Climate change has already contributed substantially to the global burden of dengue fever, a new study finds. Over 260 million people live in places where dengue incidence is expected to more than double due to climate change by mid-century. The findings could help with public health planning and developing ways to mitigate such risks.

A study in Forest Ecosystems reveals that two closely related evergreen oaks (Quercus aquifolioides and Quercus spinosa) in the Himalayan-Hengduan Mountains adapt to different climates through adjustments in leaf trait integration and modularity, with the high-altitude species having flexible traits for harsh conditions and the lowland one showing tightly coordinated traits for efficiency. It also notes the findings’ value for conservation and understanding species’ responses to climate change.

Asymmetric tropical ocean warming since 1999 has reshaped the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO), a key climate rhythm driving rainfall, monsoons, and storms worldwide. Researchers using satellite and reanalysis data found the MJO now moves faster over the Indian Ocean and Maritime Continent but slows over the western Pacific. These shifts show how uneven ocean warming reorganizes tropical convection, with vital implications for improving climate models, forecasts, and resilience to extremes.

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.