Nature Climate Change
Nature Climate Change is a monthly journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research papers that describe the most significant and cutting-edge research on the causes, impacts and wider implications of global climate change. The journal publishes climate research across the physical, biological and social sciences and strives to integrate and communicate interdisciplinary research. The journal aims to play a leading role in: providing accessibility to a broad audience to research published both within and outside the journal; raising the visibility of climate change research in related research communities as well as the mainstream media; and offering a forum for discussion of the challenges faced by researchers and policy makers (and other interested parties) in understanding the complex mechanisms and impacts associated with the Earth’s changing climate.
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The carbon hoofprint of cities is shaped by geography and production in the livestock supply chain
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 20 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02450-7
Meat products represent a large share of the carbon footprints of cities, which are dependent on the characteristics of supply regions. With spatially explicit data, researchers show how the so-called carbon hoofprint varies between cities due to the different carbon intensities of producing regions.Identifying critical intervention points for the prevention of cascading climate impacts
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 20 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02456-1
Bridging traditional disciplinary silos, a study has mapped cascading climate risks to the European Union through stakeholder-co-produced impact chains and network analysis. It provides country-specific risk profiles by identifying critical intervention points — such as water, livelihoods or violent conflict — to support policy coherence in addressing interconnected vulnerabilities and guiding targeted adaptation.Abrupt thaw alters phosphorus cycling in alpine tundra
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02466-z
The impacts of permafrost thaw are widespread across tundra landscapes. Now, research across a series of thermokarst landscapes on the Tibetan Plateau shows that abrupt permafrost thaw increases plant-available phosphorus, alters the vegetation community and tips the balance of belowground nutrient competition.Accelerated soil phosphorus cycling upon abrupt permafrost thaw
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02445-4
The response of the phosphorus (P) cycle to permafrost thaw is unknown, but has implications for carbon dynamics. This study assesses changes in the P cycle upon abrupt thaw and shows accelerated soil P cycling and increased plant uptake, which may boost primary production and partially offset soil carbon loss.Southern Ocean freshening stalls deep ocean CO<sub>2</sub> release in a changing climate
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02446-3
The Southern Ocean carbon sink is predicted to decline under climate change. This study explores why this is yet to be seen in observations, finding that recent surface freshening increases stratification and traps the CO2-rich water in the subsurface layer, which prevents atmospheric outgassing.Damage development on Antarctic ice shelves sensitive to climate warming
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02453-4
Damages such as crevasses or cracks can be early indicators of ice shelf weakening. Here, the authors quantify changes in damage structures in Antarctic ice sheets, which show sensitivity to warmingCritical intervention points for European adaptation to cascading climate change impacts
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 16 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02455-2
Impacts from a climate event can cascade through natural, anthropogenic and socio-economic systems. Here the authors assess cascading climate impacts on the EU and identify intervention points for adaptation related to water, livelihoods, agriculture, infrastructure and economy, and violent conflict.Towards an open model intercomparison platform for integrated assessment models scenarios
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 16 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02462-3
Scenarios, generated by integrated assessment models in model intercomparison projects (MIPs), play a central role in climate decision-making. This Perspective discusses the challenges of the current approach and proposes a new MIP platform with a transparent and inclusive process.Mountain glaciers will lose their cooling capacity as they shrink
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 15 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02448-1
Glacier microclimates can decouple glacier temperatures from ongoing climatic warming, slowing down melting. However, these microclimates will decay as glaciers retreat. A statistical model indicates that by the latter half of the twenty-first century, the temperature of glaciers will be increasingly sensitive to fluctuations in atmospheric temperature.Generative AI can influence climate beliefs and actions
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02438-3
The rise of generative AI presents both risks and opportunities for shaping climate discourse. New findings suggest it can help lower climate scepticism and bolster support for climate action.Using generative AI to increase sceptics’ engagement with climate science
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02424-9
Climate sceptics tend to avoid climate information, making it even harder to reduce scepticism. This study shows that generative AI can enhance sceptics’ engagement with climate news by tailoring headlines to their existing perspective and shift their beliefs towards the scientific consensus.World Heritage documents reveal persistent gaps between climate awareness and local action
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02461-4
Climate risk increasingly threatens World Heritage sites, yet its integration into conservation planning remains underexplored. By analysing 1,868 World Heritage documents, this study reveals regional disparities of climate awareness and highlights the gap between awareness and action.Mountain glaciers recouple to atmospheric warming over the twenty-first century
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02449-0
It has been argued that air temperatures over mountain glaciers are decoupled from surrounding warming, which could slow down melting. Here the authors show that this effect will weaken with future glacier retreat, leading to a recoupling of temperatures from the 2030s onwards.The interplay of future emissions and geophysical uncertainties for projections of sea-level rise
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 10 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02457-0
Unclear emissions and ice-sheet processes drive uncertainties in future sea-level rise. The authors show that the timing of emissions reductions drives the uncertainties during the twenty-first century, but geophysical uncertainties become more important with time, especially under optimistic scenarios.The private sector has started investing in climate adaptation with positive effects for regional economies
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 01 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02463-2
Across five coastal regions over a four-year period, nearly 300,000 businesses invested a total of €8.7 billion in climate adaptation. An econometric analysis of these data shows that this private sector investment in adaptation modestly boosts regional economic performance, although the extent of the boost varies across sectors and geographies.Synchronization of global peak river discharge since the 1980s
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 30 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02427-6
River floods that occur simultaneously in multiple locations can lead to higher damages than individual events. Here, the authors show that the likelihood of concurrent high river discharge has increased over the last decades.Perspectives on climate change in South Asia
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 26 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02442-7
Home to roughly a quarter of the world’s population, South Asia is a hotspot for global warming impacts. In this Viewpoint, nine researchers from South Asia discuss the progress made in understanding and responding to climate change in the region.Cost-effective adaptation of electric grids
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 25 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02421-y
Reducing the wildfire risk of electric grids requires assessing and comparing various adaptation measures. A study shows that a grid technology innovation cuts the risk more cost-effectively than conventional approaches such as burying power lines.Dynamic grid management reduces wildfire adaptation costs in the electric power sector
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 25 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02436-5
Extreme events are increasingly becoming severe risks to the electric grid, yet there is limited understanding of the cost-effectiveness of adaptation investments. This research demonstrates that dynamic grid management could reduce large capital spending and limit wildfire risks in the USA.Wildland fires delay Arctic snow cover formation
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 24 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02444-5
Wildland fires in snow-dominated regions such as the Arctic can have profound effects on snowpack characteristics. Satellite observations reveal a delay in snow cover formation in the Arctic following major wildland fires. Machine learning and causal analyses suggest that this delay is linked to fire-induced reductions in albedo and increases in surface temperature.