Climate change in the Arctic is paving the way for the spread of infectious diseases with pandemic potential, warn scientists.

Based on data in the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and the life cycle approach, the Amalur EIS environmental information system, created by the Ekopol group of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), enables environmental impacts at national, regional and/or municipal level to be analysed. The researchers also analysed the results of data collected at industrial plants in the Basque Country between 2007-2022.

A research team led by Prof. SHI Long and Prof. ZHANG Heping from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) established the most comprehensive city-level fire incident database to date, covering 20.6% of the global population and quantified the intrinsic link between climate change and urban fire risks. The study was published in Nature Cities.

A comprehensive lifecycle analysis of emissions-reduction measures for oceangoing cargo ships indicates that burning heavy fuel oil in conjunction with exhaust cleaning systems called scrubbers has an environmental impact comparable to burning low-sulfur fuels. 

Storm forecasting is traditionally based on studying atmospheric conditions but ground-breaking research that also looks at land surface conditions is set to transform early warning systems in tropical regions. This will enable communities to better adapt to the destructive impacts of climate change.

The new study led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) has shown that a large contrast in soil moisture levels over a range of hundreds of kilometres results in atmospheric changes that increase rainfall area and amount in several megastorm hotspots globally. This increase ranges from 10 to 30% depending on the region and size of the storm.

Insects are the dominant form of animal life on our planet, providing humans and wildlife with pollination, food, and recycling services but, despite concerns about population declines, little is known about how 99% of species globally are faring.

A new approach is needed to better monitor species and protect them from the impacts of climate and land use change, pollution and invasive non-native species as soon as possible, according to a study led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and ZSL (Zoological Society of London).

An archaeological study of human settlement during the Final Palaeolithic revealed that populations in Europe did not decrease homogenously during the last cold phase of the Ice Age. Significant variation in regional population sizes indicate differentiated reactions nested in an overall shift of settlement areas towards the east / publication in PLOS One