A critical tipping point for the Earth’s climate is the potential transformation of the world’s largest tropical forests from carbon sinks into net sources of emissions, which has been challenging for researchers to predict. But now, groundbreaking studies analyzing observations from Amazonian and African tropical forests find these forests have already reached or are nearing their “saturation points.” Halting deforestation and degradation of forests, while cutting global emissions is critical.
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How Climate-Induced Risks Affect Power System Planning In The U.S. Southeast
Given the long lifespans of power system investments, planning should start incorporating climate change effects. A new study provides a valuable example of an approach to more comprehensively integrate climate risks in long-term electricity planning. This work also illustrates an important win-win in that solar power is both an effective adaptation (helping to reduce summer peak) and carbon mitigation strategy, highlighting positive, no-regret investments.
Understanding Soil Carbon Science To Identify Strategies For Climate Mitigation And Adaptation
Soil scientists disagree about whether soil carbon sequestration can effectively help decarbonize the atmosphere, but this debate does not undermine the substantive body of science supporting immediate, widespread adoption of practices protecting and restoring soil carbon.
The Paris Agreement, Five Years Later: What Research Says About Future Directions
The Paris Agreement’s five year anniversary was marked by governments enacting policy to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions, as well as the U.S. announcing it will re-enter the pact. But what exactly does the U.S. stand to gain by rejoining, and what can nations gain from renewed ambition?
Climate Impacts Of Scaling Up Biofuels And Bioenergy
Research demonstrates well-designed policies can help biofuels and bioenergy meet niche energy needs sustainably, while alternative technologies mature and deploy at scale.
Understanding California Wildfires: Climate Trends And Response Options
Scientific studies demonstrate how climate change is shaping wildfire activity in California, but additional research also shows aggressive action to reduce elevated fuel availability may reduce risk.
COVID-19 Recovery, Climate Impacts, And Co-Benefits: Stimulus Policies That Can Multi-Solve
This research review outlines opportunities for climate-friendly stimulus packages to help economies recover and reduce emissions while promoting social and environmental co-benefits.
Coal Exit: Different Approaches To Determining Costs, Benefits, And Justice Implications
This research review details the costs, benefits, and justice implications of a rapid coal exit scenario and find it produces net societal benefits of $3.4 trillion, or 1.5 percent of global GDP.
What Rooftop Solar Tells Us About Who’s Participating (And Who Is Not) In The Clean Energy Transition
This research review details financial, racial, and partisan rates of rooftop solar adoption across the United States and recommendations to overcome these divides.
How Much Energy Do Data Centers Really Use?
This research review says that while data center energy usage is lower than estimated, clean energy technology must reduce their growing climate impact.