Given the inevitable emissions resulting from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes, the implementation of offset projects is essential to attain COP28’s carbon-neutral objective4. Previous offsets were purchased through United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)-recognized sources, such as certified emission reductions, and prioritized projects located in least developed

Satellite sensors have provided a wealth of critical data over the past decades. In particular, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites has been important for determining terrestrial gross primary productivity. Both satellites may reach the end of their lifetime this year, meaning that MODIS data coverage will also end. Newer satellites using

Individual-level support in addressing the climate change problem is critical yet still insufficient. A contributing factor to the lack of engagement might be the inherent uncertainty of climate change, in terms of timeframe, severity of impacts and location. People who are highly intolerant of uncertainty tend to have low self-efficacy and expect negative outcomes during problem solving, leading to

Societal transition to address climate change will require many changes. As society adapts and transforms, the labour market will be altered as some established areas of employment will disappear and new areas will emerge that will need workers.

To improve understanding, Maria Ikonomova and Kristen MacAskill of the University of Cambridge, UK, present a climate–health–infrastructure–pathways (CHIP) model. The model considers, in ten pathways, climate hazards and physical infrastructure design and vulnerability factors that present health exposure risks. Risks can be direct (for example, structural damage, or exposure to extreme events, such

Harrison Hong of Columbia University, USA, and colleagues modelled how society manages the disaster shocks to capital stocks. Two adaptation strategies were introduced: firm-level spending to reduce their own exposure and aggregate-level spending that requires collective action. The authors show that an optimal tax on capital to fund government spending is necessary. Meanwhile, unexpected disasters

Climate models have evolved from research tools to underpin decision-making across the globe. To provide optimal value for society in the future, the models need to be made operational.

The global loss and damage fund is essential to provide support for climate-impacted groups and help their local initiatives for adaptation. Now, research focusing on the Vanuatu population highlights the necessity to put human rights as a central consideration for loss and damage fund agendas.

Concrete analysis of job impacts is needed to inform efforts for a just transition. Now, a study finds that decarbonizing US electricity generation will create jobs, but with uneven distribution among states, industrial sectors and skill needs.

Global warming and overfishing are impacting fish species distribution, total catch and aquaculture viability, limiting our ability to harvest vital micronutrients that support human health.

Climate education is seen as a key driver for behavioural change, yet it is usually not continued universally to higher-education level. With the increasing demand from both students and employers, we propose methods that incorporate climate education from multiple disciplines into current curriculums.

The collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is a worrying climate tipping point, with the potential to raise global sea level by up to 5.3 metres. Now, an assessment of future climate scenarios suggests that accelerated melting of ice shelves in West Antarctica is locked in, even for the most ambitious emissions reduction scenarios.

replying to I. Olthof et al. Nature Climate Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01836-9 (2023)

Climate change is rapidly moving to the centre stage of global governance. International organizations established for non-climate reasons are increasing their focus on climate despite principal member states having divergent preferences. Individual bureaucrats of international organizations monitor and implement programmes in target states, which allow them to have key roles in shaping international

COP28 will see the conclusion of the first global stocktake, which assesses efforts towards long-term climate targets. In addition to the assessment process, the stocktake could also address current problems within climate governance and interact with other policy instruments.

Dawn Woodard from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA, and colleagues used a scenario discovery method to assess the most important factors affecting solar and wind energy adoption. Globally and regionally, solar-related and wind-related technology costs were primary drivers, with a few regions relying on other parameters such as carbon capture and storage costs, population and gross domestic

Recent decades have seen declines in bee populations, linked to a variety of stressors including climate change, as well as land use changes, biological invasions and pesticide usage. Studies have demonstrated that these stressors can act synergistically, leading to lethal outcomes even where levels of each individual stressor are sublethal.

Claudia Czimczik from the University of California, Irvine, Jeffrey Welker from the University of Alaska and the University of Oulu, Finland, and colleagues investigated the impact of snow depth on carbon emissions from a tussock tundra site where an experiment increased snow cover over 25 years in Arctic Alaska. They find that the increased snow cover turned the site into a carbon source year round

Over the past years, countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have seen a range of developments around climate mitigation and environmental policy. Nature Climate Change asked a selection of scientists from the region to share their thoughts on research questions and responses to climate change in their area of study.