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Skeptical Science New Research for Week #8 2023

Posted on 23 February 2023 by Doug Bostrom, Marc Kodack

Open access notables

Another update on attitudes and beliefs in of US residents is delivered by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication working in concert with George Mason University's Center for Climate Change Communication.  Climate Change in the American Mind February 2023  extends a continuous year-on-year sampling, key information for assessing the United States' capacity to deal with climate, a matter requiring political impetus delivered by a majority of the US population. In this week's dense government/NGO section.

Two interesting and accessible articles this week investigate economic nudges specifically with an eye to informing policymakers. Erik Haite et al. explore ways to tackle mitigation in industries with high associated costs in Contribution of carbon pricing to meeting a mid-century net zero target. The authors describe policy tailored to work in the tough areas of aluminium, cement, chemicals, iron and steel, lime, pulp and paper. Via Carbon taxes and agriculture: the benefit of a multilateral agreement, Torbjörn Jansson et al. report a mixed bag: "We find that a global tax of EUR 120 per ton CO2-eq could reduce global agricultural emissions by 19%, but also jeopardizes food security in some parts of the world." It would be nice if we could snap our fingers to deal with our climate problem, but it's arguably mostly a matter of human nature at this point. Money looms large in our makeup.

Changing temperature profiles and the risk of dengue outbreaks  by Imelda Trejo et al. finds an effect we shouldn't wish for: rising temperatures cooking mosquitoes out of the picture in certain regions of the US. Notably,  while some are overheated, others thrive in newly warmed places. "To illustrate the role of spatial and temporal temperature heterogeneity, we select five US cities where the primary dengue vector, the mosquito Aedes aegypti, has been observed, and which have had dengue cases in the past: Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Brownsville, and Phoenix. Our analysis suggests that an increase of 3°C leads to an approximate doubling of the risk of dengue in Los Angeles and Houston, but a reduction of risk in Miami, Brownsville, and Phoenix due to extreme heat."

Gourevitch et al. deliver a bit of a blockbuster with Unpriced climate risk and the potential consequences of overvaluation in US housing markets. A galvanizing extract from the abstract: We find that residential properties exposed to flood risk are overvalued by US$121–US$237 billion, depending on the discount rate. In general, highly overvalued properties are concentrated in counties along the coast with no flood risk disclosure laws and where there is less concern about climate change. Low-income households are at greater risk of losing home equity from price deflation, and municipalities that are heavily reliant on property taxes for revenue are vulnerable to budgetary shortfalls. 

The ethics of climate activism by Francisco Garcia-Gibson addresses two questions: do we have a duty to engage in climate activism, and what are our moral boundaries of permissible climate action? Billed as an overview, this article delivers a wide-angle snapshot of surprising complexities found while seeking answers. As well, Garcia-Gibson signposts some newer, emerging ethical questions in connection with climate activism.

Vian, Garvey & Tuohy deliver a comprehensive review of forests' role in carbon sequestration schemes, leading to some firm conclusions, in Towards a synthesized critique of forest-based ‘carbon-fix’ strategies"This article contributes to a deeper understanding of why relegating forests to a ‘carbon-fix’ function is insufficient to tackle climate change and, rather, poses threats to forest ecosystems and forest-dependent communities. This review ultimately calls into question the use of forests to delay crucial systemic changes, without diminishing the importance of forest conservation, restoration, governance, as well as technological innovation, in mitigating the ongoing harmful effects of climate change."

The title Suppressed basal melting in the eastern Thwaites Glacier grounding zone sounds pleasant but authors Davis et al. arrive here: "Our results demonstrate that the canonical model of ice-shelf basal melting used to generate sea-level projections cannot reproduce observed melt rates beneath this critically important glacier, and that rapid and possibly unstable grounding-line retreat may be associated with relatively modest basal melt rates." A chewy but digestible explanation of controls on basal melt rate here, leading readers to bump their heads into a range of related phenomena.

127 articles in 58 journals by 822 contributing authors

Physical science of climate change, effects

A Cloud-Controlling Factor Perspective on the Hemispheric Asymmetry of Extratropical Cloud Albedo
Blanco et al., Journal of Climate, 10.1175/jcli-d-22-0410.1

Indonesian Throughflow Slowdown under Global Warming: Remote AMOC Effect versus Regional Surface Forcing
Peng et al., Journal of Climate, Open Access pdf 10.1175/jcli-d-22-0331.1

Role of Atmosphere–Ocean–Ice Interaction in the Linkage between December Bering Sea Ice and Subsequent February Surface Air Temperature over North America
Zhao et al., Journal of Climate, Open Access pdf 10.1175/jcli-d-22-0265.1

The mutual interactions among ozone, fine particulate matter, and carbon dioxide on summer monsoon climate in East Asia
Ma et al., Atmospheric Environment, 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2023.119668

Observations of climate change, effects

Changing patterns of the East Asian monsoon drive shifts in migration and abundance of a globally important rice pest
Lv et al., Global Change Biology, 10.1111/gcb.16636

Compound climate extremes in China: Trends, causes, and projections
Yu et al., Atmospheric Research, 10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.106675

Long-term variability of the low-level cloud base height in Poland
Matuszko et al., International Journal of Climatology, 10.1002/joc.8041

Recent decrease of the impact of tropical temperature on the carbon cycle linked to increased precipitation
Zhang et al., Nature Communications, Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-36727-2

Substantial warming of Central European mountain rivers under climate change
Niedrist, Regional Environmental Change, Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10113-023-02037-y

Weakening of the summer monsoon over the past 150 years shown by a tree-ring record from Shandong, eastern China, and the potential role of North Atlantic climate
Chen et al., Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 10.1029/2022pa004495

Instrumentation & observational methods of climate change, effects

Diverging identifications of extreme precipitation events from satellite observations and reanalysis products: A global perspective based on an object-tracking method
Wang et al., Remote Sensing of Environment, 10.1016/j.rse.2023.113490

Global Radiative Flux Profile Dataset: Revised and Extended
Zhang & Rossow Rossow, [journal not provided], Open Access 10.1002/essoar.10511681.1

The flower garden banks Siderastrea siderea coral as a candidate global boundary stratotype section and point for the Anthropocene series
DeLong et al., The Anthropocene Review, 10.1177/20530196221147616

Wet Bulb Globe Temperature: Indicating Extreme Heat Risk on a Global Grid
Brimicombe et al., GeoHealth, Open Access 10.1029/2022gh000701

Modeling, simulation & projection of climate change, effects

Biogeophysical Effects of Land-Use and Land-Cover Change Not Detectable in Warmest Month
Grant, [journal not provided], 10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2345

Capturing and Attributing the Rainfall Regime Intensification in the West African Sahel with CMIP6 Models
Chagnaud et al., Journal of Climate, 10.1175/jcli-d-22-0412.1

Divergence in Climate Model Projections of Future Arctic Atlantification
Muilwijk et al., Journal of Climate, 10.1175/jcli-d-22-0349.1

Enhanced ENSO-Unrelated Summer Variability in the Indo–Western Pacific under Global Warming
Wang et al., Journal of Climate, Open Access pdf 10.1175/jcli-d-22-0450.1

Future projections of EURO-CORDEX raw and bias-corrected daily maximum wind speeds over Scandinavia
Michel & Sorteberg, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 10.1029/2022jd037953

High-resolution climate projection over the Tibetan Plateau using WRF forced by bias-corrected CESM
Ma et al., Atmospheric Research, 10.1016/j.atmosres.2023.106670

Historical and projected changes in Extreme High Temperature events over East Africa and associated with meteorological conditions using CMIP6 models
Das et al., Global and Planetary Change, 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104068

Revisiting interior water mass responses to surface forcing changes and the subsequent effects on overturning in the Southern Ocean
Tesdal et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 10.1029/2022jc019105

Temperature characteristics over the Carpathian Basin - projected changes of climate indices at regional and local scale based on bias-adjusted CORDEX simulations
Simon et al., International Journal of Climatology, 10.1002/joc.8045

Water balance components and climate extremes over Brazil under 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C of global warming scenarios
da Silva Tavares et al., Regional Environmental Change, Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10113-023-02042-1

Advancement of climate & climate effects modeling, simulation & projection

Against “Possibilist” Interpretations of Climate Models
Dethier, Philosophy of Science, Open Access pdf 10.1017/psa.2023.6

Challenges with interpreting the impact of Atlantic Multidecadal Variability using SST-restoring experiments
O'Reilly et al., [journal not provided], Open Access pdf 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1707393/v1

Climate change modelling at reduced floating-point precision with stochastic rounding
Kimpson et al., Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 10.1002/qj.4435

Drivers of Biases in the CMIP6 Extratropical Storm Tracks. Part II: Southern Hemisphere
Priestley et al., Journal of Climate, Open Access pdf 10.1175/jcli-d-20-0977.1

Cryosphere & climate change

Suppressed basal melting in the eastern Thwaites Glacier grounding zone
Davis et al., Nature, Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41586-022-05586-0

What is the global glacier ice volume outside the ice sheets?
Hock et al., Journal of Glaciology, Open Access pdf 10.1017/jog.2023.1

Sea level & climate change

Estuarine response to storm surge and sea-level rise associated with channel deepening: a flood vulnerability assessment of southwest Louisiana, USA
Mansur et al., Natural Hazards, Open Access pdf 10.1007/s11069-023-05841-1

Future sea-level projections with a coupled atmosphere-ocean-ice-sheet model
Park et al., Nature Communications, Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-36051-9

Steric Changes Associated With the Fast Sea Level Rise in the Upper South Indian Ocean
Qu & Melnichenko, Geophysical Research Letters, Open Access 10.1029/2022gl100635

Paleoclimate & paleogeochemistry

Climatic Extremes, Violent Conflicts, and Population Change in China in 1741–1910: An Investigation Using Spatial Econometrics
Lee & Qiang, Anthropocene, 10.1016/j.ancene.2023.100372

East Antarctica ice sheet in Schirmacher Oasis, Central Dronning Maud Land, during the past 158 ka
Roy et al., Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, 10.1007/s43538-023-00154-0

Equatorial Pacific dust fertilization and source weathering influences on Eocene to Miocene global CO2 decline
Wang et al., Communications Earth & Environment, Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-023-00702-y

Poleward amplification, seasonal rainfall and forest heterogeneity in the Miocene of the eastern USA
Reichgelt et al., Global and Planetary Change, 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104073

Revisiting the Holocene global temperature conundrum
Kaufman & Broadman, Nature, 10.1038/s41586-022-05536-w

Biology & climate change, related geochemistry

Age-related patterns and climatic driving factors of drought-induced forest mortality in Northeast China
Ma et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109360

Climate change disrupts core habitats of marine species
Hodapp et al., Global Change Biology, Open Access 10.1111/gcb.16612

Environmental refuges from disease in host-parasite interactions under global change
Gsell et al., Ecology, 10.1002/ecy.4001

Fire modifies plant–soil feedbacks
Warneke et al., Ecology, 10.1002/ecy.3994

High-velocity upward shifts in vegetation are ubiquitous in mountains of western North America
Kellner et al., PLOS Climate, Open Access pdf 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000071

Individual and combined effect of organic eutrophication (DOC) and ocean warming on the ecophysiology of the Octocoral Pinnigorgia flava
Zelli et al., PeerJ, Open Access 10.7717/peerj.14812

Interactive effects of elevated temperature and drought on plant carbon metabolism: A meta-analysis
Wang & Wang, Global Change Biology, 10.1111/gcb.16639

Long-term soil warming decreases microbial phosphorus utilization by increasing abiotic phosphorus sorption and phosphorus losses
Tian et al., Nature Communications, Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-36527-8

Ocean acidification, warming and feeding impacts on biomineralization pathways and shell material properties of Magallana gigas and Mytilus sp
Mella et al., Marine Environmental Research, 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105925

Potential effects of future climate change on global reptile distributions and diversity
Biber et al., [journal not provided], Open Access pdf 10.1101/2022.05.07.490295

Resident species, not immigrants, drive reorganization of estuarine fish assemblages in response to warming
de Souza & Santos, Ecology, 10.1002/ecy.3987

Timing and magnitude of drought impacts on carbon uptake across a grassland biome
Felton & Goldsmith, Global Change Biology, 10.1111/gcb.16637

GHG sources & sinks, flux, related geochemistry

Across-model spread and shrinking in predicting peatland carbon dynamics under global change
Hou et al., Global Change Biology, 10.1111/gcb.16643

Distinguishing physical and biological controls on the carbon dynamics in a high-Arctic outlet strait
Burgers et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 10.1029/2022jc019393

Effect of rewetting degraded peatlands on carbon fluxes: a meta-analysis
Darusman et al., Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Open Access pdf 10.1007/s11027-023-10046-9

Evaluation and improvement of the E3SM land model for simulating energy and carbon fluxes in an Amazonian peatland
Yuan et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109364

Functional diversity and soil nutrients regulate the interannual variability in gross primary productivity
Yan et al., Journal of Ecology, 10.1111/1365-2745.14082

Increased soil carbon storage through plant diversity strengthens with time and extends into the subsoil
Lange et al., Global Change Biology, 10.1111/gcb.16641

Long-term trend analysis of extreme climate in Sarawak tropical peatland under the influence of climate change
Sa'adi et al., Weather and Climate Extremes, 10.1016/j.wace.2023.100554

Meteorological responses of carbon dioxide and methane fluxes in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of a subarctic landscape
Heiskanen et al., [journal not provided], Open Access pdf 10.5194/bg-2022-69

National GHG inventory capacity in developing countries – a global assessment of progress
Umemiya & White, Climate Policy, 10.1080/14693062.2023.2167802

Photoperiod drives cessation of wood formation in northern conifers
Mu et al., Global Ecology and Biogeography, 10.1111/geb.13647

Quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the open ocean carbonate pump - perspectives for remote sensing and autonomous in situ observation
Neukermans et al., Earth, 10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104359

Recent decrease of the impact of tropical temperature on the carbon cycle linked to increased precipitation
Zhang et al., Nature Communications, Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-36727-2

Variability of Atmospheric CO2 Over the Arctic Ocean: Insights From the O-Buoy Chemical Observing Network
Graham et al., [journal not provided], Open Access 10.1002/essoar.10510058.1

CO2 capture, sequestration science & engineering

Opportunities for blue carbon restoration projects in degraded agricultural land of the coastal zone in Queensland, Australia
Rowland et al., Regional Environmental Change, Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10113-022-02013-y

Towards a synthesized critique of forest-based ‘carbon-fix’ strategies
Vian et al., Climate Resilience and Sustainability, Open Access 10.1002/cli2.48

Decarbonization

Adding wind power to a wind-rich grid: Evaluating secondary suitability metrics
Pearre & Swan Lukas G. Swan, Wind Energy, Open Access 10.1002/we.2809

Are 2050 energy transition plans viable? A detailed analysis of projected Swiss electricity supply and demand in 2050
Mearns & Sornette, Energy Policy, 10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113347

Efficient and stable organic solar cells enabled by multicomponent photoactive layer based on one-pot polymerization
Liu et al., Nature Communications, Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-36413-3

Electrolyte design principles for developing quasi-solid-state rechargeable halide-ion batteries
Yang et al., Nature Communications, Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-36622-w

Numerical investigation into selecting the most suitable shell-to-tube diameter ratio for horizontal latent heat thermal energy storage
Modi et al., Energy for Sustainable Development, 10.1016/j.esd.2023.02.004

Prediction of grid-connected photovoltaic performance using artificial neural networks and experimental dataset considering environmental variation
Kazem, Environment, Development and Sustainability, 10.1007/s10668-022-02174-0

Solar hydrogen production in India
Preethi, Environment, Development and Sustainability, 10.1007/s10668-022-02157-1

The estimation of urban air quality change in South Korea under the carbon net-zero scenario
Yeo & Koo, Urban Climate, 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101438

The mega solar Twitter discourse in Japan: Engaged opponents and silent proponents
Doedt & Maruyama, Energy Policy, 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113495

Thermal batteries based on inverse barocaloric effects
Zhang et al., Science Advances, Open Access 10.1126/sciadv.add0374

Understanding manufacturers’ and consumers’ perspectives towards end-of-life solar photovoltaic waste management and recycling
Nain & Kumar, Environment, Development and Sustainability, 10.1007/s10668-022-02136-6

Aerosols

Can global warming bring more dust?
Zhou et al., Climate Dynamics, Open Access pdf 10.1007/s00382-023-06706-w

Climate change communications & cognition

Does belief in climate change conspiracy theories predict everyday life pro-environmental behaviors? Testing the longitudinal relationship in China and the U.S.
Chan et al., Journal of Environmental Psychology, 10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.101980

Growing convergence research: Coproducing climate projections to inform proactive decisions for managing simultaneous wildfire risk
Cullen et al., Risk Analysis, Open Access 10.1111/risa.14113

Social and political opposition to energy pricing reforms
Jones & Cardinale, Climate and Development, 10.1080/17565529.2023.2165875

The ethics of climate activism
Garcia?Gibson, WIREs Climate Change, Open Access 10.1002/wcc.831

Vulnerability portrayals across climate risk discourses in Bhubaneswar: an evolutionary perspective
Parida & Agrawal, Climate and Development, 10.1080/17565529.2023.2178254

What does it mean that all is aflame? Non-axial Buddhist inspiration for an Anthropocene ontology
Hannes & Bombaerts, The Anthropocene Review, Open Access 10.1177/20530196231153929

Agronomy, animal husbundry, food production & climate change

Carbon taxes and agriculture: the benefit of a multilateral agreement
Jansson et al., Climate Policy, Open Access 10.1080/14693062.2023.2171355

Changing patterns of the East Asian monsoon drive shifts in migration and abundance of a globally important rice pest
Lv et al., Global Change Biology, 10.1111/gcb.16636

Diffusion of climate-resilient seeds and information: evidence from semi-arid regions of Ghana
Mellon Bedi & Kornher, Climate and Development, 10.1080/17565529.2023.2172313

Evaluating the impact of a 2.5–3°C increase in temperature on drought-stressed German wheat cultivars under natural stress conditions
Kunz et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109378

Gendered perceptions of climate change and agricultural adaptation practices: a systematic review
Haque et al., Climate and Development, Open Access 10.1080/17565529.2023.2176185

How climate change and climate variability affected trip distance of a commercial fishery
Chan, PLOS Climate, Open Access pdf 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000143

Marginal Damage of Methane Emissions: Ozone Impacts on Agriculture
Sampedro et al., Environmental and Resource Economics, Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10640-022-00750-6

Smallholder farmers’ intention to use climate forecast services in the Benin Republic, West Africa
Hounnou et al., Climate and Development, 10.1080/17565529.2023.2172314

Hydrology, hydrometeorology & climate change

An Innovative Scheme to Confront the Trade-Off Between Water Conservation and Heat Alleviation With Environmental Justice for Urban Sustainability: The Case of Phoenix, Arizona
Zhu et al., AGU Advances, Open Access 10.1029/2022av000816

Assessment of Hydrological Response with an Integrated Approach of Climate, Land, and Water for Sustainable Water Resources in the Khari River Basin, India
Mundetia et al., Anthropocene, 10.1016/j.ancene.2023.100373

Drought Attribution Studies and Water Resources Management
Olsen et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Open Access pdf 10.1175/bams-d-22-0214.1

Water balance components and climate extremes over Brazil under 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C of global warming scenarios
da Silva Tavares et al., Regional Environmental Change, Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10113-023-02042-1

Climate change economics

Education puzzle, financial inclusion, and energy substitution: Growth Scales
Tinta, Energy Policy, 10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113391

High discount rates by private actors undermine climate change adaptation policies
Alpizar et al., Climate Risk Management, 10.1016/j.crm.2023.100488

Impact assessment culture in the European Union. Time for something new?
Saltelli et al., Environmental Science & Policy, Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.02.005

Impact of climate change on output and inflation in Africa’s largest economies
Iliyasu et al., Climate and Development, 10.1080/17565529.2023.2172315

Is the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis valid? A global analysis for carbon dioxide emissions
Kaya Kanl? & Küçükefe, Environment, Development and Sustainability, 10.1007/s10668-022-02138-4

Is the EU shirking responsibility for its deforestation footprint in tropical countries? Power, material, and epistemic inequalities in the EU’s global environmental governance
Kumeh & Ramcilovic-Suominen, Sustainability Science, Open Access pdf 10.1007/s11625-023-01302-7

The effect of record-high gasoline prices on the consumers’ new energy vehicle purchase intention: Evidence from the uniform experimental design
Sun et al., Energy Policy, 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113500

Unpriced climate risk and the potential consequences of overvaluation in US housing markets
Gourevitch et al., Nature Climate Change, Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41558-023-01594-8

Climate change mitigation public policy research

A contested agenda: Energy transitions in lower-income African countries
Pedersen & Andersen, Energy Policy, 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113496

Assessment of Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) climate scenarios and its impacts on the Greater Accra region
Siabi et al., Urban Climate, Open Access 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101432

Carbon taxes and agriculture: the benefit of a multilateral agreement
Jansson et al., Climate Policy, Open Access 10.1080/14693062.2023.2171355

Policies to Promote Carbon Capture and Storage Technologies
Golombek et al., Environmental and Resource Economics, Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10640-023-00767-5

Social and political opposition to energy pricing reforms
Jones & Cardinale, Climate and Development, 10.1080/17565529.2023.2165875

Structural transformations and conventional energy-based power utilization on carbon emissions: empirical evidence from Pakistan
Ali et al., Environment, Development and Sustainability, 10.1007/s10668-022-02133-9

The impacts of carbon trading policy on China's low-carbon economy based on county-level perspectives
Gao, Energy Policy, 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113494

The mega solar Twitter discourse in Japan: Engaged opponents and silent proponents
Doedt & Maruyama, Energy Policy, 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113495

Theoretical and empirical analyses on the factors affecting carbon emissions: case of Zhejiang Province, China
Zeng & Wang, Environment, Development and Sustainability, 10.1007/s10668-022-02148-2

Climate change adaptation & adaptation public policy research

Develop medium- to long-term climate information services to enhance comprehensive climate risk management in Africa
Omukuti et al., Climate Resilience and Sustainability, Open Access 10.1002/cli2.47

Evaluating the comprehensiveness of municipal climate change adaptation plans in Ontario, Canada
Donoghue & Katz-Rosene, Regional Environmental Change, 10.1007/s10113-023-02036-z

Fire frequency and vulnerability in California
Hino & Field, PLOS Climate, Open Access pdf 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000087

How Homeownership, Race, and Social Connections Influence Flood Preparedness Measures: Evidence from 2 Small U.S. Cities
Zinda et al., Environmental Sociology, 10.1080/23251042.2023.2173487

Reimagining climate change research and policy from the Australian adaptation impasse
Waters et al., Environmental Science & Policy, 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.01.014

Social vulnerability shapes the experiences of climate migrants displaced by Hurricane Maria
Clark-Ginsberg et al., Climate and Development, 10.1080/17565529.2023.2176188

Uncertainty and Climate Change Adaptation: a Systematic Review of Research Approaches and People’s Decision-Making
Moure et al., Current Climate Change Reports, 10.1007/s40641-023-00189-x

Climate change impacts on human health

Changing temperature profiles and the risk of dengue outbreaks
Trejo et al., PLOS Climate, Open Access pdf 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000115

Impact of El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole on malaria transmission over India in changing climate
Chaturvedi & Dwivedi, International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 10.1007/s13762-023-04836-6

Other

Challenges to govern a global sustainability science problem: Lessons from a domestic climate change research project
Kuo et al., Environment, Development and Sustainability, Open Access 10.1007/s10668-021-02067-8

Reconstruction of daily global solar radiation under all-sky and cloud-free conditions in Badajoz (Spain) since 1929
Montero?Martín et al., International Journal of Climatology, 10.1002/joc.8042

Informed opinion, nudges & major initiatives

Contribution of carbon pricing to meeting a mid-century net zero target
Haites et al., Climate Policy, Open Access 10.1080/14693062.2023.2170312

National GHG inventory capacity in developing countries – a global assessment of progress
Umemiya & White, Climate Policy, 10.1080/14693062.2023.2167802

The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report WGIII climate assessment of mitigation pathways: from emissions to global temperatures
Kikstra et al., EGUsphere, Open Access pdf 10.5194/egusphere-2022-471


Articles/Reports from Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations Addressing Aspects of Climate Change

The Economic Impact of Michigan’s Unreliable Power Grid, Karl Rabago and Robin Dutta, Local Solar for All

The electric grid is increasingly being defined not by what services it is providing, but by what services energy consumers are not receiving from electric utilities in periods of unreliability. They can occur due to a wide range of critical events, including cyber attacks, physical attacks on grid infrastructure, extreme weather causing downed power lines, and energy shortfalls exacerbated by weather. This is the reality in Michigan, just as in any state. Michigan suffers from below-average electric reliability. Michigan must already deal with poor grid reliability track records and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has raised long-term concerns that the burdens Michiganders must shoulder in their daily lives as a result of this poorly performing electric grid could continue. The authors estimate the economic impact of Michigan’s power outages, using data published by the U.S. Energy Information Agency for 2020 and 2021. The Federal Energy Management Agency (FEMA) has published values and criteria to measure the cost of disasters on communities, including how to calculate the economic impact of the loss of electric service. Using that method, the authors determined that Michigan power outages had an economic impact of over $1.6 billion during the 2020-2021 period. This calculation narrowly defines the value of lost electric service and does not include values such as the Value of Lost Time and the Loss of Communications/IT Services, which can be implications of the loss of electric service.

Climate Change in the American Mind February 2023, Leiserowitz, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication

The authors found that public understanding of global warming remained relatively stable in 2022. Americans who think global warming is happening outnumber those who think it is not happening by a ratio of more than 4 to 1 (70% versus 16%). More than half of Americans (58%) understand that global warming is mostly human-caused. About one in four (27%) think it is due mostly to natural changes in the environment. A majority of Americans (64%) say they are at least “somewhat worried” about global warming. This includes about one in four (27%) who say they are “very worried.”

1.5°C – DEAD OR ALIVE?, Laybourn et al., Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs and the e Institute for Public Policy Research

The consequences of the worsening climate and ecological crisis could present threats and opportunities to the ability of societies to become more sustainable, equitable, and resilient. The authors explore one example of this dynamic: how the growing chance of breaching the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5°C is being used to justify slower action. The risks resulting from this growing chance are an example of strategic risk in practice. Those seeking to achieve transformational change – including in policy, civil society, and business – should more actively manage this risk. A systematic effort is needed to tackle threats and opportunities for rapid environmental action thrown up by the deepening consequences of the crisis: to make the green transition itself more resilient. Otherwise, the world could head further into a spiral of accelerating environmental shocks and counterproductive, defensive reactions.

Feasibility Assessment and Economic Evaluation: Repurposing a Coal Power Plant Site to Deploy an Advanced Small Modular Reactor Power Plant, X Energy and MPR Associates, X Energy

The authors assess the feasibility to deploy four advanced small modular reactors at a coal-fired power plant site in Maryland.

Lessons Learned from State-Level Climate Policies to Accelerate U.S. Climate Action, Lamm et al., WIlson Center

Recent federal developments—unprecedented investments and limited regulatory action—increase the importance of climate change activities at the state level. States, long the driver of climate action in the U.S., have continued to make steady progress even in the absence of comprehensive federal action. Progress at the state level has ranged from initial clean energy and climate action plans to ambitious new emissions reduction legislation and the first phaseout of gas-powered automobiles. In light of both the historic opportunities and challenges ahead at the federal level, these state climate policy experiences have the potential to accelerate federal action and investment. The authors highlight the key findings from multiple dialogs with state and federal leaders and then offer a set of strategies to make the most of new investments for climate actions that can then be implemented.

WeatherPower Year in Review: 2022, Climate Central

America’s capacity to generate carbon-free energy from solar and wind power grew during 2022. The capacity to generate electricity from solar and wind increased across the country to more than 238 gigawatts (GW) in 2022—up nearly 13 GW from 2021. The U.S. generated 683,130 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity from solar (27%) and wind (73%) combined in 2022—up 16% from 588,471 GWh in 2021. The electricity generated from solar and wind in 2022 is enough to power the equivalent of 64 million average American households. At the average retail price of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2022 this equates to $82 billion in revenue generation. The largest contributions to national solar and wind electricity generation came from a few states—for example, California generated 58,664,084 megawatt-hours (MWh) of solar and Texas generated 129,578,478 MWh of wind. But many states saw relative growth in capacity and generation for solar and wind.

Liquefied Natural Cash. How Methane Exports Reverse Climate Progress, Harm Consumers, and Endanger Communities, Friends of the Earth, Bailout Watch, and Public Citizen

The authors outline how U.S. fossil fuel companies use the war in Ukraine as a pretext to lock in profits and build out permanent infrastructure at the expense of frontline communities and the climate. The authors show that the industry exploited the Russian invasion of Ukraine to secure an explosion of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) contracts in 2022, guaranteeing decades of planet-destroying emissions. This stark increase in methane exports, much of which will be sent to Asia rather than Europe, comes as the one-year mark of Russia’s invasion approaches.

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How is New Research assembled?

Most articles appearing here are found via  RSS feeds from journal publishers, filtered by search terms to produce raw output for assessment of relevance. 

Relevant articles are then queried against the Unpaywall database, to identify open access articles and expose useful metadata for articles appearing in the database. 

The objective of New Research isn't to cast a tinge on scientific results, to color readers' impressions. Hence candidate articles are assessed via two metrics only:

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