EurekAlert! Climate Change - Latest News Releases

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Jun-2026 05:16 ET (18-Jun-2026 09:16 GMT/UTC)

Clues from the past reveal the West Antarctic Ice Sheet’s vulnerability to warming

University of Toyama
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A record of repeated retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the past warm climates has been identified by IODP Exp379 Scientists. By analyzing deep-sea sediments from the Amundsen Sea and tracing their geochemical signatures, the study shows that the ice sheet retreated far inland at least five times during the warm Pliocene Epoch. The findings highlight the ice sheet’s sensitivity to warming and its potential to drive future sea-level rise.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Natural Environment Research Council, U.S. Science Support Program of the International Ocean Discovery Program

World’s vast plant knowledge not being fully exploited to tackle biodiversity and climate challenges, warn researchers

University of Cambridge
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international group of researchers says that biodiversity conservation and scientific research are not benefiting from the vast knowledge about the world’s plants held by botanic gardens, because of fragmented data systems and a lack of standardisation. They call for a unified and equitable global data system for living collections to transform how the world’s botanic gardens manage and share information. This would enable them to work together as a ‘meta-collection’ to strengthen scientific research and conservation efforts.

Journal: Nature Plants

Ocean temperatures reached another record high in 2025

Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new international analysis published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences on 9 January finds that the Earth’s ocean stored more heat in 2025 than in any year since modern measurements began.

Journal: Advances in Atmospheric Sciences

Optimized biochar use could cut China’s cropland nitrous oxide emissions by up to half

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Agricultural soils are one of the world’s largest sources of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a century. New research suggests that a common agricultural byproduct may offer a powerful and practical solution. A study published in Biochar shows that straw-derived biochar, when applied using region-specific strategies, could reduce nitrous oxide emissions from China’s croplands by as much as 50 percent.

Journal: Biochar

Interpersonal and self-inflicted violence linked to temperature spikes

Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Warming temperatures are connected to increases in violence-related hospital visits—including both interpersonal and self-inflicted violence—according to a new analysis of 14 years of Medicaid claims data. The study is led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The findings are published in the journal Communications Sustainability(link is external and opens in a new window).

Funder: Harvard Climate Change Solutions Fund

GX global workshop "Green Transformation For Sustainable Carbon Neutral Society"

Institute of Science Tokyo
Meeting Announcement

To explore the development and societal implementation of green transformation (GX) technologies for realizing a sustainable carbon-neutral society and fostering collaborative R&D, the Science Tokyo GXI and GX Frontier Visionary Initiative (GX-VI) organizes the Global Workshop for the GX key areas of decarbonization, energy systems, energy carriers, alternative fuels, and energy storage joining with MITEI (Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative), EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute), and DLR (German Aerospace Center).

Meeting: GX Global Workshop "Green Transformation for Sustainable Carbon Neutral Society"

Global aviation emissions could be halved through maximising efficiency gains, new study shows

University of Oxford
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study co-led by the University of Oxford has found that global aviation emissions could be reduced by 50-75% through combining three strategies to boost efficiency: flying only the most fuel-efficient aircraft, switching to all-economy layouts, and increasing passenger loads. Crucially, the study shows that around a 11% reduction in global aviation emissions is achievable immediately, by using the most efficient aircraft that airlines already have more strategically on routes they already fly.

Journal: Communications Earth & Environment

Building a global scientific community: Biological Diversity Journal announces dual recruitment of Editorial Board and Youth Editorial Board members

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Business Announcement

A call for both distinguished global experts and rising early - career stars to join a systematic, multi - dimensional platform for biodiversity research.

Twitter data reveals partisan divide in understanding why pollen season's getting worse

University of Michigan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Two things are clear from a University of Michigan analysis of nearly 200,000 Twitter posts between 2012 and 2022. One, people are really good at identifying peak pollen season. And two, liberal users on Twitter were more likely than conservatives to ascribe shifting pollen seasons over the years to climate change.

Journal: PNAS Nexus
Funder: University of California Santa Cruz Belonging Program

AI river forecasts may be accurate—but based on flawed logic

University of British Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Deep-learning models known as LSTMs are changing the way scientists forecast how rivers will respond to changes in rain, snow and temperature. But a new study led by researchers at the University of British Columbia shows that these models often get the right answers for the wrong reasons, and their internal “thinking” often clashes with basic science. The team analyzed more than 1,100 rivers across North America and focused on 672 where the AI achieved strong predictive accuracy. While the models handled rainfall correctly, they frequently misinterpreted the roles of temperature and evaporation. Accurate river forecasts are critical for flood warnings, drought planning and water management. If AI models misinterpret how heat and evaporation affect rivers, communities could make poor decisions during extreme weather.

Journal: Water Resources Research

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