Kyoto, Japan -- As extreme weather events become more frequent and the impacts of climate change become stronger, countries around the world are strengthening their decarbonization efforts. The 2016 Paris Agreement in particular represents a global effort to address climate change by limiting the rise in global average temperature to well below 2˚C.

However, concerns have been rising about the economic costs of these transitions. Previous studies suggest that stringent greenhouse gas emissions mitigation may cause an increase in food and energy prices, exacerbating poverty and inequality. How to address these social impacts in the context of society-wide decarbonization remains unclear.

In response, an international research team led by Shiya Zhao from Kyoto University and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis -- IIASA -- in Austria created a comprehensive study to assess the ramifications of decarbonization. Their goal is to steer policy formulation toward a sustainable and equitable trajectory for climate change mitigation.

Climate-smart agricultural practices – like no-till treatments, cover-crop utilization and residue retention – can help promote carbon sequestration in soil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study that uses a combination of models – rather than just one – to provide a more realistic range of outcomes and to highlight the shortcomings of individual models.

Prochlorococcus, the most abundant photosynthesizing organism in the ocean, might be more vulnerable to climate change than researchers thought. Population decline could weaken the foundation of subtropical and tropical ecosystems as ocean temperatures continue to rise.

Scientists have confirmed that East Antarctica's interior is warming faster than its coastal areas and identified the cause. A 30-year study, published in Nature Communications and led by Nagoya University’s Naoyuki Kurita, has traced this warming to increased warm air flow triggered by temperature changes in the Southern Indian Ocean. Previously considered an observation "blind spot," East Antarctica contains most of the world’s glacial ice. This newly identified warming mechanism indicates that current predictions may underestimate the rate of future Antarctic ice loss.  

A new study shows climate change tied to insect population collapse in “safe” and untouched ecosystems.

A pioneering study that used climate models to measure the impact of global atmospheric patterns has found new evidence for North America’s hidden role in Asia’s summer monsoon, a seasonal rainfall system vital to more than a billion people.

Dr Julian Schrader has been awarded one of the European Research Council’s (ERC) coveted Starting Grants to study island plant life. The biologist will use the 1.5 million euros grant to investigate the interaction between climate change and the spread of plant species. To do this, he will relocate from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, to Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the German Centre for Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig (iDiv). The ERC Starting Grant is one of Europe’s most prestigious research awards.