Nature Climate Change
Moving beyond projects to achieve transformative adaptation
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 03 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02414-x
Projects are not delivering the transformative change needed for climate change adaptation. This failure is due in part to the delivery of adaptation as projects, but there are viable alternatives that can better address the underlying and structural causes of vulnerability.Unexpected decline in the ocean carbon sink under record-high sea surface temperatures in 2023
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 02 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02380-4
The ocean carbon sink strengthened in previous warm El Niño years due to reduced CO2 outgassing in the tropics. Here the authors show that the ocean carbon sink declined in 2023 despite record-high sea surface temperatures (SSTs), primarily due to SST-driven outgassing of CO2 in the subtropics.The vulnerability of women and children in West Africa
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 01 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02415-w
The vulnerability of women and children in West AfricaImproving the IPCC–UNFCCC relationship for effective provision of policy-relevant science
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 28 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02412-z
IPCC assessments are of limited use to the UNFCCC policy process due to misalignment and lack of relevance, with the situation further exacerbated by the UNFCCC’s weak scientific uptake mechanisms. The interface between the IPCC and the UNFCCC urgently needs to be reformed to facilitate a more effective science–policy connection.Current and future methane emissions from boreal-Arctic wetlands and lakes
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 28 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02413-y
How much methane will be emitted from the boreal-Arctic region under climate change is not well constrained. Here the authors show that accounting for distinct wetland and lake classes leads to lower estimates of current methane loss as some classes emit low amounts of methane.Tropical deforestation is associated with considerable heat-related mortality
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 27 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02411-0
The authors assess the impacts of tropical deforestation and its subsequent local warming on human heat-related mortality. They estimate that deforestation-related warming (+0.27 °C) is associated with approximately 28,000 heat-related deaths per year.Hotter world speeds up ageing
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 25 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02395-x
Many of us have experienced heatwaves and survived unscathed — or so we thought. Research now shows that exposure to heatwaves affects the rate at which we age.Long-term impacts of heatwaves on accelerated ageing
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 25 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02407-w
Ageing is linked to environmental factors. This study shows that although participants gradually adapted to heat over time, cumulative exposure to heatwaves had stable and adverse impacts on ageing, especially among manual workers, rural residents and those with limited air conditioning.The public’s views on climate policies in seven large global south countries
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 22 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02389-9
Climate surveys are common in the global north but remain limited in the global south. Through a large-scale survey in seven global south countries, this study examines public climate knowledge and identifies their most trusted information sources and preferred climate policies.Variations in climate change belief systems across 110 geographic areas
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 20 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02410-1
Climate beliefs do not exist in isolation but form an interconnected network known as a belief system. This study analyses the density and inconsistency of belief systems and their associations with informational and socioeconomic factors to inform effective climate change communication strategies.Plant nutrient acquisition under elevated CO<sub>2</sub> and implications for the land carbon sink
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 18 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02386-y
Elevated atmospheric CO2 has stimulated plant growth, yet the future land carbon sink may be constrained in part by nutrient availability. Here the authors review plant nutrient acquisition strategies and the need for better representation in models to improve predictions of land carbon uptake.Genetic diversity must be explicitly recognized in ecological restoration
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 15 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02405-y
Genetic diversity must be explicitly recognized in ecological restorationClosing the flood insurance protection gap
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 15 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02385-z
Climate change is increasing financial impacts for households, yet flood insurance coverage remains insufficient. Now research affirms that there are still opportunities to substantially close the protection gap, in particular for disadvantaged groups.Measuring flood underinsurance in the USA
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 15 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02396-w
Homeowners could benefit from flood insurance to offset the negative impacts of climate-induced natural disasters. However, with detailed micro-level data, researchers find substantial protection gaps and underinsurance across the USA that disproportionately affect low-income households.Publisher Correction: Consequential differences in satellite-era sea surface temperature trends across datasets
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 14 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02422-x
Publisher Correction: Consequential differences in satellite-era sea surface temperature trends across datasetsStreetscapes and heat tolerance
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 14 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02416-9
During hot weather, dense urban areas are often not conducive to outdoor recreation. However, pedestrian tolerance to heat can be increased by almost 2 °C through more climate-sensitive streetscape design.Transition risk in the banking sector
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 08 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02400-3
Estimating transition risk is important for the banking sector, yet current practices still rely on conceptual scenarios. Now, a study provides a concrete approach to help regulators calculate the immediate risk that banks face from exposure to climate policy shocks.Navigating energy transition solutions for climate targets with minerals constraint
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 07 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02373-3
The decarbonization of energy systems requires access to minerals that are critical for manufacturing low-carbon technologies. Here researchers show that meeting climate targets could be impeded by material shortages, revealing the importance of diverse solutions that balance mitigation, equity and resource constraints.Structural limitations of the decarbonization state
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 07 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02394-y
The implementation gap between national climate targets and actual policies has been seen as a main barrier for decarbonization. Here researchers show it is rooted in the structural limitation of states and discuss future research directions to promote the emergence of transformative states.Neural traits of pro-environmental behaviour
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 05 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02403-0
Neural traits of pro-environmental behaviour