand by 2050 while maintaining reliability and containing costs. The authors found that full peak decarbonization is feasible, reliable, and cost-effective, even as electrification drives a shift to higher, longer, winter-peaking demand. A least-cost portfolio of clean resources combines demand-side measures, energy storage, and wind generation to meet 2050 peak demand. When climate and public health benefits are accounted for, this clean portfolio is less costly than continued reliance on gas peaker plants or combustion-based alternatives, such as hydrogen or renewable natural gas.
PJM’s Reliability Backstop Auction: considerations and risks, Aurora Energy Research
The authors examine the proposed structure of the Reliability Backstop Auction (RBA) to assess its ability to address the fundamental drivers of PJM’s supply-demand imbalance; the likelihood of the RBA to move from a one-time intervention to a model for (all) future capacity additions; the outlook for closing the supply-demand imbalance with existing proposals; and risks – particularly higher costs – associated with a potential transition to a capacity auction format that is bifurcated between new and existing generation. The authors found that the RBA as designed will not procure the amount of capacity required by 2030 – up to 24 GW, based on PJM’s load forecast – and is thus likely to set the stage for further intervention. If the RBA evolves into a more permanently bifurcated auction between new and existing capacity, deliberate market design choices are required to avoid unintended higher costs for consumers.
Colorado Climate Damages & Adaptation Costs, Pegah Jalali, Colorado Fiscal Institute
The author highlights projected climate-related damages and resilience needs from 2025 to 2050. It is intended for policymakers, community leaders, and reporters who need a clear, comparable set of numbers to understand the scale of the challenge. Results are shown under two global emissions pathways that bracket plausible futures: a medium-high pathway (SSP3-7.0) and a high-end emissions pathway (SSP5-8.5). Across the impacts that the author quantified, total projected costs from 2025 to 2050 are on the order of $50 billion to $54 billion, of which $36 billion to $37 billion represents additional costs directly attributable to climate change, plus defined resilience investments.
Q1 Data Center Outlook, Julia Attwood and Olivia Wang, Sightline Climate
110 data center projects were slated to come online last year, but 26% of them are delayed, and 10% quietly shifted their Commercial Operation Date (COD) back as power, permitting, and construction constraints dampened some ambitious timelines. At least 16GW of data center capacity is slated to come online this year across 140 projects. 53% will be grid-connected, 3% will be powered solely by on-site power, and 25% have not disclosed their powering strategies. The authors expect 30-50% of these projects to be delayed. Only 5GW is currently in construction. Google?s $4.7bn acquisition of Intersect Power?s 10.8GW pipeline and Amazon?s $83m purchase of 1.2GW of solar and storage show hyperscalers are now willing to get directly involved with power project development if it lets them bring more capacity online sooner. Developers like Aligned and CyrusOne are deploying battery energy storage system (BESS) to advance CODs by years. Grid operators in Ireland are requiring matching backup capacity for new data centers. Massive backup power systems are becoming table stakes for data centers. We expect hundreds of MWs of BESS to be contracted over the next year.
Housing Policy That Solves Climate Change, Ramel et al., Climate Cabinet Education
Americans are facing three overlapping threats: the climate crisis, an affordability crisis, and a housing crisis. State legislators are simultaneously on the front lines of all three, caught between federal policy repeals and a looming economic downturn, but still responsible for improving their constituents’ way of life and cutting emissions. Moving past charged housing debates, the authors offer 16 actionable policy solutions available to state legislators today that make housing more affordable, available, and climate-smart.
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