Nature Climate Change
Nature Climate Change is a monthly journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research papers that describe the most significant and cutting-edge research on the causes, impacts and wider implications of global climate change. The journal publishes climate research across the physical, biological and social sciences and strives to integrate and communicate interdisciplinary research. The journal aims to play a leading role in: providing accessibility to a broad audience to research published both within and outside the journal; raising the visibility of climate change research in related research communities as well as the mainstream media; and offering a forum for discussion of the challenges faced by researchers and policy makers (and other interested parties) in understanding the complex mechanisms and impacts associated with the Earth’s changing climate.
Updated: 26 min 58 sec ago
Growing cropland emissions
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02571-7
Planning for climate action in food systems requires disaggregated spatial information on greenhouse gas emissions and removals. Now, a study on the major emission sources for global croplands yields such emissions estimates, identifies the locations of hotspots and assesses mitigation trade-offs with food productivity.ENSO shapes salinity regimes and fish migration in the China Seas
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02559-3
This study shows that the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drives sea surface salinity (SSS) variability in the China Seas through coupled freshwater and oceanic processes, influencing regional fisheries. Under a warming climate, projected intensification of ENSO will amplify SSS heterogeneity.Emergent climate change signals within Antarctic sea ice and associated ecosystems
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02561-9
The authors model the emergence of climate-driven changes in Antarctic sea ice, phytoplankton, krill, fish and penguins. They show earlier emergence for higher trophic levels, as well as highly seasonal and regional responses.Spatially explicit global assessment of cropland greenhouse gas emissions circa 2020
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 13 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02558-4
Emissions from croplands are an important source of GHG emissions that can be shaped by management. This study presents maps of emissions globally for different crops, showing that drained peatlands, rice paddies and fertilizer were the main drivers, and highlights differences in emission intensity.Heat exposure disrupts brain development
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 11 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02564-6
Early life stages are particularly critical for human brain development. A large-scale study in China shows that heat exposure in early life is associated with increased risks of delayed neurodevelopment in preschool children.Inconsistent national reports undercount wastewater emissions
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 11 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02555-7
National greenhouse gas inventories systematically undercount methane and nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater due to outdated methods and incomplete coverage. Addressing these discrepancies is essential to strengthen transparency in global climate efforts and improving the effectiveness of national mitigation strategies.Discrepancies in national inventories reveal a large emissions gap in the wastewater sector
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 11 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02540-6
The wastewater sector is a major source of non-CO2 emissions, but accurate emissions accounting remains challenging, despite guidelines for basic inventories provided by the IPCC. This research reveals that national inventories widely omit key sources and apply inconsistent methods, which lead to greatly under-reported emissions.Early-life heat exposure increases risk of neurodevelopmental delay in preschool children
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 11 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02560-w
The authors use data from over 100,000 children (3–5.5 years old) across 551 Chinese cities, to show that risk of suspected neurodevelopmental delay increases under both prenatal and postnatal heat exposure. Steep increases at high temperatures highlight future potential vulnerability increases.Mountains magnify mechanisms in climate change biology
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 09 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02549-x
Mountains, with their sharp climatic contrasts, are emblematic of climate-driven species movement and, ultimately, loss. Here, we argue that these same contrasts make mountains powerful natural laboratories for discovering the mechanisms that underlie biological change.Preserving mountains
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 09 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02572-6
Disappearing glaciers and missing snow in mountain regions are some of the most immediate signs of global change today. In this issue, we focus on the broader changes in mountains and how they affect people living both within and far away from their peaks and valleys.Melting glaciers as symbols of tourism paradoxes
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 09 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02544-2
Visitors are increasingly drawn to disappearing glacier landscapes for their beauty and scientific value. This Comment examines the paradoxes reshaping relationships among glaciers, people and communities, and highlights research needed to avoid maladaptation harming local communities.Melting ice and transforming beliefs
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 09 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02551-3
Mountains and their ecosystems have been important to religious beliefs in many regions around the world. In this Viewpoint, researchers describe how climate change in mountain regions is interpreted by local communities and how they transform their spiritual practice in response to it.Cascading downstream impacts of water cycle changes in mountain regions
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 09 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02552-2
Mountains are hotspots of climate change, with melting glaciers, changing water flows and moving ecosystems. Here the authors discuss how these different changes in mountain regions affect downstream regions.Expert agreement on key elements of transformational adaptation to climate risks
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 06 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02548-y
Despite the growing literature and widespread interest in transformational adaptation, its definition remains contested. The results of a global expert survey reveal broad agreement on 13 key elements that should be included in defining transformational adaptation.Careful land allocation for carbon dioxide removal is critical for safeguarding biodiversity
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 05 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02567-3
A spatial assessment of global decarbonization scenarios reveals that land allocated for carbon dioxide removal substantially overlaps with areas of high biodiversity importance. The implications of such overlap depend on location and mode of implementation and demonstrate that careful assessment will be required when implementing decarbonization pathways to safeguard biodiversity.The expanding Indo-Pacific freshwater pool and changing freshwater pathway in the South Indian Ocean
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 03 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02553-1
Ocean salinity could change as the climate warms. Here the authors show that the South Indian Ocean has freshened most of the Southern Hemisphere oceans and highlight the mechanisms behind this freshening, as well as the implications for Indian Ocean stratification and structure.Enhanced effect of warming on the leaf-onset date of boreal deciduous broadleaf forest
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 02 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02528-2
The authors consider the changing sensitivity of the leaf-onset date to temperature (ST) for boreal deciduous broadleaf forests. ST increased between 1982–1996 and 1998–2012—potentially linked to enhanced chilling accumulation—but this increase is underestimated in phenology models.Biodiversity implications of land-intensive carbon dioxide removal
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 30 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-026-02557-5
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) plays an important role in decarbonization pathways to meet climate goals, but some methods are land-intensive. Multimodel analysis reveals conflicts between biodiversity and CDR that are distributed unevenly, and shows that synergies are crucial to meet climate and conservation goals.Climate change demands coordinated adaptation strategies of drinking water treatment
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 26 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02547-z
Climate change is tightening its grip on the world’s drinking water, threatening both safety and supply. Without urgent and coordinated adaptation of treatment systems, this overlooked vulnerability could compromise global water security.Global trends in ocean fronts and impacts on the air–sea CO<sub>2</sub> flux and chlorophyll concentrations
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 22 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02538-0
Changes in ocean fronts could impact biological productivity and carbon exchange. By analysing satellite and reanalysis data, the authors identify areas with active frontal activity and rapid change in properties, as well as highlighting the correspondence with surface productivity and CO2 uptake.