Plain language summary:

A team of international scientists has published a study in Nature Communications which warns that if global temperatures cannot be stabilized below 1.8°C, the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets will be lost and sea levels will rapidly rise. The study states that this increase in sea level would be on top of other contributions, such as the thermal expansion of ocean water. The study highlights the need for computer models to capture all components of the climate, as well as new observational programs to accurately represent physical processes in the ice sheets. If global net zero carbon emissions cannot be reached by 2060, then sea levels will continue to rise by at least 100 cm within the next 130 years. This would be on top of other contributions, such as the thermal expansion of ocean water.

Plain language summary:

The study found that Arctic warming is contributing to increases in the number of marine heatwaves in the Northeast Pacific over the past few decades. This is due to changes in the atmospheric circulation pattern over the Northeast Pacific, which are reducing the amount of low-level clouds and increasing the amount of solar radiation and reduced latent heat loss. This has resulted in an increase in sea surface temperatures and marine heatwave days. The study suggests that the effects of Arctic warming on marine heatwaves should be taken into account when making climate change adaptation and mitigation plans.

Plain language summary:

According to a new study from Yale University, climate change could lead to a decrease in the biomass of tropical forests, resulting in an increase in carbon emissions that could accelerate global warming. The research team used historical data and satellite maps to study above-ground biomass in the tropics of South America, Africa, and Asia. They found that if greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are higher, losses of stored carbon could nearly double by 2100. The researchers hope that these findings will help strengthen the case for current climate policy initiatives, such as the Paris Climate Agreement, that seek to limit global warming and preserve tropical forests.

Plain language summary:

A new study shows that current policies are not enough to phase out coal and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The study suggests that additional strong policies such as carbon pricing and coal mining phase-outs are needed in order to achieve a global coal exit. It also shows that China has the opportunity to dominate the renewable energy market if it phases out coal soon, but if it doesn't, it could delay the renewable energy breakthrough worldwide. The scientists also find that the Powering Past Coal Alliance may lead to a rebound in coal use globally due to market effects, and that the greatest risk to the coal exit movement may be from free-riding sectors in member countries. Finally, the study suggests that the G20 phase-out of international public finance for coal projects may be able to provide some political momentum for the Alliance.

Plain language summary:

Researchers at the University of Leeds have discovered that the UK's laundry releases up to 1,500 double-decker buses worth of microfibers into the environment every year. The research team used a test to measure how different materials and washing conditions affect the amount of microfibers released into water. They found that fabric characteristics like yarn type, construction, and fibre type had more influence than washing conditions on how many microfibers were released. The findings suggest that microfibre release is a relatively small problem compared to the fashion industry's waste problem. The research team hopes that their findings will help inform washing machine manufacturers about filtering and give a clearer picture of the scale of the problem.

Plain language summary:

This study looks at the Critical Zone, which is the area of the Earth's land surface that is responsible for sustaining life. Researchers from the University of Arizona found a link between the activities of carbon-consuming microbes and the transformation of rock to soil in the critical zone. They also found that microbial life is an "active engineer" in determining how the Earth's critical zone evolves. The findings of this study provide insight into how mineral weathering, microorganisms, and organic acids interact to form soil and how this affects the carbon cycle and global climate.

Plain language summary:

This study found that long-term exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of developing depression and anxiety. The study looked at nearly 400,000 people in the U.K. and found that exposure to PM2.5, NO2, and NO was associated with higher risk for depression and anxiety. Even at relatively low levels of exposure, all three pollutants were linked to depression and anxiety. The risks for depression and anxiety were higher in the second, third, and fourth quartiles of exposure compared to the lowest quartile. The authors suggest that air pollution may increase mental health issues by causing inflammation and oxidative stress in the central nervous system.

Plain language summary:

This research looks into the environmental pressures and impacts that result from the consumption of goods and services in the European Union. It finds that the majority of these pressures and impacts now occur outside of the EU, while a vast majority of the economic benefits remain within the member countries. Eastern Europe, in particular, has experienced the most environmental pressures and impacts per unit of GDP as a result of EU consumption.

Plain language summary:

This study found that Indigenous territories and protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon are responsible for more than half of the region’s forest, but only 5% of total net forest loss. The authors of the study attribute this to the weakening of environmental protections under former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and suggest that the newly installed Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva must bring back stronger protections for the Amazon, including international cooperation and financing. Indigenous leaders such as Amanda Kayabi, who works with the Xingu Seed Network, emphasize the importance of Indigenous peoples in protecting the Amazon and suggest that demarcation alone is not enough to reach the deforestation goals.

Plain language summary:

The study led by Utrecht climate researcher Melchior van Wessem has found that some cold ice shelves in Antarctica, which were previously thought to remain stable in the under moderate warming scenarios, may actually be vulnerable. This is because the relatively low amount of snowfall on cold ice shelves like the Ross ice shelf may cause meltwater ponds to form at an average annual temperature of -15 degrees Celsius. If this happens, the adjacent land ice could flow more rapidly into the ocean, leading to faster sea level rise. This highlights the importance of accurately simulating snowfall in Antarctica in order to make more accurate predictions about melting and sea level rise.