Increasing urban vegetation by 30% could save over one-third of all heat related deaths, saving up to 1.16 million lives globally from 2000 to 2019 according to a 20-year modelling study of the impact of increasing greenness in more than 11,000 urban areas.

Imagine a natural fortress standing strong against raging storms. That’s what mangroves and other forested wetlands do for our coastlines. But how well do they protect us, and against which storms? Researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University, China and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) have uncovered a new and easy method to predict the effectiveness of these natural barriers during extreme weather events. This is an important new insight and tool for coastal managers and policymakers.

Forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by acting as carbon sinks. However, accurately tracking the carbon dynamics of forests, especially in rapidly urbanizing regions, remains a challenge. A recent study published in Forest Ecosystems offers new insights into the carbon effects of continuous forest change in China’s Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2000 to 2020, using advanced monitoring techniques.

Many of the fish we eat play a key role in maintaining the seabed – and therefore our climate, new research shows.