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This study focuses on assessing coastal vulnerability and habitat sensitivity along the West African coast by delineating hotspots based on surface temperature, pH, chlorophyll-a, particulate organic carbon, and carbonate concentrations between 2018 and 2023 depending on data availability. Initial exploration of these variables revealed two distinct focal points i.e., the Togo-Nigerian coastal stretch and the stretch from Sierra Leone to Mauritania. Lower pH trends (acidification) in surface waters were observed off the West African coast, particularly in areas around the south-south Niger Delta in Nigeria and the coastal regions of Guinea and Guinea Bissau. Sea surface temperature analysis revealed highest temperatures (27-30°C) within Nigeria to Guinea coastal stretch, intermediate temperatures (24-27°C) within the Guinea Bissau and Senegal coastal stretch, and the lowest temperatures off the coast of Mauritania. Furthermore, correlation analysis between sea surface temperature and calcite concentration in the Mauritania-Senegal hotspot, as well as between overland runoff and particulate organic carbon in the Togo-Nigeria hotspot, revealed strong positive associations (r>0.60) and considerable predictive variability (R 2 ≈ 0.40). From the habitat sensitivity analysis, certain regions, including Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, exhibited high sensitivity due to environmental challenges and strong human dependence on coastal resources. Conversely, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Togo displayed lower sensitivity, influenced by geographical-related factors (e.g. coastal layout, topography, etc.) and current levels of economic development (relatively lower industrialization levels). Regional pH variations in West African coastal waters have profound implications for ecosystems, fisheries, and communities. Addressing these challenges requires collaborative regional policies to safeguard shared marine resources. These findings underscore the link between ecosystem health, socioeconomics, and the need for integrated coastal management and ongoing research to support effective conservation., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

This paper emerged from discussions between the authors about our shared and different perspectives of climate change and its impact on the social, emotional, physical, spiritual and cultural wellbeing of Aboriginal Peoples and mental health services in a rural region, heavily impacted in recent years by bushfires and floods. Here we discuss, from the lead authors personal perspective as a Gamilaraay Woman, the experience of Solastalgia as a critical impact of climate change on wellbeing. Specifically, we discuss the relationship of a connection to country from a Gamilaraay, first person perspective through a series of diary entries from the lead author. Authors are researchers from different cultural backgrounds, connected through a medical research futures fund research project, to promote resilience within Aboriginal communities and the health services sector in the New England, North West region. The lead author has cultural connections to some of the communities we work with and our work is informed by these connections. While this paper was written to express an Aboriginal perspective on climate change and wellbeing, it reflects our shared perspectives of how disasters such as bushfires impact the wellbeing of Aboriginal peoples. We also explore the connection between the impact of localised, recurring natural disasters and the increasing demands on mental health services in regional and rural areas and discuss what this means with Aboriginal and non-Indigenous mental health nurses and researchers working in regional and rural areas where access to mental health services often poses considerable challenges. From our perspective, mental health research and nursing play an important role in walking alongside Aboriginal Peoples as we explore, respond and create resilience to the ever-present influence that climate change is having on our lives, communities, country and workplaces., (© 2023 The Authors. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Climate change has been linked to water scarcity, land degradation, and food insecurity, exacerbating existing tensions and creating new conflicts in countries with weak political institutions. Despite the critical need for effective conflict management and climate adaptation measures, prior studies failed to emphasize the role climate change plays in civil clashes in conflict-affected countries. In this research, we undertake a comprehensive investigation of the effects of climate change and government stability on internal conflicts in 14 selected SSA nations between 1996 and 2016. The study embraces contemporary heterogeneous panel techniques to address heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence issues that usually appear in panel data estimates. We employed second-generation unit root tests, such as CADF and CIPS, to determine the order of integration of the variables. In addition, Pedroni and Westerlund cointegration tests confirmed the long-run relationship among the variables. Although temperatures were insignificant, the long-run results of the pooled mean group (PMG) approach suggested that civil conflicts decline when precipitation increases. In addition, the outcomes indicate that environmental degradation and population growth are long-run aggravators of social unrest. The short-run results suggest that rising temperatures exacerbate civil conflicts in the selected SSA countries. However, the study found that government stability lessens internal conflicts in the short run, but not in the long run. The DOLS technique validated the long-run outcomes of the PMG technique. Based on the findings of the study, conflict-prone SSA countries should integrate climate change adaptation and conflict prevention strategies, implement sustainable water resource management practices, and endorse climate-related conflict resolution., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Energy poverty is a critical global issue that affects millions of people worldwide. The lack of access to reliable and affordable energy services has significant economic and social impacts, including limited opportunities for education, personal development, and economic growth. This paper examines the relationship between energy poverty and economic development in selected countries using the panel quantile methodology. The findings emphasize the importance of addressing energy poverty in order to foster economic growth in the selected country group. In addition, CO 2 emissions have a positive effect on economic growth, but policies to reduce fossil fuel consumption can both boost economic growth and mitigate negative environmental impacts. Inflation has a negative effect on economic growth, so policymakers should prioritize measures to control it. Employment has a positive effect on economic growth, so job creation policies should be promoted. The study found that improving access to clean energy can increase economic growth and improve the well-being of citizens in Eastern European countries. Therefore, efforts to reduce energy poverty should be a priority to promote economic development and improve the quality of life., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Material footprint is vital for playing a role in increasing the pace of climate change and the sustainability of development efforts. Fossil fuels material footprint (FFMF) remains a critical indicator of environment-friendly economic development. Fossil fuels have also retained their dominance as prominent drivers of global growth since the Industrial Revolution. FFMF levels show considerable variations in economic growth worldwide as awareness of sustainability and climate change propagates. Although biomass/carbon emission convergence have been discussed extensively in the existing literature, FFMF convergence is still scanty despite its vital role in climate change. Hence, this study adds to the existing literature by examining the convergence of FFMF for 154 countries for the period from 1970 to 2019 using club convergence analysis. The results show that FFMF converges to a single steady state, stating a symmetric decline in FFMF growth. Further, the findings from sigma and beta tests are consistent with the main results. Thus, the demonstrated convergence of FFMF directs that global efforts regarding FFMF control should be continued. Moreover, future climate change policies should also be formulated to enhance the awareness of FFMF and long-term sustainability., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Evidence is needed to support local action to reduce the adverse health impacts of climate change and maximise the health co-benefits of climate action. Focused on England, the study identifies priority areas for research to inform local decision making., Methods: Firstly, potential priority areas for research were identified from a brief review of UK policy documents, and feedback invited from public and policy stakeholders. This included a survey of Directors of Public Health (DsPH) in England, the local government officers responsible for public health. Secondly, rapid reviews of research evidence examined whether there was UK evidence relating to the priorities identified in the survey., Results: The brief policy review pointed to the importance of evidence in two broad areas: (i) community engagement in local level action on the health impacts of climate change and (ii) the economic (cost) implications of such action. The DsPH survey (n = 57) confirmed these priorities. With respect to community engagement, public understanding of climate change's health impacts and the public acceptability of local climate actions were identified as key evidence gaps. With respect to economic implications, the gaps related to evidence on the health and non-health-related costs and benefits of climate action and the short, medium and longer-term budgetary implications of such action, particularly with respect to investments in the built environment. Across both areas, the need for evidence relating to impacts across income groups was highlighted, a point also emphasised by the public involvement panel. The rapid reviews confirmed these evidence gaps (relating to public understanding, public acceptability, economic evaluation and social inequalities). In addition, public and policy stakeholders pointed to other barriers to action, including financial pressures, noting that better evidence is insufficient to enable effective local action., Conclusions: There is limited evidence to inform health-centred local action on climate change. More evidence is required on public perspectives on, and the economic dimensions of, local climate action. Investment in locally focused research is urgently needed if local governments are to develop and implement evidence-based policies to protect public health from climate change and maximise the health co-benefits of local action., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Rainfall is one of the remarkable hydrologic variables that is directly connected to the sustainable environment for any region over the globe. The present study aims to review different research papers on rainfall forecasting using artificial intelligence (AI) models including a bibliographic assessment of the most popular AI models and a comparison of the results based on the accuracy parameters. 39 journal papers, published in renowned international journals from 2000 to 2023, were studied extensively to categorize modeling techniques, best models, characteristics of input data, the period for the input variables, data division, and so forth. Although certain drawbacks still exist, the results of reviewed studies suggest that AI models may help simulate rainfall in various geographic locations. In some cases, the data splitting mechanism was delivered to the model itself so that the model accuracy gets improved. The recommendations from the reviewed papers will help future researchers fill the research gaps, especially tuning the hyperparameters while building the training models. Hybrid models were advised in some cases to minimize the gap between the simulated and the observed data. All recommendations from reviewed papers aimed to achieve a resilient rainfall forecasting model in the era of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is impacting many aspects of human life in many ways. In Ghana, climate change knowledge remains low and discussions linking climate change and health are scarce. In this paper, authors contribute to the shaping of discussions about climate and health with a focus on how climate change increases certain ailments. First, the paper addresses the need for research in Ghanaian communities to link climate change and health. Second, the paper suggests the development of policies to address the link. Third, public health educators are advised in this paper to educate the public. Plain Language Summary: The paper addresses the link between climate change and health. Authors call for this link to be considered in Ghana and policies developed to meet worsening health problems. Key Points: Climate change is an important driver of negative health outcomesClimate change exacerbates the already precarious health inequality in GhanaResearchers, policymakers, and public health educators should focus on the impact of climate change on health in Ghana [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry is a high energy consuming and polluting sector, and carbon emissions emitted from this sector are worthy of attention. This article, based upon an analysis of China’s Pulp and Paper Industry (CPPI), provides estimates of each of the following: carbon emissions from energy consumption, pre-treatment sector, combustion of condensed black liquor, and methane emitted from incomplete aerobic digestion during sewage treatment of CPPI. During the study period (2005–2012), total CO 2 emissions ranged from 126.0 Mt to 155.4 Mt. Energy consumption was estimated to be the largest source of carbon emissions, however, due to the application of the local emission inventory rather than the IPCC inventory, energy consumption decreased by 4.7%, a lower percentage than was calculated in a previous study. According to this study’s estimation, the emissions caused by the recovery of biomass energy contributed 26–29% of the total CO 2 emissions. CH 4 generated from sewage treatment accounted for 9–11% of the total carbon emissions. The CO 2 intensity dropped during the study period, which reflected the improvement of energy efficiency in the pulp and paper industry. The outcome of this study provides not only detailed information about CPPI’s carbon emissions, but also a calculation framework for studying carbon emissions from pulp and paper sector in the other regions. It suggests that the local carbon emissions inventory should be used for estimating carbon emissions and to reduce the fossil fuel energy, increase energy recovery from biomass, and that promoting cleaner production is essential to achieve a low carbon development of the pulp and paper industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption plays an important role in economic growth, but little is known about its response to weather extremes. This paper examines the effect of temperature shocks on consumption using high-frequency and fine-scale data from the world's largest payment network. Our analysis shows that excessive heat and cold have a direct and immediate negative effect on various consumption activities in the short run, leading to an inverted U-shaped relationship between temperature and consumption. Consumption sensitivity varies by climate region, with cold regions being more sensitive to excessive heat. The long-run projections show that without adaptation, climate change would reduce aggregate consumption under both moderate and aggressive scenarios by the end of the century. However, no evidence of consumption reduction arises once adaptation is accounted for. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating the moderating role of adaptation in understanding consumption responses to climate change., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

The negative impact of climate change on biodiversity will continue to escalate rapidly. While some species will naturally migrate to more suitable areas or adapt to the new climatic environmental conditions in different fashions, for others doing so may prove to be problematic or impossible. Against this backdrop, scientists and environmentalists have proposed implementing plans for Assisted Migration (AM)-meaning the translocation of plants and animals to areas outside their natural habitats to conserve their species under the new emerging climatic conditions. This article seeks to identify legal approaches towards AM considering not only possible benefits from using this tool but also a necessity to minimize related risks. With regard to its stated purpose, this article also compares legal and policy documents relevant to AM issues from the United States, Australia, and the European Union. In conclusion, we have found, and this article shows, that while existing legal and policy documents leave room for manoeuvreing in regard to climate-related translocations and even sometimes explicitly mention AM as a possible tool for conservation, there exists a need for the further development of concrete legal mechanisms and their balancing with the predominant ideas and goals brought about by the necessity to protect native biota., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Given the extensive impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector and their interactions, the climate change is known as one of the main factors influencing agricultural production. The present study aims to explore the short- and long-term impacts of climate change on the yield of irrigated barley in 28 Iranian provinces over the 1999-2015 period. The research uses panel data and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) method. The study also estimated the threshold levels of temperature and rainfall which confirmed an inverted U-shaped relationship between climate change variables and irrigated barley yield. The threshold levels of temperature and rainfall are estimated to be 15.48 °C and 239 mm, respectively; beyond these threshold levels, the increase in temperature and rainfall have negative impact on barley yield in Iran. The long-term elasticity of temperature shows that the yield will be reduced with the increase in temperature in the long run. Same is the case with the precipitation and barley yield. The findings of the study suggest the need of a comprehensive national climate change policy and alignment of sectoral policies with it mitigate and adapt the climate change and global warming. Moreover, it also provided the guidelines for the government and policy-makers to introduce the use of modern eco-friendly and resource saving technologies such as water-saving methods of irrigation, use of fertilizer in required quantities, and improved seeds use. The government should also introduce the climate change awareness programs especially for farmers., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The demand for food resources is increasing quickly because human populations are growing; therefore, food security may become one of the largest human challenges of this century. Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are the most valuable plant genetic resources (PGR) for the conservation of genetic diversity in crops. However, climate change is an added pressure on biodiversity, particularly on this valuable group of plants. It is predicted that more than 50% of this group may be lost by 2055 as a result of the effects of climate change. Iran ranks high in the world in its conservation priorities for CWRs. This study investigates the impacts of climate change on Aegilops L. as important CWRs. MaxEnt was applied to predict the spatial distribution of seven Aegilops species under different climatic scenarios (RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5) of 2050 and 2080. According to the findings, all species exhibited reduction or expansion responses under all of the above-mentioned climatic scenarios. However, the range change was negative for some species (i.e., Aegilops columnaris, Aegilops cylindrica, Aegilops speltoides, Aegilops tauschii [in all scenarios of 2050 and 2080], and Aegilops kotschyi [RCP 2.6 2050 and 2080]), and positive for others (i.e., Aegilops crassa, Aegilops triuncialis [in all scenarios of 2050 and 2080], and Aegilops kotschyi [RCP 8.5 2050 and 2080]). The results of this study emphasize the need for conservation plans for the country's genetic resources, including regular monitoring and assessment of ecological and demographic changes. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:697-708. © 2021 SETAC., (© 2021 SETAC.)

As the human population and demand for food grow 1 , the ocean will be called on to provide increasing amounts of seafood. Although fisheries reforms and advances in offshore aquaculture (hereafter 'mariculture') could increase production 2 , the true future of seafood depends on human responses to climate change 3 . Here we investigated whether coordinated reforms in fisheries and mariculture could increase seafood production per capita under climate change. We find that climate-adaptive fisheries reforms will be necessary but insufficient to maintain global seafood production per capita, even with aggressive reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions. However, the potential for sustainable mariculture to increase seafood per capita is vast and could increase seafood production per capita under all but the most severe emissions scenario. These increases are contingent on fisheries reforms, continued advances in feed technology and the establishment of effective mariculture governance and best practices. Furthermore, dramatically curbing emissions is essential for reducing inequities, increasing reform efficacy and mitigating risks unaccounted for in our analysis. Although climate change will challenge the ocean's ability to meet growing food demands, the ocean could produce more food than it does currently through swift and ambitious action to reduce emissions, reform capture fisheries and expand sustainable mariculture operations., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Biophysical effects from deforestation have the potential to amplify carbon losses but are often neglected in carbon accounting systems. Here we use both Earth system model simulations and satellite-derived estimates of aboveground biomass to assess losses of vegetation carbon caused by the influence of tropical deforestation on regional climate across different continents. In the Amazon, warming and drying arising from deforestation result in an additional 5.1 ± 3.7% loss of aboveground biomass. Biophysical effects also amplify carbon losses in the Congo (3.8 ± 2.5%) but do not lead to significant additional carbon losses in tropical Asia due to its high levels of annual mean precipitation. These findings indicate that tropical forests may be undervalued in carbon accounting systems that neglect climate feedbacks from surface biophysical changes and that the positive carbon-climate feedback from deforestation-driven climate change is higher than the feedback originating from fossil fuel emissions., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

A multitude of actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems can have co-benefits for both climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Reducing greenhouse emissions to limit warming to less than 1.5 or 2°C above preindustrial levels, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, can yield strong co-benefits for land, freshwater and marine biodiversity and reduce amplifying climate feedbacks from ecosystem changes. Not all climate mitigation strategies are equally effective at producing biodiversity co-benefits, some in fact are counterproductive. Moreover, social implications are often overlooked within the climate-biodiversity nexus. Protecting biodiverse and carbon-rich natural environments, ecological restoration of potentially biodiverse and carbon-rich habitats, the deliberate creation of novel habitats, taking into consideration a locally adapted and meaningful (i.e. full consequences considered) mix of these measures, can result in the most robust win-win solutions. These can be further enhanced by avoidance of narrow goals, taking long-term views and minimizing further losses of intact ecosystems. In this review paper, we first discuss various climate mitigation actions that evidence demonstrates can negatively impact biodiversity, resulting in unseen and unintended negative consequences. We then examine climate mitigation actions that co-deliver biodiversity and societal benefits. We give examples of these win-win solutions, categorized as 'protect, restore, manage and create', in different regions of the world that could be expanded, upscaled and used for further innovation., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Ecological constraints on independent breeding are recognised as major drivers of cooperative breeding across diverse lineages. How the prevalence and degree of cooperative breeding relates to ecological variation remains unresolved. Using a large data set of cooperative nesting in Polistes wasps we demonstrate that different aspects of cooperative breeding are likely to be driven by different aspects of climate. Whether or not a species forms cooperative groups is associated with greater short-term temperature fluctuations. In contrast, the number of cooperative foundresses increases in more benign environments with warmer, wetter conditions. The same data set reveals that intraspecific responses to climate variation do not mirror genus-wide trends and instead are highly heterogeneous among species. Collectively these data suggest that the ecological drivers that lead to the origin or loss of cooperation are different from those that influence the extent of its expression within populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of a rapidly evolving Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) market and increasing debate about the design of a future global climate regime, it is essential to understand which types of projects are undertaken along industrial value chains, and also the influence of company characteristics (e.g. size, raw material base, product type, ownership and location) on firms' CDM participation and choice of project type. The Indian pulp and paper industry was examined for its energy intensity and its diversity in terms of both mitigation opportunities and company characteristics. Large firms were found to be more likely than small firms to participate in CDM. Although CDM projects in large and small firms generate similar amounts of certified emission reductions (CERs), the type of technology implemented in those projects varies strongly with company size due to differing levels of capabilities and capital. Mill size and raw material base also affect participation and choice of project type. A structured approach is suggested for analysing how to engage different subsectors of an industry in mitigation efforts based on transnational sectoral approaches, domestic sectoral approaches, and programmatic CDM. Preliminary policy recommendations are offered for the Indian pulp and paper industry, as well as insights that are transferable to other countries. A one-size-fits-all sectoral approach is difficult to implement and a strategy for differentiated treatment based on company characteristics is required to reflect local development priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic meta-narrative literature review aims to explore the narratives of trust evident in literature on public (mis)trust relating to climate science published up until May 2021, and to present the main findings from these papers. We identified six narratives of trust: attitudinal trust, cognitive trust, affective trust, contingencies of trust, contextual trust and communicated trust. The papers' main findings spanned theoretical conclusions on the importance of positionality to trust and morality to trustworthiness, to qualitative findings that the scientific community was mainly trusted, to quantitative findings that explored how trust functioned as an independent, dependent or mediating variable. This literature review sheds important light on the interrelationship between climate science and publics, highlights areas for further research, and in its characterisation of trust narratives provides a language for conceptualising trust that can further interdisciplinary engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the broad disjunction between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest on biodiversity has been the theme of several discussions in recent decades. Here, we evaluate the effects of dependence on humid environments and the role of historical factors on the level, distribution and structuring of genetic variation in widely distributed Neotropical insects. For such, we test whether climatically stable zones (i.e. refuges) in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest concentrate higher genetic diversity in the social paper wasps Angiopolybia pallens and Synoeca surinama. We found that historical events have avoided the interchange of A. pallens between both rainforests at least since the Early Pliocene and that ancient colonization in north-western Amazonia and the Bahia refuge significantly predicts genetic diversity in populations of this species. Conversely, the split between the Atlantic Forest and remaining western populations of S. surinama is more recent (Plio-Pleistocene); this species has considerably lower genetic diversity than A. pallens and such diversity is mostly concentrated in Amazonia and in the cerrado biome (savanna) than in the Atlantic Forest. Finally, we propose that the occurrence of species that exhibit such distribution patterns should be taken into consideration when establishing areas for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is believed to be caused by natural processes such as volcanic eruptions, which release ash into the atmosphere, and anthropogenic activities that increase the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which trap energy and cause intense warming. This article conducts a comprehensive review of existing literature relating to climate change and its impact on oil palm production in Malaysia. To enable analysis, articles were arranged, sorted, and categorized into various themes and associations based on the title of the article, abstract, and later the content. The findings reveal that climate change causes variability in the intensity and duration of rainfall, which ultimately affects the production of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) and the quality of crude palm oil (CPO). The decline in FFB increased the price of crude palm oil. The impacts of climate change on oil palm vary and are felt differently in different regions. Climate change increases the vulnerability and exposure of oil palms to various diseases, exposes them to water stress, and disrupts metabolic activities. The surface temperature in Malaysia is anticipated to rise by 1.5 to 2 °C, worsening the adaptation plans. Oil palm growers explore possible ways to adapt to and withstand the impacts of climate change by adopting the use of an improved variety of oil palm seedlings, soil management and fertility preservation, silt pit, mulching, intercropping, livelihood diversification, buying insurance, and best water conservation practices., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Due to global warming, droughts have become one of the focal points of researchers in the field of climate and water, all over the world. The analyses in this paper include spatial pattern and temporal trend for the territory of Serbia, over the 1949-2016 period. The De Martonne aridity index and the Ped drought index have been applied. Eighteen pairs of temperature and precipitation stations all over the country have been analyzed. The obtained results show a tendency toward a drier condition, which are not yet drastic. Drought areas for the territory of Serbia are increasing, but drought intensity and frequency should certainly be lower than those predicted for the Mediterranean coastal area, except in regions with very high human water use. Comparing the obtained results from stations at the original altitude and calculated data for the same stations at fixed virtual altitudes has shown that the natural direction of drought, which decreases from west to southeast, has shifted to a north to south direction., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Ocean deoxygenation is one of the major consequences of climate change. In coastal waters, this process can be exacerbated by eutrophication, which is contributing to an alarming increase in the so-called 'dead zones' globally. Despite its severity, the effect of reduced dissolved oxygen has only been studied for a very limited number of organisms, compared to other climate change impacts such as ocean acidification and warming. Here, we experimentally assessed the response of sponges to moderate and severe simulated hypoxic events. We ran three laboratory experiments on four species from two different temperate oceans (NE Atlantic and SW Pacific). Sponges were exposed to a total of five hypoxic treatments, with increasing severity (3.3, 1.6, 0.5, 0.4 and 0.13 mg O 2  L -1 , over 7-12-days). We found that sponges are generally very tolerant of hypoxia. All the sponges survived in the experimental conditions, except Polymastia crocea, which showed significant mortality at the lowest oxygen concentration (0.13 mg O 2  L -1 , lethal median time: 286 h). In all species except Suberites carnosus, hypoxic conditions do not significantly affect respiration rate down to 0.4 mg O 2  L -1 , showing that sponges can uptake oxygen at very low concentrations in the surrounding environment. Importantly, sponges displayed species-specific phenotypic modifications in response to the hypoxic treatments, including physiological, morphological and behavioural changes. This phenotypic plasticity likely represents an adaptive strategy to live in reduced or low oxygen water. Our results also show that a single sponge species (i.e., Suberites australiensis) can display different strategies at different oxygen concentrations. Compared to other sessile organisms, sponges generally showed higher tolerance to hypoxia, suggesting that sponges could be favoured and survive in future deoxygenated oceans., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This study evaluates the potential of gridded AgMERRA (the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications) to estimate aridity index (AI), growing degree days (GDD), and temperature seasonality (TS) for six land stations across northeast Iran. The researcher investigated the spatiotemporal variation of the AgMERRA-derived agro-climatic indices for the entire period 1981-2010 and three 10-year sub-periods for the 347 wheat harvested grid cells (0.25° × 0.25°) and their utility for agro-climate zoning in northeast Iran. Results indicated a good agreement between AgMERRA daily solar radiation, maximum and minimum temperatures, and annual total precipitation with corresponding land observations for the six studied sites. AgMERRA-derived evapotranspiration (ET o ), AI, GDD, and TS also exhibited good agreement (R 2 and d > 0.7) with the land station-derived indices for most of the locations. Annual analysis of the AI indicated a negative trend for all of the wheat harvested grid cells, but the decrease was significant (p < 0.05) only for 14.70% of grid cells, which were located in the southwest part of the studied region. The magnitude of the significant decreasing trends in annual AI was (-)0.0011 per year. The increase in aridity was due to the concurrent occurrences of positive ET o trends and negative precipitation trends. All of the wheat harvested grid cells showed a significant increasing trend (p < 0.05) for GDD at the rate of 24.10 °C d year -1 . The TS series demonstrated an apparent increasing trend for 99.2% of wheat harvested grid cells; however, only 16.9% of them had the significant positive trend (p < 0.05) with the average rate of 0.023 °C year -1 . The wheat harvested grid cells with increasing trend for TS were mainly distributed in the arid mountainous southern part of the study area. The 10 years sub-periods revealed that the best conditions in terms of most of the studied agro-climatic indices were found in sub-period 1981-1990 and the north Khorasan had better conditions in all three sub-periods. Based on AI, GDD, and TS, 13 major gridded agro-climatic zones were recognized in northeast Iran., (© 2021. ISB.)

Over the last half of the 20 th century, the western Antarctic Peninsula has been one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, leading to substantial reductions in regional sea ice coverage. These changes are modulated by atmospheric forcing, including the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) pressure system. We utilized a novel 25-year (1993-2017) time series to model the effects of environmental variability on larvae of a keystone species, the Antarctic Silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica). Antarctic Silverfish use sea ice as spawning habitat and are important prey for penguins and other predators. We show that warmer sea surface temperature and decreased sea ice are associated with reduced larval abundance. Variability in the ASL modulates both sea surface temperature and sea ice; a strong ASL is associated with reduced larvae. These findings support a narrow sea ice and temperature tolerance for adult and larval fish. Further regional warming predicted to occur during the 21st century could displace populations of Antarctic Silverfish, altering this pelagic ecosystem., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The sustainability of global seafood supply to meet increasing demand is facing several challenges, including increasing consumption levels due to a growing human population, fisheries resources over-exploitation and climate change. Whilst growth in seafood production from capture fisheries is limited, global mariculture production is expanding. However, climate change poses risks to the potential seafood production from mariculture. Here, we apply a global mariculture production model that accounts for changing ocean conditions, suitable marine area for farming, fishmeal and fish oil production, farmed species dietary demand, farmed fish price and global seafood demand to project mariculture production under two climate and socio-economic scenarios. We include 85 farmed marine fish and mollusc species, representing about 70% of all mariculture production in 2015. Results show positive global mariculture production changes by the mid and end of the 21 st century relative to the 2000s under the SSP1-2.6 scenario with an increase of 17%±5 and 33%±6, respectively. However, under the SSP5-8.5 scenario, an increase of 8%±5 is projected, with production peaking by mid-century and declining by 16%±5 towards the end of the 21 st century. More than 25% of mariculture-producing nations are projected to lose 40%-90% of their current mariculture production potential under SSP5-8.5 by mid-century. Projected impacts are mainly due to the direct ocean warming effects on farmed species and suitable marine areas, and the indirect impacts of changing availability of forage fishes supplies to produce aquafeed. Fishmeal replacement with alternative protein can lower climate impacts on a subset of finfish production. However, such adaptation measures do not apply to regions dominated by non-feed-based farming (i.e. molluscs) and regions losing substantial marine areas suitable for mariculture. Our study highlights the importance of strong mitigation efforts and the need for different climate adaptation options tailored to the diversity of mariculture systems, to support climate-resilient mariculture development., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Applying the principles of healthy products through agriculture practices has become an important issue due to significant environmental impacts of agrochemicals application. The agrochemicals have been recognized as an essential component of modern agriculture, but they are also an important source of environmental pollution that threatens the human's health and are main sources of carbon emissions. Pesticides and fertilizers application are important in the process of Iran's food production. In Iran, intensifying the agricultural production has led to overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This work is the first effort to quantify and compare the decoupling index pollution from agricultural sector using Tapio decoupling indicator and predict climate change impacts on this index by using Bayesian network across the whole country of Iran. For this purpose, required annual data of predictor variables for the period of 2008 to 2018 was used to calculate the decoupling index. For projecting climate change impacts on this index by using Bayesian network, monthly mean values of climatic variables were used. While Iranian farmers are criticized for pesticide overuse, these study findings showed that during the period of 2008-2018, decoupling index for pesticides (agricultural pollution by using pesticide) and decoupling index for fertilizer (agricultural pollution by using fertilizer) in the selected provinces fluctuate between RD-SD, SD-SD, SD-SD, and RD-SD. Therefore, the decoupling states show that in most study years, there is a strong decoupling of agricultural growth in selected provinces. This means that in the selected provinces, pollutant emissions of chemical fertilizer and pesticides use for agricultural productions have decreased and it has been well controlled. Therefore, by expansion of agricultural sector, the situation of agricultural pollution in these provinces in most years has not been intensified. Control of agricultural pollution in these provinces has shown a positive and significant impact on public health. In selected provinces, the cleaner agricultural products and application of organic fertilizers have been increased. This study results also showed that the climate change will accelerate increment of pests population and thus pesticides application in different climatic regions., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Biodiversity conservation is facing unprecedented challenges at the intersection of rapidly changing climates, widespread ecosystem degradation under the influence of global warming and resultant human tragedies over livelihood, habitation, adaptation and coping needs. These challenges are more acute across biodiversity hotspots in the Global South. This study disentangles the complex interplay to propose alternative paradigms of governance and policy thinking necessary for sustainable biodiversity conservation. Climate change impacts are exposing critical deficiencies of 'scientific forest management' pursued for over a century. For example, recurrent disasters and ecological shifts are increasingly obfuscating cognitive and physical boundaries between the reserve forest and human habitations; putting additional stress on livelihoods which in turn escalate pressures on the forest commons and fuel further conflicts between conservation governance and local communities. Instead of assisting in adaptation, the existing conservation governance mechanisms are producing further conflicts between humans and non-humans; livelihoods and conservation; disaster management and development. Conducted in the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve -world's largest mangrove forest ecosystem and a climate change hotspot located along the Bay of Bengal across India and Bangladesh -the study finds an urgent need of rethinking and recalibrating biodiversity conservation in the times of climate change. However, institutional and market-based approaches such as promoting ecotourism or mangrove plantations may have little impact in this regard, the study finds. Instead, integrating cultural ecosystem services and co-producing knowledge will be critical to tackle the entanglements of climate change and its impacts on local lives, livelihoods and biodiversity conservation., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)