Research briefs

The authors conclude that scientific realism and engaging storytelling are not mutually exclusive, pointing to documentaries as examples that successfully capture the suspense of prolonged unrest, uncertainty, and human decision-making.

IIASA researchers have developed a faster alternative to assess climate change impacts that uses available projections from Earth system- or climate impact models to generate new regional climate and impact projections while capturing the uncertainty.

New study reveals growing exposure of roads, railways, ports, airports and inland waterways to climate extremes and unprecedented impacts.

The increased focus in recent years on the socio-economic aspects of landslides has been welcome. This area of understanding has lagged behind that for other hazards, possibly in part because of the lack on interest from the insurance industry.

Novel cable-stay reinforcement could help offshore wind turbines resist combined seismic, wind and wave loading.

Climate change has increased childhood malaria, could continue to do so in southern and East Africa where communities are less experienced at tackling the disease, while reducing the risk in today’s hotspots as temperatures become too high for mosquitoes.

When catastrophic wildfires capture global headlines, such as the unprecedented blazes sweeping through southern Europe this summer or the devastating 2019–20 “Black Summer” in Australia, they are almost always preceded by severe drought.

When two major wildfires burned through the Sierra Nevada in 2020 and 2021, they took thousands of giant sequoia trees with them. Without prescribed burns, thousands more would have died, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis.