Researchers found that vegetation in a section of central L.A. offsets a surprising 60% of fossil fuel emissions (CO₂), particularly during the growing season. The first-of-its-kind study used a dense array of air-quality sensors to track carbon emissions and absorption in real time, providing a more detailed picture than traditional methods. The findings suggest that expanding urban greenery could play a bigger role in reducing the city’s carbon footprint than previously thought. The USC-led approach could serve as a model for other cities aiming to monitor and cut emissions.

New research highlighted in the journal CABI Reviews suggests that all five subregions of Africa will breach the 1.5°C climate change threshold – the limit stipulated by the Paris Agreement – by 2040 even under low emission scenarios.

Forests planted with many different tree species have substantially higher aboveground carbon stocks and greater carbon fluxes than monocultures, shows an international study led by the University of Freiburg.

For the study, published in Global Change Biology, researchers analysed data from the world’s longest-running tropical tree diversity experiment.

The findings highlight the benefits of mixed-species forests for mitigating climate change.

Each summer, more and more lake beaches are forced to close due to toxic algae blooms. While climate change is often blamed, new research suggests a more complex story: climate interacts with human activities like agriculture and urban runoff, which funnel excess nutrients into the water. The study sheds light on why some lakes are more vulnerable than others and how climate and human impacts interact — offering clues to why the problem is getting worse. 

Michigan State University researchers discovered key climate-related patterns in algal biomass levels and change through time for freshwater lakes. They used novel methods to create and analyze long-term datasets from open-access government resources and from satellite remote sensing. This research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides crucial insights into how climate affects lake ecosystems.