EurekAlert! Climate Change - Latest News Releases

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 1-Nov-2025 14:12 ET (1-Nov-2025 18:12 GMT/UTC)

Parched soils can spark hot drought a nation away

American Geophysical Union
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dry soils in northern Mexico may trigger episodes of simultaneous drought and heatwave hundreds of miles away in the southwestern United States, such as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, according to a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters. These “hot droughts” in the region increasingly persist through consecutive days and nights rather than easing up after sundown, the research also found, leaving no window for afflicted areas to recover.

Journal: Geophysical Research Letters

Climate change may increase the spread of neurotoxin in the oceans

Umea University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Climate-driven oxygen loss in the Black Sea thousands of years ago triggered the expansion of microorganisms capable of producing the potent neurotoxin methylmercury. That is shown in a new study published in Nature Water, led by Eric Capo at Umeå University, which suggests that similar processes could occur in today’s warming oceans.

Journal: Nature Water

AMS science preview: global heat record false? Rainier storms

American Meteorological Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

"Early online" research in journals of the American Meteorological Society discusses evidence that the world's hottest recorded temperature may be incorrect, an increase in intense rainfall worldwide, increasing expansion of fire weather, and the main cause of aviation accidents in Hawai‘i.

Journal: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

Fossil fuel companies control a mere 1% of renewable energy projects worldwide

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The fossil fuel industry is falling far short of its pledge to lead the energy transition, according to new research from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB). The study shows that the world’s largest oil and gas companies are responsible for only 1.42% of renewable energy projects worldwide.

Journal: Nature Sustainability

Early planting to avoid heat doesn’t match current spring wheat production

Washington State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Planting wheat earlier in the spring to avoid crop damage from ever-hotter summers may not keep harvests on pace with current levels.

New research at Washington State University challenges assumptions that earlier planting could offset the effects of a warming climate. Researchers used computer modeling to show that moving crop plantings earlier in the season brings about other plant growth issues that could hinder productivity.

The findings were published in Communications, Earth, and Environment.

Journal: Communications Earth & Environment

Wastewater plants produce twice as much greenhouse gases as officially estimated

Princeton University, Engineering School
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Princeton engineering drove a moble lab across the country and found that emissions of methane and nitrous oxide, powerful greenhouse gases, are twice as high as national estimates.

Journal: Nature Water
Funder: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

China, the world's largest tea producer, is predicted to experience increases in land suitable for tea-growing under climate change, with the overall range shifting northwards, per AI modeling study

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

China, the world's largest tea producer, is predicted to experience increases in land suitable for tea-growing under climate change, with the overall range shifting northwards, per AI modeling study

Journal: PLOS One

Understanding the climate cost of cleaning our water

Northwestern University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

U.S. wastewater treatment plants emit the equivalent of 47 million metric tons of CO2 each year. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions exceed previous estimates by 41%. Emissions can be slashed by tackling methane leaks, capturing nitrogen.

Journal: Nature Water
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy

Panama Canal may face frequent extreme water lows in coming decades

American Geophysical Union
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In 2023, Panama experienced one of the worst droughts in its recorded history, and it severely depleted water available to the Panama Canal, so much that it decreased shipping by 30%. A new study published in AGU's journal Geophysical Research Letters projected historic water lows could become the new norm if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

Journal: Geophysical Research Letters

New ocean research alliance to boost national collaboration

University of British Columbia
Business Announcement

The Pacific Marine Science Alliance Society (PMSA) has announced a three-year agreement with the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) designed to strengthen national ocean research collaboration across Canada’s three coasts.

UBC is one of five member universities of the PMSA, which owns and operates the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, and works to advance marine and coastal research, education and sustainability.

The new partnership, backed by $300,000 in funding from PMSA and MEOPAR, will help researchers better collaborate at regional, national and international levels to address crucial research challenges, including climate resilience, marine hazard prediction and sustainable ocean resource use. The collaboration will also prioritize Indigenous-led stewardship, student mobility and new international research partnerships.

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