New research from the Future Ecosystems for Africa program at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, has created the most accurate maps yet of where reforestation can effectively combat climate change.

The study identifies 195 million hectares globally where tree restoration will deliver maximum climate benefits without harming communities or ecosystems.

The study, published in Nature Communications and drawing from 89 previous research projects, provides the most comprehensive mapping yet of areas where reforestation can deliver optimal climate benefits while supporting wildlife habitat, food production, and freshwater availability.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have successfully increased the production of D-lactic acid from methanol by exposing Komagataella phaffii yeast to ultraviolet irradiation.

Using national rural data, this study finds that adaptive behaviors in China's grain production mitigate 52.5%–63.5% of high-temperature impacts. But they can't effectively reduce excessive precipitation impacts. Tech progress and input adjustments are key adaptation mechanisms.

Native plant species cannot adapt quickly enough, nor move fast enough to keep ahead of climate change. If native plants are going to survive rising temperatures, they need human intervention—everyone from home gardeners to professional landscapers. But which flora to choose? And how to know if a plant native to Connecticut might do well in Maine?

To help solve this problem, ecologists from the University of Massachusetts Amherst collaborated with the Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (NE RISCC) Management Network to launch both a Climate-Smart Gardening guide and an extensive dataset of easily obtainable native plants that will thrive in the coming decades. The resources, available now, will be officially announced in an online “Coffee Talk,” June 18, 10 a.m. ET.

A new study led by Michael Mann of the University of Pennsylvania finds that atmospheric patterns known to lock in extreme weather, like heat domes and flooding, have nearly tripled since the 1950s. The research highlights a growing gap between real-world risks and what climate models currently capture.

Satellite data used by archaeologists to find traces of ancient ruins hidden under dense forest canopies can also be used to improve the speed and accuracy to measure how much carbon is retained and released in forests. Understanding this carbon cycle is key to climate change research.

Newly uncovered evidence from fossil corals found on an island chain in the Indian Ocean suggests that sea levels could rise even more steeply in our warming world than previously thought.