KTU scientists develop advanced forest monitoring systems: Will forests monitor themselves in the future?
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 1-Sep-2025 13:11 ET (1-Sep-2025 17:11 GMT/UTC)
“Forests are among the most important ecosystems in nature, constantly evolving, yet their monitoring is often delayed,” says Rytis Maskeliūnas, a professor at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU). Climate change, pests, and human activity are transforming forests faster than we can track them – some changes become apparent only when the damage is already irreversible.
A recent study explores the intricate relationship between climate physical risks and the merging of digital and low-carbon economies in China. By examining the disruptive effects of extreme weather events such as severe cold spells and droughts, the research reveals how these climate challenges obstruct the seamless development of both sectors. Utilizing cutting-edge models, the study identifies regional disparities and outlines the mechanisms through which climate risks hinder technological innovation and economic integration, calling for urgent adaptive strategies to ensure sustainable economic growth.
Scientists from RMIT University are calling for countries to include carbon emissions from plastic production and waste in their climate action plans before the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 30) in Brazil.
More than 90% of the Paris Agreement signatory countries ignore plastics within their National Determined Contribution (NDC) plans, creating a major gap in climate mitigation efforts, the team says.In a recently published correspondence, two University of Colorado Department of Medicine faculty members say there are heightened health risks that incarcerated people face when extreme weather events happen, arguing for further research and action.
Researchers at the Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences (Mubadala ACCESS) at NYU Abu Dhabi have found that reef fish from the Arabian Gulf, the world’s hottest sea, exhibit a higher tolerance to temperature fluctuations compared to those from more thermally stable coral reefs. However, the Arabian Gulf hosts fewer fish species overall, indicating that only certain fishes can withstand rising global temperatures.
New research from the University of Exeter, published in Nature Food, has found it will be economically unsustainable by 2080 for many areas across Latin America and the Caribbean to continue growing bananas for export, because of rising temperatures caused by climate change.