Environment and ecosystems

Study finds that rapid root-zone soil moisture depletion during flash droughts is more strongly linked to accelerated wildfire spread than conventional drought conditions across the United States.

Flash flood in Grand Canyon was probably due to a confluence of climate factors, including drought, wildfire scarring and warming temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that can supercharge storms. Scientists warn of stronger extremes due to climate crisis.

A national Coastal Exposure Index maps relative climate hazard exposure around Ireland, highlighting exposure hotspots, coastal habitats’ protective role and populations and cultural heritage sites near highly exposed coastlines.

Study finds extreme high ocean temperatures and low productivity, when combined, significantly increase the risk of fisheries declines worldwide. Risks are projected to intensify by mid-century, highlighting the need for adaptive fisheries management.

For past 50 years in B.C., clear-cut logging has been the primary method of timber extraction. Floods are frequent and more expensive now, and unlike the storms that help trigger them, clear cutting and the associated cumulative impacts are manageable.

A study finds that weak sea-surface temperature gradients reduce ocean cooling beneath tropical cyclones, allowing storms to intensify. Researchers say incorporating these small-scale ocean features into forecasting models could improve cyclone warnings.

Currently, water samples must be transported to a laboratory to reveal pollution. But new sensor technology is enabling researchers to measure pesticides in the water on site – and get the results right away.

As storms happen more often and with more intensity, considering the full life cycle of a building and its costs over time becomes increasingly important to get an accurate picture of how sustainable that building really is.

New research is dismantling the long-standing myth of the "pristine" Amazon. A reconstruction of 10,000 years of Amazonian pyrogeography shows that fire in the rainforest is almost exclusively a human-driven phenomenon, not a natural one.

As droughts become more frequent and severe, it is a timely opportunity to shift from crisis response to prevention and recognise land restoration as a cornerstone of water security, food systems, biodiversity, climate resilience and community well-being.

Soil degradation is continuing to worsen in many parts of the world, while proven practices to protect and restore soils are still not being adopted at the pace and scale required

Green and blue spaces, such as woodlands and riversides, could provide a vital line of defence for cities facing increasingly hot summers, according to new research from the University of Surrey.

Proper tree maintenance can help trees withstand hurricanes. The audio explores how pruning, planting the right species and managing tree health can reduce storm damage and help communities build resilience.

Climate change can extend mosquito activity and, speed up their development and reproduction. Scientists are controlling mosquito populations using Wolbachia carrying male mosquitoes which produce eggs that don't hatch and sterilize female mosquitoes.

The IDB is advancing regenerative roads in Latin America and the Caribbean by integrating nature-based solutions to reduce risks and costs due to poor logistics performance, growing exposure to natural hazards, and accelerating loss of natural capital.

Polish researcher warned putting out every forest fire could paradoxically increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires by allowing combustible vegetation to build up, arguing that controlled burning should be considered as part of fire protection.

Preventing peatland fires depends on peatland restoration and reducing conditions that enable fires to spread. Indonesia’s experience provides lessons for protecting vulnerable ecosystems and communities globally.

Runoff from a high-intensity storm during the 2022 McKinney Fire depleted oxygen in the Klamath River to levels lethal to fish, killing aquatic life along nearly 60 miles of one of California's most culturally significant waterways.

Research shows that fast-moving forest fires burn more severely, making it harder for forests to recover.

Long-term maintenance plans, clear ownership responsibilities and funding for stewardship may prove as important as the installation. Climate adaptation isn’t just about building infrastructure, but ensuring it continues to thrive for years to come.

The Community-Based Beneficial Fire Data Project compares statewide data from 2024 and 2025, documenting a movement that is growing, strengthening, and expanding to care for California’s landscapes through cultural and prescribed fire.

This study employs a multi-temporal geospatial approach to quantify the degradation of the Akkulam-Veli wetland system in Thiruvananthapuram, India, and investigates its direct correlation with increasing urban flood susceptibility.

Researchers found that canals cool their immediate surroundings during the day, typically extending 20–50 m from canal banks. Cooling effect is greater during spring and early summer and is noticeable during heatwaves, with cooling of more than 2°C.

Willis, a WTW business, and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund announced the launch of a market-first parametric insurance program to protect Caribbean coral reefs. Capacity is to be provided by Liberty Mutual, supported by the InsuResilience Solutions Fund.

The economic ramifications of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are much discussed. But so far, the risk of ecological damage following a long blockade of ships has been overlooked.

Historically, mangrove forests have been dismissed as inhospitable places to avoid and have been extensively cleared. But these fascinating trees are now gaining attention for how they buffer the effects of storms, cyclones and tsunamis.

Britain won’t prevent every wildfire, but it can reshape landscapes they burn through. Climate-smart rewilding is national resilience infrastructure: restoring bogs, rivers, woodlands and wildlife to reduce landscape-scale fires.

ueled by climate change, sea levels rise faster than at any time in recent geologic history. Meanwhile, coastal wetlands cling to a slim lead, lifted on newly accumulated sediments or moving inland as encroaching tides nip at their heels.

Conflicts with people are growing as expanded forest land and climate change push the creatures into human settlements. There are solutions to try.

UC Berkeley-led research indicates that continued climate change could severely increase wildfire above natural levels in Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Lassen Volcanic National Parks.

Peatlands are crucial carbon stores. When peat dries out and burns, the consequences can be disastrous: incinerated soils, smouldering wetlands, air pollution and massive carbon emissions. Surprisingly, peat fires in dry Australia aren’t always a problem.

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.

This publication shares lessons learned about the success factors that enabled the scaling up of EbA in the three countries, using a strategic framework that integrates the dimensions of governance, capacity building and enabling conditions.

This guidance presents people-centred circular approaches to rubble management and reconstruction after disasters and conflicts. It outlines practical measures to reuse and recycle rubble while supporting recovery, livelihoods and sustainable rebuilding.

This article presents the Climate-Resilient Systems Prioritisation Index (CRESPI), a GIS-based spatial decision-support framework developed to support climate resilience planning through the prioritisation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS).

This paper aims to review and synthesise the current state of knowledge on NbS for FRM in Australia, with a particular focus on identifying key barriers, enablers, and future directions.

In anticipation of future flooding, Australia could combine traditional structural and flood mitigation measures, such as dams and levees, with nature-inspired designs.

A new study shows the pros and cons of different model training methods.

Climate change is not just threatening coastal women's incomes, but also their food security, cultural practices and social identities. Yet their voices remain largely absent from ocean governance.

Wetlands protect communities and ecosystems from flooding. A study quantifies their financial importance.

In the summer of 2021, the hills of northeastern Algeria disappeared behind walls of smoke. Wildfires swept through Béjaïa, El Tarf, and Tizi Ouzou with a speed and ferocity that overwhelmed communities and firefighters alike.

Over the past 15 months, one of the country’s worst marine environmental disasters has been unfolding in South Australia.

This study from the University of British Columbia finds that, without logging, flood risk due to reduced snow melt was decreasing. But after logging, this was reversed, leading to significant upward trend in flood risk.