In a study published in Science China Earth Sciences, researchers present findings showing that plant DNA metabarcoding from lake sediments provides a higher resolution and more accurate depiction of local vegetation on the Tibetan Plateau than traditional pollen analysis, with a broader range of species detected.

Achieving net-zero CO₂ emissions is the current main focus of China’s carbon neutrality goal. However, non-CO₂ greenhouse gases (GHGs) are more powerful climate forcers, making their emission reduction an opportunity to rapidly mitigate future warming. This study evaluates non-CO₂ mitigation potentials, costs and climate benefits in the context of China’s carbon neutrality goals. The findings indicate that mitigation technologies can largely reduce fluorinated gas emissions from industrial sectors, but long-term non-CO₂ reductions of energy sector activities rely heavily on fuel switching. Furthermore, the cumulative costs of deploying non-CO₂ mitigation technologies are projected to be less than 10% of the total costs of achieving carbon neutrality from 2020 to 2060. If non-CO₂ mitigation measures are included in the overall mitigation portfolio, the benefits of avoided warming would by far outweigh the total mitigation cost increase.

A new study by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of Cincinnati and published in Science has mapped 35 years of river changes on a global scale for the first time. The work has revealed significant effects on both downstream (44% decrease in water flow) and upstream (17% flow increase) rivers, including flooding, ecosystem disruption, hydropower development interference and insufficient fresh water supplies.

Plastic pollution is a growing problem in Japan, prompting cleanup efforts to recover plastic litter from water bodies. However, research on recovery rates from different river basins remains limited. In a recent study, researchers from Japan conducted a nationwide analysis of plastic litter recovery in over 100 river basins, shedding light on the impact of climate change, population density, and natural disasters. Their findings will help inform future cleanup strategies and improve plastic management.