Pub Date : 2026-02-11DOI: 10.1038/s41558-026-02555-7
Cuihong Song, David Ponder, Wei Peng, Zhiyong Jason Ren
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greenhouse gas inventories systematically undercount methane and nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater due to outdated methods and incomplete coverage.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.
{"title":"Inconsistent national reports undercount wastewater emissions","authors":"Cuihong Song, David Ponder, Wei Peng, Zhiyong Jason Ren","doi":"10.1038/s41558-026-02555-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41558-026-02555-7","url":null,"abstract":"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greenhouse gas inventories systematically undercount methane and nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater due to outdated methods and incomplete coverage.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.","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"16 3","pages":"251-252"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-026-02555-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147383138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-11DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02540-6
Cuihong Song, David Ponder, Wei Peng, Zhiyong Jason Ren
The wastewater sector is now increasingly targeting fugitive CH4 and N2O emissions. National inventory reports (NIRs) are central to tracking these non-CO2 emissions, yet the extent to which NIRs capture sector-wide wastewater emissions remain unclear due to inconsistent accounting methodologies, complex systems and large fluctuations across regions and time. Here we conduct a global analysis of wastewater GHG accounting in NIRs, which reveals widespread omissions of key wastewater pathways and methodological discrepancies. These shortcomings systematically underestimate sectoral emissions and undermine cross-country comparability. For 38 countries studied, we estimate an unreported gap of 52.0–73.2 million metric tons (MMT) of CO2-equivalent (CO2e) per year, largely from omitted pathways and underestimation at centralized wastewater facilities. Extrapolated globally, approximately 94–150 MMT CO2e yr−1 are under-reported, though precise quantification remains challenging due to the lack of detailed activity data. These findings underscore the need for more comprehensive and harmonized accounting approaches in future Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guideline revisions to strengthen wastewater GHG inventories. 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.
{"title":"Discrepancies in national inventories reveal a large emissions gap in the wastewater sector","authors":"Cuihong Song, David Ponder, Wei Peng, Zhiyong Jason Ren","doi":"10.1038/s41558-025-02540-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41558-025-02540-6","url":null,"abstract":"The wastewater sector is now increasingly targeting fugitive CH4 and N2O emissions. National inventory reports (NIRs) are central to tracking these non-CO2 emissions, yet the extent to which NIRs capture sector-wide wastewater emissions remain unclear due to inconsistent accounting methodologies, complex systems and large fluctuations across regions and time. Here we conduct a global analysis of wastewater GHG accounting in NIRs, which reveals widespread omissions of key wastewater pathways and methodological discrepancies. These shortcomings systematically underestimate sectoral emissions and undermine cross-country comparability. For 38 countries studied, we estimate an unreported gap of 52.0–73.2 million metric tons (MMT) of CO2-equivalent (CO2e) per year, largely from omitted pathways and underestimation at centralized wastewater facilities. Extrapolated globally, approximately 94–150 MMT CO2e yr−1 are under-reported, though precise quantification remains challenging due to the lack of detailed activity data. These findings underscore the need for more comprehensive and harmonized accounting approaches in future Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guideline revisions to strengthen wastewater GHG inventories. 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.","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"16 3","pages":"313-321"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02540-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146152321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-11DOI: 10.1038/s41558-026-02560-w
Jing Cai, Mengxun Rong, Huijuan Peng, John S. Ji, Haidong Kan, Jing Hua
Early childhood represents a critical window of rapid brain growth and heightened vulnerability, yet the impacts of heat on development remain unclear. Here, using data from the Chinese National Cohort of Motor Development, comprising 101,228 children aged 3–5.5 years from 551 cities, we examined early-life exposure to ambient temperature. Within the observed range of 0–25 °C, we found that both prenatal and postnatal heat exposure were associated with increased risk of suspected neurodevelopmental delay. The exposure–response relationship followed a J-shaped pattern, with risk rising steeply at higher temperatures. Compared with the temperature of lowest risk, extreme heat (95th percentile) was linked to 35% higher risk during pregnancy and 53% higher risk from birth to age 3 years. Suspected neurodevelopmental delay risk increased across all examined heatwave definitions postnatally. These findings underscore the vulnerability of the developing brain to heat exposure and highlight the global relevance of temperature-related neurodevelopmental risks under climate change.
{"title":"Early-life heat exposure increases risk of neurodevelopmental delay in preschool children","authors":"Jing Cai, Mengxun Rong, Huijuan Peng, John S. Ji, Haidong Kan, Jing Hua","doi":"10.1038/s41558-026-02560-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02560-w","url":null,"abstract":"Early childhood represents a critical window of rapid brain growth and heightened vulnerability, yet the impacts of heat on development remain unclear. Here, using data from the Chinese National Cohort of Motor Development, comprising 101,228 children aged 3–5.5 years from 551 cities, we examined early-life exposure to ambient temperature. Within the observed range of 0–25 °C, we found that both prenatal and postnatal heat exposure were associated with increased risk of suspected neurodevelopmental delay. The exposure–response relationship followed a J-shaped pattern, with risk rising steeply at higher temperatures. Compared with the temperature of lowest risk, extreme heat (95th percentile) was linked to 35% higher risk during pregnancy and 53% higher risk from birth to age 3 years. Suspected neurodevelopmental delay risk increased across all examined heatwave definitions postnatally. These findings underscore the vulnerability of the developing brain to heat exposure and highlight the global relevance of temperature-related neurodevelopmental risks under climate change.","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":30.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146152320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 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.
{"title":"Preserving mountains","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41558-026-02572-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41558-026-02572-6","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"16 2","pages":"105-105"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-026-02572-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146148362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02544-2
Emmanuel Salim, Alix Varnajot, Mark Carey, Karine Gagné, Gijsbert Hoogendoorn, Cymene Howe, Matthias Huss, Christopher J. Lemieux, Emma J. Stewart
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.
{"title":"Melting glaciers as symbols of tourism paradoxes","authors":"Emmanuel Salim, Alix Varnajot, Mark Carey, Karine Gagné, Gijsbert Hoogendoorn, Cymene Howe, Matthias Huss, Christopher J. Lemieux, Emma J. Stewart","doi":"10.1038/s41558-025-02544-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41558-025-02544-2","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"16 2","pages":"106-108"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146148358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02549-x
Alejandro de la Fuente, I-Ching Chen, Natalie J. Briscoe, Michael R. Kearney
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.
{"title":"Mountains magnify mechanisms in climate change biology","authors":"Alejandro de la Fuente, I-Ching Chen, Natalie J. Briscoe, Michael R. Kearney","doi":"10.1038/s41558-025-02549-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41558-025-02549-x","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"16 2","pages":"115-117"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146148361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02551-3
Elizabeth Allison, Constanza Ceruti, Moses Muhumuza, Guillermo Salas Carreño, Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, Ivan Lizaga Villuendas
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.
{"title":"Melting ice and transforming beliefs","authors":"Elizabeth Allison, Constanza Ceruti, Moses Muhumuza, Guillermo Salas Carreño, Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, Ivan Lizaga Villuendas","doi":"10.1038/s41558-025-02551-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41558-025-02551-3","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"16 2","pages":"118-122"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146148347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02552-2
Daniel Viviroli, Fabian Drenkhan, Christopher A. Scott, Lauren Somers, Marit van Tiel
Mountains, often called the world’s ‘water towers’, are vital sources of freshwater that sustain ecosystems and societies far downstream. Climate change is altering their role, impacting the quantity, timing and quality of mountain water supply. While substantial research focuses on snow and glacier changes within mountains, a holistic understanding of how water cycle changes in mountains impact human water use and ecosystems downstream is still needed. Here we address how these changes cascade downstream, affect diverse social–ecological systems and pose challenges for adaptation. We also highlight major research gaps and outline research priorities for improving understanding of these coupled systems under a changing climate. 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.
{"title":"Cascading downstream impacts of water cycle changes in mountain regions","authors":"Daniel Viviroli, Fabian Drenkhan, Christopher A. Scott, Lauren Somers, Marit van Tiel","doi":"10.1038/s41558-025-02552-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41558-025-02552-2","url":null,"abstract":"Mountains, often called the world’s ‘water towers’, are vital sources of freshwater that sustain ecosystems and societies far downstream. Climate change is altering their role, impacting the quantity, timing and quality of mountain water supply. While substantial research focuses on snow and glacier changes within mountains, a holistic understanding of how water cycle changes in mountains impact human water use and ecosystems downstream is still needed. Here we address how these changes cascade downstream, affect diverse social–ecological systems and pose challenges for adaptation. We also highlight major research gaps and outline research priorities for improving understanding of these coupled systems under a changing climate. 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.","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"16 2","pages":"129-142"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146148381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02548-y
Robbert Biesbroek, Dore Engbersen, Jetske Bonenkamp, Emilie Broek, Eva Boon, Jurian Meijering, Johanna Nalau, James D. Ford, Edmond Totin, Timo Leiter, Elisabeth Gilmore, Kristie L. Ebi
Transformational adaptation (TA) to climate risks has gained broad interest. While existing case studies and frameworks discuss key dimensions and elements that constitute TA to distinguish it from ‘business as usual’ or ‘incremental’ adaptation, a universally accepted definition of the concept remains elusive. Here we used a three-round Delphi study with experts from across the globe, to ascertain the level of agreement on key elements of TA, and to assess differences across expert types, geographical focus and administrative levels. We find broad agreement on 13 elements that are important in a definition of TA: root causes, climate resilience, time-horizon, diversity of knowledge, depth of change, distributive justice, context specificity, multiscale, restructuring, persistence, maladaptation, avoiding lock-ins and systemic change. However, notable differences exist in what expert subgroups value as important elements. Clarifying what TA entails is crucial for developing effective policies and strategies, ensuring meaningful progress in addressing climate change. 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.
{"title":"Expert agreement on key elements of transformational adaptation to climate risks","authors":"Robbert Biesbroek, Dore Engbersen, Jetske Bonenkamp, Emilie Broek, Eva Boon, Jurian Meijering, Johanna Nalau, James D. Ford, Edmond Totin, Timo Leiter, Elisabeth Gilmore, Kristie L. Ebi","doi":"10.1038/s41558-025-02548-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41558-025-02548-y","url":null,"abstract":"Transformational adaptation (TA) to climate risks has gained broad interest. While existing case studies and frameworks discuss key dimensions and elements that constitute TA to distinguish it from ‘business as usual’ or ‘incremental’ adaptation, a universally accepted definition of the concept remains elusive. Here we used a three-round Delphi study with experts from across the globe, to ascertain the level of agreement on key elements of TA, and to assess differences across expert types, geographical focus and administrative levels. We find broad agreement on 13 elements that are important in a definition of TA: root causes, climate resilience, time-horizon, diversity of knowledge, depth of change, distributive justice, context specificity, multiscale, restructuring, persistence, maladaptation, avoiding lock-ins and systemic change. However, notable differences exist in what expert subgroups value as important elements. Clarifying what TA entails is crucial for developing effective policies and strategies, ensuring meaningful progress in addressing climate change. 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.","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"16 3","pages":"273-280"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 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.
{"title":"Careful land allocation for carbon dioxide removal is critical for safeguarding biodiversity","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41558-026-02567-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41558-026-02567-3","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"16 2","pages":"125-126"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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