From economic impact to policy and climate change implications, a variety of West Virginia University experts can discuss the United States Supreme Court’s ruling that curbs the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to limit carbon emissions at existing power plants. …
Tag: Climate Change
Public Health Falls Victim to Climate Change in Wake of U.S. Supreme Court Decision
For climate change, June 2022 has been a busy month. It brought unprecedented flooding in Yellowstone National Park, a severe heat wave with life threatening temperatures in the southwestern U.S. and wildfires, which destroyed lives as well as property across the country.
Romantic partners can influence each other’s beliefs and behaviors on climate change, new Yale study finds
Few would argue that romantic partners have the potential to shift each other’s beliefs and behaviors, but what about their views on climate change specifically? Up until now there’s been little analysis of the dynamics of climate change conversations in romantic relationships and how the beliefs of one partner can influence the other.
Climate change may be culprit in Antarctic fish disease outbreak
Climate change might be behind an unusual disease outbreak among Antarctic fish. For about a decade, University of Oregon biologists John Postlethwait and Thomas Desvignes have been visiting the West Antarctic Peninsula. They study a unique group of fish that has adapted to the harsh polar environment. But on a 2018 field excursion, they noticed something especially strange: a large number of those fish were afflicted with grotesque skin tumors.

Study led by NUS researchers reveals High Mountain Asia hydropower systems are threatened by climate change
High Mountain Asia, the planet’s most extensive icy systems outside the polar regions, have the world’s largest undeveloped hydropower potential and are seeing numerous dams and reservoirs under construction or planning. However, climate change is destabilising the landscapes and threatening numerous hydropower projects according to a new study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Increasing Heat Waves Affect Up to Half a Billion People
Climate change is a reality and extremely high temperatures have been reported by India and Pakistan in the spring.
In the Near Future, Unprecedented Drought Conditions Are Projected to Be More Frequent and Consecutive in Certain Regions
For a successful climate change strategy, it is crucial to understand how the impacts of global warming may evolve over time.
Expert Says Financial Technologies Can Help Address Climate Change
“Financial technologies offer great promise to tackle climate change and provide pathways for developing sustainable economies,” says Aparna Gupta, co-director of the Center for Research toward Advancing Financial Technologies, the first-ever fintech research center backed by the National Science Foundation.
Thin-film Photovoltaic Technology Combines Efficiency and Versatility
Stacking solar cells increases their efficiency. Working with partners in the EU-funded PERCISTAND project, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have produced perovskite/CIS tandem solar cells with an efficiency of nearly 25 percent – the highest value achieved thus far with this technology. Moreover, this combination of materials is light and versatile, making it possible to envision the use of these tandem solar cells in vehicles, portable equipment, and devices that can be folded or rolled up. The researchers present their results in the journal ACS Energy Letters (DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.2c00707)
Experts available to discuss wildfire activity, ecosystem recovery and costs
With climate change leading to an increase in wildfires throughout the American Southwest, Northern Arizona University has a number of experts available to discuss the different facets of wildfires, forest health and restoration, and fire response. Ryan Fitch, assistant professor…
Biodiversity risks to persist well beyond future global temperature peak
Even if global temperatures begin to decline after peaking this century because of climate change, the risks to biodiversity could persist for decades after, finds a new study by UCL and University of Cape Town researchers.
Investigating the Dynamics that Reshape Permafrost Environments
Researchers using monitoring data from Alaska permafrost found that vegetation and the snowpack that accumulates in winter control the temperatures below ground and thus the flow of water in the ground. By highlighting the link between above- and belowground properties and processes, these results will help improve scientists’ predictions of how the Arctic interacts with overall climate change.
Expect Wetter and More Intense Hurricanes
Stony Brook atmospheric scientist weighs in on 2022 hurricane season, urges preparedness We are now in the 2022 hurricane season which lasts through November. Extreme weather expert Kevin Reed, PhD, Associate Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences…
Coastal Marsh Migration May Further Fuel Climate Change
As rising sea levels cause marshes to move inland in six mid-Atlantic states, the coastal zone will not continue to serve as a carbon sink but release more carbon into the atmosphere, a new modeling study led by researchers at Duke University finds.
Proactive Approaches Needed to Enable Ecosystems to Adapt to Climate Change
As the need to address climate change becomes increasingly urgent so too does the concurrent need for proactive stewardship of the Earth’s rapidly changing biosphere, according to research published today in the journal Science.
Climate changes lead to water imbalance, conflict in Tibetan Plateau
Climate change is putting an enormous strain on global water resources, and according to researchers, the Tibetan Plateau is suffering from a water imbalance so extreme that it could lead to an increase in international conflicts.
GW Experts Available: Supreme Court Ruling on West Virginia v. EPA
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on West Virginia v. the Environmental Protection Agency in a case that could limit EPA’s ability to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Environmental and legal experts say that if the High…
ASA Annual Meeting, Aug. 5-9, Los Angeles; Press Registration Open
Sociologists to Explore Topics of Gun Violence, Policing, Housing Insecurity, Abortion Rights, and More at ASA Annual Meeting, Aug. 5-9, Los Angeles; Press Registration Open
Maine Wild Blueberry Fields Experience Warming Differently Depending on Location, Season, Time, Study Finds
The location, season and the time of day influence how fast temperatures are rising at Maine wild blueberry fields due to climate change, according to a new University of Maine study.

New Tool Will Assess Water Discharge Impacts from Florida’s Everglades
An innovative tool will holistically examine and diagnose key processes with numerical simulations and experiments and predict changes in responses to water management, ecological restoration and climate change. It is designed to provide a suite of environmental and ecological information on the state of the greater Florida Bay ecosystem as well as potential future changes. Importantly, this model could potentially predict underwater aquatic vegetation coverage, harmful algal blooms, and fisheries resources under climate change and/or Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program management scenarios.

Natural disasters can accelerate changes to tropical forests
University of Miami associate professor Kenneth Feeley conducted a lengthy study on forests in Jamaica and learned that hurricanes can magnify the effects of climate change, allowing species from warmer climates to replace those that prefer cooler temperatures.
Science coverage of climate change can change minds – briefly
Science reporting on climate change does lead Americans to adopt more accurate beliefs and support government action on the issue – but these gains are fragile, a new study suggests.
Fifth of Global Food-Related Emissions Due to Transport: Research
In 2007, ‘locavore’ – a person who only eats food grown or produced within a 100-mile (161km) radius – was the Oxford Word of the Year.
Melting Arctic Ice Could Transform International Shipping Routes, Study Finds
With climate change rapidly warming the world’s oceans, the future of the Arctic Ocean looks grim.
Citizens Are More Supportive of Climate Action After COVID-19, but More Pessimistic in Their Expectations
Most of the Spanish population is pessimistic about the future climate actions by the government and citizens after the impact of COVID-19.
Biogas and biomethane supply chains leak twice as much methane as first thought
Although biogas and biomethane remain climate-friendlier than non-renewable alternatives, the researchers call for better monitoring and fixing of leaks to ensure biogas and biomethane continue to live up to their green credentials.
UNH Research: Forest to Pasture – Keeping Trees Could Reduce Climate Consequences
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire studied a practice known as silvopasture which intentionally preserves trees in pastures where livestock graze. They found that compared to a completely cleared, tree-less, open pasture, the integrated silvopasture released lower levels of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide and soil carbon storage remained the same, offering a possible alternative for farmers with less climate consequences.
Droughts in the Sixth Century Paved the Way for Islam
Extreme dry conditions contributed to the decline of the ancient South Arabian kingdom of Himyar.
Scientists Fail to Locate Once-Common CA Bumble Bees
Several species of California bumble bees have gone missing in the first statewide census of the fuzzy pollinators in 40 years. If they can be found, a recent court ruling could help save them.
Study Explores Uncertainties in Flood Risk Estimates
Flood frequency analysis is a technique used to estimate flood risk, providing statistics such as the “100-year flood” or “500-year flood” that are critical to infrastructure design, dam safety analysis, and flood mapping in flood-prone areas.
Companies’ Use of Renewable Energy Certificates Masks Inaction on Carbon Emissions
Many firms have set science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to comply with the Paris Agreement. Its goal, first adopted in 2015, is to keep temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius, and preferably as low as 1.5 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels by 2050.
Philanthropist Stacey Nicholas pledges $3 million to School of Education
Irvine, Calif., June 13, 2022 — A $3 million gift from longtime University of California, Irvine supporter Stacey Nicholas will advance the School of Education’s ambitious projects for improving environmental and climate change literacy in California’s classrooms. The funding will create a new $2 million endowment fund for the Stacey Nicholas Endowed Chair in Environmental Education to support the teaching, research and service activities of the chair holder.
Rising temperatures may cause a rise in carbon dioxide, but this does not refute human-caused climate change
The rise in temperature before a rise in carbon dioxide has led some to conclude that carbon dioxide simply cannot be responsible for current global warming. We find this claim to be misleading because it fails to tell the whole story. Increasing CO2 levels can be the cause AND effect of further warming.
Microbes enhance resilience of carbon-rich peatlands to warming
Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovered that certain bacteria increase the climate resilience of Sphagnum moss, the tiny plant responsible for storing a third of the world’s soil carbon in peat bogs.
WHOI-led projects receive UN endorsement as part of Decade of Ocean Science
Four projects led or co-led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists were named on World Ocean Day by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to receive Endorsed Action status as part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.
How Will Climate Change Affect the Geographic Range of Salamander Species in the U.S. And Canada?
In a study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, investigators predicted the geographic range restriction of several different species of salamanders in eastern Canada and the United States under future climate scenarios in 2050 and 2070.
Has a Beautiful Songbird Become an Invasive Species in Britain?
New research published in Ibis has identified the Red-billed Leiothrix, a small brightly colored bird native to subtropical Asia, as an emerging example of an invasive non-native species (INNS) in Britain.

Including all types of emissions shortens timeline to reach Paris Agreement temperature targets
Instead of focusing on carbon dioxide’s effect on future temperature, new research includes the related human-generated emissions of methane, nitrogen oxide and particle pollution. Expanding the scope increases the amount of future warming that is already guaranteed by past emissions, and shortens the timeline to reach the Paris Agreement temperature targets.
Heat-Lovers Are the Lucky Ones: Insects and Climate Change
Climate change has long since been happening in central Europe, and it is no secret that it affects the populations and distribution of animals and plants.
Artificial Intelligence Analyzes Gut Microbiota of Fish to Detect Waters Compromised by Climate Change
Article title: Gut microbiota of wild fish as reporters of compromised aquatic environments sleuthed through machine learning Authors: John W. Turner Jr., Xi Cheng, Nilanjana Saferin, Ji-Youn Yeo, Tao Yang Bina Joe From the authors: “Overall, this study represents the…
The Consequences of Climate Change in the Alps Are Visible From Space
Global warming has a particularly pronounced impact on the Alpine region. Like the Arctic, this European mountain range is becoming greener.
Story tips: Tailor-made molecules, better battery electrolytes, beyond Moore’s Law and improving climate model accuracy
ORNL Story tips: Tailor-made molecules, better battery electrolytes, beyond Moore’s Law and improving climate model accuracy
Research Shows How Gulf of Mexico Escaped Ancient Mass Extinction
An ancient bout of global warming 56 million years ago that acidified oceans and wiped-out marine life had a milder effect in the Gulf of Mexico, where life was sheltered by the basin’s unique geology – according to research by the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG).
The first international study of its kind assesses the status of all reptile species: At least 2,000 species of reptiles are threatened
The new assessment will enable researchers to understand the conservation needs of threatened species and find intelligent conservation solutions
Scientists Call for Decision-Making to Be Transformed to Tackle the Climate and Biodiversity Crises Together
The global scientific community has issued another warning that increasing climate change and biodiversity loss will together reinforce negative impacts on people around the world, including food insecurity, health risks and disrupted livelihoods, as well as involuntary displacements leading to social unrest.
How Buildings Contribute to Urban Heating during Heat Waves
Previous research has found that heat waves and urban heat island effects reinforce each other’s effects. New research developed a method for modeling urban building energy demand and associated heat dispersal during heat waves.
How Can Changes to Urban Neighborhoods and Buildings Affect Microclimates and Energy Use?
Heating and cooling for buildings accounted for the United States’ biggest share (41 percent) of energy consumption in 2010, and energy use by buildings amounts to 40 percent of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. A new method allows researchers to test the design of neighborhoods and buildings to understand how they affect local and regional weather and energy use.
A Cloudless Future? The Mystery at the Heart of Climate Forecasts
We hear a lot about how climate change will change the land, sea, and ice. But how will it affect clouds?
Urgent need for climate protection, energy transition and pandemic preparedness: Science academies publish statements ahead of the G7 summit
The science academies of the G7 states are calling for urgent international action to protect the ocean and polar regions and to accelerate decarbonisation.
Global plastics treaty – starting the process in Senegal
A globally coordinated approach is vital to end plastic pollution. That’s the message made by Professor Steve Fletcher, Director of the Global Plastic Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth, to delegates at the first UNEP meeting to develop an…