A new approach to urban planning with less car traffic and lower carbon emissions
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-May-2026 03:15 ET (31-May-2026 07:15 GMT/UTC)
Persistent methane emissions from sectors such as agriculture and growing debates over the credibility of carbon offsets are creating new challenges for governments and companies pursuing net-zero commitments. New research suggests temporary carbon storage may have a scientifically valid role in helping support climate goals, if used in the right way.
Based on a 20-year field nitrogen addition experiment, this study demonstrates that long-term high nitrogen deposition does not reduce belowground carbon allocation in tropical forest plants; rather, it induces a physiological adaptation—upregulation of root exudation—to actively mobilize soil phosphorus, thereby sustaining productivity and offering a key mechanistic explanation for the persistence of tropical forest carbon sinks under chronic nitrogen enrichment.
Every summer for nearly three decades, a team at Michigan State University has made their way to Manistee National Forest to look for new trees that have sprouted. At less than a year old, the youngest seedlings aren’t much taller than their toes. But now, the team’s annual counts of 10 tree species are starting to reveal clues to what the region’s forests might look like in the 20, 40 or 100 years to come.
Most people think of ice as frozen and lifeless, but research at Umeå University shows the opposite. A new study published in PNAS demonstrates that ice actively speeds up the breakdown of iron minerals and may release more iron than current environmental models account for. This is crucial for predicting how nutrient cycles, carbon storage, and water quality will change in polar and mountain regions as the planet warms.