New composite decking could reduce global warming effects of building materials

Building materials are major contributors to global carbon dioxide emissions. So scientists have designed a composite decking material that stores more carbon dioxide than is required to manufacture it, providing the first “carbon-negative” option. They will present their results at ACS Spring 2024.

Tropical Plants Beat Drought by Interacting with Specific Microbes

Researchers from the University of Arizona and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy user facility, discovered that that plants can maintain specific microbe partnerships during times of drought, revealing a new level of resilience.

Revealing Nature’s Secrets from Space: Satellite Data Unlocks Drought’s Impact on Southwest China’s Carbon Cycle

A new study reveals a significant increase in aboveground carbon (AGC) in Southwest China from 2013 to 2021, defying the adverse effects of extreme droughts. This achievement underscores the region’s pivotal role as a carbon sink, attributed to extensive ecological projects and innovative remote sensing techniques.

Sasin BRIDGES Nobel Laureate Talk: A Financial Approach to Climate Risk

Professor Robert F. Engle III, Nobel Laureate in Economics and Michael Armellino Professor of Management and Finance at New York University Stern School of Business, recently delivered a provocative talk at Sasin titled “A Financial Approach to Climate Risk: Portfolios, Greenwashing, Stress Testing, and Long Run Risk,” on February 27, 2024.

Drought, Soil Desiccation Cracking, and Carbon Dioxide Emissions: An Overlooked Feedback Loop Exacerbating Climate Change

Soil stores 80 percent of carbon on earth, yet with increasing cycles of drought, that crucial reservoir is cracking and breaking down, releasing even more greenhouse gases creating an amplified feedback loop that could accelerate climate change.

Wind Power Surge: China’s Bold Leap Towards a Green Future

A recent study introduces a novel methodology for evaluating the economic viability and competitive edge of onshore wind energy against traditional power sources. This approach underscores the potential of wind power to reach grid parity, where its cost becomes comparable or lower than conventional electricity sources. The research marks a significant step in understanding the dynamics of renewable energy markets and highlights the role of wind power in China’s ambitious environmental goals.

Scientists explained what defines the leaves type and that in 100 years a third of the world’s forests will change

An international collaboration of scientists with the participation of an ecologist from RUDN University conducted the first global analysis of leaf type. In addition, the authors described the current state of forests and said what will happen to them by the end of the century due to climate change.

First certified carbon-negative beef production opens doors to emerging agricultural technologies, says Notre Dame expert

Argentina, one of the premier beef producers in the world, has set a precedent for livestock farmers by certifying the first carbon-negative beef — opening the doors for a number of emerging technologies that have the potential to reduce methane emissions from…

Business operations affect fishermen’s resilience to climate change, new study finds

In their new study published in the journal Global Environmental Change, researchers found that fishermen’s responses to a changing climate can be strongly influenced by how they fish and how they’re organized. The study highlights the role that distinct strategies associated with different group sizes and levels of cooperation play in how fishers respond and adapt to climate change.

GW Experts Available: EPA Strengthens Rule on Harmful Soot Pollution

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is strengthening limits on soot, a harmful air pollution in which studies have shown that fine particles kill thousands of Americans every year. According to The Washington Post, the stricter standards could prevent thousands of premature…

New study sheds new light on forests’ role in climate and water cycle

Forests, which cover a third of Earth’s land surface, are pivotal in carbon storage and the water cycle, though the full scope of their impact remains to be fully understood. In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers from Stockholm University and international colleagues provide new insights into the complex role forests play in the climate system and water cycle.

Scientists Reveal How Tar Particles from Wildfire Smoke Absorb and Refract Solar Radiation, Light in Atmosphere

A multi-institutional team of researchers studied how solar radiation from the sun interacts with individual tar balls. This research, featured on the cover of ACS Publications’ Environmental Science & Technology, provides insights into how wildfires influence climate change.

Media Tip: First of its kind dataset shows future flooding risk at neighborhood level

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory used supercomputing resources to develop a new dataset for estimating increased flood risk from climate change during the mid-21st century.

Study links changes in global water cycle to higher temperatures

A new study takes an important step toward reconstructing a global history of water over the past 2,000 years. Using geologic and biologic evidence preserved in natural archives — including globally distributed corals, trees, ice, cave formations and sediments — the researchers showed that the global water cycle has changed during periods of higher and lower temperatures in the recent past.

Researchers at ESF Build a Map-Based Carbon Accounting System to Help NYS Meet Net-Zero Goal

A new report by the Climate & Applied Forest Research Institute (CAFRI) and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) outlines the development of a map-based carbon accounting system and how it can be an essential tool for New York state to achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2050.

New study finds global climate change could impact the flavor and cost of American beer

There are few things tastier than the crisp bite of a cold IPA…for now.   A recent study published in the journal Nature Communications found the changing global climate may be affecting the flavor and cost of beer.   A warmer and drier climate is expected to lower the yield of hops — the aromatic flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant that give beer its signature bitter flavor — in Europe up to 18 percent by 2050.