- Achieving an international conservation target to protect almost a third of the world’s land and sea in the next four years could directly affect the lives of almost half the people on the planet, finds a new report.

- The study is the first to consider the social implications of the target at the global level.

- Supporting the people who live near areas that could be designated for nature - financially and otherwise - is vital for success.

A new Rice University study is shedding light on a long-debated question: Can climate variability influence the risk of armed conflict? The answer, researchers say, is yes — but in more nuanced and region-specific ways than previously understood. Led by Rice statistics doctoral student Tyler Bagwell, with climate scientist Sylvia Dee and statistician Frederi Viens, the study uses high-resolution data and empirical modeling to examine how large-scale climate patterns shape the probability of civil conflict and war.

Tree shade is one of the fastest ways to make heat more bearable. It cuts direct sunlight, protects people walking or working outdoors, and remains essential for Heat Action Plans. A new study, published in Nature Communications by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), adds a sharper planning question: if greening is so important, why does the same strategy cool some urban areas more reliably than others?

Harbour porpoises were once found across a much wider area of the Baltic Sea than they are today, including regions where they are now rare or absent. This is shown in a new study that uses centuries-old Swedish newspapers to reconstruct past distribution patterns.