Changing precipitation patterns in the Neotropics, one of Earth’s most biodiverse regions, could threaten two-thirds of the area’s bird species by the year 2100 if climate change goes unchecked, according to new research led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and George Mason University. This would represent a dramatic loss, as the region is home to 30% of all bird species globally. 

The Energy Transition Vulnerability Index (ETVI) quantifies the vulnerability of nations to adverse impacts of transitioning away from fossil fuels. According to the authors, the ETVI can help countries pinpoint problems with their energy transition efforts and help international actors direct support to the most vulnerable nations as the transition unfolds. 

Against the backdrop of the energy transition and the fight against climate change, a study conducted by Politecnico di Milano’s Department of Energy heralds in new ways of using greenhouse gases. Blazoned on the front cover of the prestigious scientific journal Angewandte Chemie, the research offers a new key to understanding how to improve the efficiency of processes that convert greenhouse gases into energy resources and reduce the impact of methane and CO2, two greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

In the US, state and federal governments regularly fight wildfires that threaten people and property, but Alaska’s Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge recently began piloting a novel strategy: putting out fires to prevent climate-warming carbon emissions from being released from trees and soils.

 

As the first refuge in the US to use fire suppression to protect carbon, the Yukon Flats experiment comes with some unique challenges. Due to limited budgets and firefighting resources, refuge managers face difficult decisions around when and where to prioritize firefighting efforts — all while navigating scientific uncertainties around how different actions will impact carbon storage.

 

Now, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Department of Interior’s Joint Fire Science Program, Cary Institute scientists will assist Yukon Flats refuge staff by providing scientific insights vital to decision making. Over the course of the three-year project, Cary scientists will map how carbon is distributed across the refuge’s forests and soils, identify areas at highest risk of burning, and help fill in other data gaps to inform fire suppression strategies.

A new modeling study shows that the El Niño event, a huge blob of warm ocean water in the tropical Pacific Ocean that can change rainfall patterns around the globe, was present at least 250 million years in the past, and was often of greater magnitude than the oscillations we see today.

More than 800,000 km² of the Arctic were affected by human activity in 2013, according to an analysis of satellite-derived data on artificial light at night. On average, 85% of the light-polluted areas are due to industrial activities rather than urban development. According to the international team led by UZH researchers, the results are crucial for sustainable development and nature conservation in this highly vulnerable region.