Adaptation requires context-specific planning, a necessity recognized under the international climate governance framework. National adaptation plans (NAPs) are pivotal policy instruments for developing countries to design their adaptation actions, as highlighted by various outcomes of the Conference of the Parties (COPs). While many studies have examined the landscape or effectiveness of NAPs at local

Manuel Ruben and colleagues from the Alfred Wagner Institute and University of Bremen incubated organic material from permafrost in Arctic seawater and used isotopic analysis to date the carbon in the CO2 produced. They find that nearly 90% of the released CO2 was from respired 40,000-year-old organic matter, demonstrating that the thaw of permafrost reintroduces long-stored ancient carbon into the

Stylianos Syropoulos from Boston College and colleagues in the USA evaluated the effectiveness of a climate change community exhibit fielded in Boston, which focused on four environmental issues: switching to electric vehicles, adopting community solar, reducing meat consumption and supporting forest conservation and reforestation. The findings suggest that exhibits highlighting community-specific

Monsoonal rainfall is a key source of water for South Asia, affecting not only surface water availability but also groundwater renewal. Droughts during the summer monsoon can be more severe with climate change, but the degree to which these affect groundwater resources is not well understood. Vimal Mishra from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar, India, and colleagues from India, the

Participating in or spectating at sporting events is a favourite pastime for many, but climate change could alter the sporting landscape. Yet, sports are unifying to be part of the solution.

Brazil has one of the world’s longest coastlines, stretching approximately 7,500 km. Coastal areas within 33 m from the highest tide point are designated as federal land, a definition of ‘tidelands’ established in 1831. Despite being outdated, this helps protect native ecosystems and traditional communities, and keeps Brazilian beaches largely untouched and open to everyone. However, this could soon

The erosion of melting permafrost in the coastal Arctic Ocean is projected to lower the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, triggering unexpected carbon–climate feedbacks in the Arctic region.

US healthcare contributes 8.5% of national greenhouse gas emissions, but its policies to guide mitigation and waste reduction are underdeveloped. We recommend national policies to streamline the adoption of best practices, address implementation challenges to achieve net-zero goals and serve as useful exemplars for other nations.

Technological feasibility and project-level economic costs are only two important considerations in previous estimations of climate mitigation costs. Now a study shows how political and institutional constraints matter too.

Balancing effectiveness and broad social appeal of climate policy is not straightforward. Integration of distributional considerations into both the substance and framing of policy is one way to pursue this elusive balance. Driesen et al.1 provide helpful insight into the potential flow-on effects of the integration of climate and industrial policy. They highlight examples, particularly including the

Ralph De Haas, of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and colleagues show how these constraints can lead to less green investment and higher carbon dioxide emissions. They combined data on emissions from 3,387 industrial facilities with local credit constraints and green management data from firm surveys in 12 emerging European countries. A counterfactual analysis shows that without

Environmental education is a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving and take action to improve the environment, which is a crucial path to tackling environmental challenges. However, the effectiveness of behaviour interventions on enhancing individual literacy and promoting pro-environmental behaviour remains understudied. Hirofumi Kurokawa from Kwansei

Polar motion, a small variation of the Earth’s rotational axis, is primarily caused by the Chandler wobble. The Chandler wobble has a period of roughly 14 months and is mainly caused by the unequal mass distribution of the planet. Although it is known to vary over time owing to a number of influencing factors, the degree to which changes in the ice mass, in particular the melting of ice sheets in Greenland

Evan Parker at Yale University, USA, and colleagues from the USA assessed coverage and biases in 33,016 potential distribution reports for 12,009 species. They showed taxonomic and geographic biases, with higher coverage of birds, gymnosperms and European and US species, and lower coverage of insects, Amphibia and species in temperate South America, Australia, the tropics and polar regions. Within

From a scientific standpoint, the causes of current ongoing climate change are well established. But in the context of rapid change, and real-world consequences, there is still room — and need — for scientific discussion in climate change fields.

Reef-building corals are declining globally, putting important ecosystem services at risk. Here we discuss the potential risks and benefits of coral ecological replacement, in which new species are introduced to replace the functional roles of species that have declined or disappeared.

Climate change threatens the role of forests as long-term carbon sinks. Tree planting programmes that incorporate assisted migration of tree species and seed sources can help to mitigate this impact.

Governments are increasingly using industrial policy to develop low-carbon economic sectors and catalyse the energy transition. A recent study provides a framework to explain why governments adopt different types of green industrial policy, depending on industry position in the global supply chain and types of uncertainty.

Small island states and territories have been leading climate action in many ways. In this issue, we highlight climate change research conducted on large ocean islands and how science can improve to help them adapt to changing environments.

Small island states and territories are often seen as particularly vulnerable to climate change, which affects the shape of the land, its ecosystems and the resources that people depend on. Nature Climate Change asked a selection of scientists from different island states and territories to discuss the role that climate science and action has in supporting island communities.