PLOS Climate

Field to flight: Migration dynamics amidst climate driven crop yield fluctuations in Burkina Faso Climate variability and climate change are among many interacting drivers of human migration, alongside social, geopolitical, and economic factors. Environmental stressors such as crop failures, risin...

New research by Kristine Belesova and colleagues:

"Field to flight: Migration dynamics amidst climate driven crop yield fluctuations in Burkina Faso"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

Energy scenarios for the decarbonisation of the building stock in the context of the energy system transformation Decarbonising the building stock relies on the strategies of efficiency, sufficiency and consistency. Building stock energy scenarios (BSES) help evaluate the effect of these measures by modelling the...

New research by Alice Tosatto and colleagues:

"Energy scenarios for the decarbonisation of the building stock in the context of the energy system transformation"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

Keeping pace with change: An evaluation of the Maine-New Hampshire bottom trawl survey in a warming Gulf of Maine The Maine-New Hampshire Bottom Trawl Survey (MENHBTS) plays a crucial role in monitoring the inshore marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Maine (GOM). However, climate-driven shifts in species distribution...

New research by Chang et al.:

"Keeping pace with change: An evaluation of the Maine-New Hampshire bottom trawl survey in a warming Gulf of Maine"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

Check out my interview with PLOS Climate, and while you are at it, the other editions of this cool series on young climate researchers. I particularly enjoy reading what others think about the future of climate research: a mix of interesting ideas with a dose of optimism.

PLOS Climate PhD interview: Zahra Rahmani - Latitude In the latest in our series of interviews with PhD students in climate research, PLOS Climate speaks to Zahra Rahmani of the…

In our latest of our interviews with climate PhD researchers, we talk to @zah-rahmani.bsky.social of @unibas.ch 👇

latitude.plos.org/2026/03/plos...

PLOS Climate PhD interview: Vidur Mithal - Latitude In the next instalment of our series of interviews with PhD students in climate research, PLOS Climate speaks to Vidur Mithal of…

In the latest of our interviews with PhD climate researchers, we speak to @vidurm.bsky.social of @uni-hamburg.de 👇

latitude.plos.org/2026/02/plos...

Title, authors’ names, abstract, and keywords from a paper that is a call for action from early career polar science researchers about engaging and respecting Indigenous knowledge and communities in polar research

In a @plosclimate.org paper, Ortenzi et al. ask: how can opportunities for “community priorities, values, and knowledge systems” be promoted? As Early Career Researchers they focus on #Polar Science, especially opportunities for #Indigenous #leadership in science & #policy doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Policy goal communication increases support for ambitious renewable energy policies In democracies, public support for policies is crucial to their legitimacy, and the absence can impede necessary reforms, which are needed to keep most disastrous effects of climate change at bay. Thi...

👋 New article out in @plosclimate.org

@istad.bsky.social & I experimentally demonstrate that communicating alignment between policies and the previously negotiated goals they aim to achieve boosts public support, as exemplified by ambitious decarbonisation goals in
doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Policy goal communication increases support for ambitious renewable energy policies In democracies, public support for policies is crucial to their legitimacy, and the absence can impede necessary reforms, which are needed to keep most disastrous effects of climate change at bay. Thi...

New research in PLOS Climate by Gracia Brückmann and @istad.bsky.social finds that effective communication of desired outcomes is key to promoting public support for ambitious climate policies 👇

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

New research by Víctor Sánchez-Cordero and colleagues finds that changing habitat suitability for the eggs, larvae and host plant of the monarch butterfly could reshape the distribution and migratory ecology of this iconic species.

🔗 journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

📸 Andreas Hoja, Pixabay

During marine heatwaves, the thermal habitat for humpback whales is compressed, increasing the risk of entanglements with fishing gear.

New research in PLOS Climate by Jarrod Santora and colleagues 👇

🔗 journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

📸 Anne Smith, Pixabay

@ehazen.bsky.social

Advancing representations of equity and justice in climate mitigation futures In this work, we conduct a narrative review of pressing equity and justice issues within global modelled scenarios and propose a new research agenda to strengthen their consideration in future model d...

New Essay by @shonali-p.bsky.social & colleagues:

"Advancing representations of equity and justice in climate mitigation futures"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

@kikstra.bsky.social @joerirogelj.bsky.social @karlscheifinger.bsky.social @vruijven.bsky.social @adrivinca.bsky.social @iiasa.ac.at

Open science practices for better NDCs: Supporting transparent and accountable climate mitigation action The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are key documents providing the starting point for increasingly ambitious ‘pledge-and-review’ cycles leading to the implementation of the Paris Agreement...

Just published:

"Open science practices for better NDCs: Supporting transparent and accountable climate mitigation action"

- an Essay by Agnese Beltramo, Maryna Henrysson and Will Usher

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

The revolution of imagination Facing unprecedented climate realities demands imagination, creativity, and courage. By re-imagining the solution space through arts, co-creation, and collective effort, we can dismantle barriers, res...

New Opinion article by @martaolazabal.bsky.social, @sean-p-goodwin.bsky.social and @atamorimmaia.bsky.social just published in PLOS Climate:

"The revolution of imagination"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

Scenario of global climate change in the Stratosphere-Mesosphere-Thermosphere-Ionosphere system The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causes net heating in the troposphere and net cooling at higher atmospheric levels, which results in long-term changes of many other ...

New article by Jan Lastovicka and colleagues:

"Scenario of global climate change in the Stratosphere-Mesosphere-Thermosphere-Ionosphere system"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

@aetherlux.bsky.social

Scientists as activists: An ethnography of the ‘critical moments’ in scientists’ transition to climate activism This study presents the first ethnographic investigation of scientist climate activism, addressing a major gap in understanding how scientists navigate tensions between professional norms of neutralit...

New research by @samuelfinnerty.bsky.social just published in PLOS Climate:

"Scientists as activists: An ethnography of the ‘critical moments’ in scientists’ transition to climate activism"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

Unpacking the role of climate variability on displacement in the Greater Horn of Africa This study combines granular climate data with individual-level information on mobility and displacement to investigate the nexus between climate and individual reporting of displacement in the Greater Horn of Africa, a region most affected by climate-induced displacement. Results from a linear probability model, supported by several robustness checks, underscore the complexity of such relationship. Specifically, we find that wetter and extremely wetter than usual conditions correlate with a significantly higher likelihood of individual self-reported displacement, while dry and extremely dry conditions are respectively associated with a non-significant or a significantly lower likelihood of self-reported displacement. We identify two distinct pathways through which various climatic stressors influence self-reported displacement. These pathways include adaptation strategies and immediate responses in agricultural areas, as well as compounded climate and conflict effects. Our results additionally underscore heterogeneous effects in the relationship between climate and self-reported displacement among various groups. Distinctions based on gender, age, education, and typology of movement (within or across borders) emerge as particularly relevant factors that influence the self-reported displacement. Collectively, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the intricate dynamics underlying the climate-displacement nexus in the Greater Horn of Africa, further highlighting the need to develop strategies to anticipate and respond to climate-induced displacement.

New research by Victor Villa and colleagues:

"Unpacking the role of climate variability on displacement in the Greater Horn of Africa"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

Another #OSM26 shout-out: happening today, session DO24C "Physics-Guided Machine Learning and Differentiable Programming for Ocean Modeling", co-chaired by PLOS Climate Academic Editor Andrea Storto

Check out this round-up of recent ocean science research from @plosone.org! #OSM26

*-'s 🫣

Marine cold-spells in the California Current System: Modeling changes in frequency and impacts on endangered species habitat Marine cold-spells are an understudied phenomena which can both negatively impact marine wildlife and provide thermal refugia for species displaced by climate change. To develop forward-looking and cl...

"Marine cold-spells in the California Current System: Modeling changes in frequency and impacts on endangered species habitat" - Frazer et al.

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

#OSM2026

Characterizing compound physical and biogeochemical extremes in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem Discrete environmental stressors, such as prolonged periods of extreme temperature or low oxygen, threaten the functioning of marine ecosystems. While considerable attention has been given to studying...

"Characterizing compound physical and biogeochemical extremes in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem" - Freeman et al.

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

#OSM2026

Predator response diversity to warming enables ecosystem resilience in the Galápagos An important impact of global warming in nature is the decline of ecological functions such as primary production, habitat provision, and carbon sequestration. These functions can be disrupted when th...

"Predator response diversity to warming enables ecosystem resilience in the Galápagos" - Bruno et al.

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

#OSM2026

The impact of horizontal resolution on the representation of thermal air-sea interaction of the Agulhas system in coupled climate-models The Agulhas Current is a vigorous western boundary current that flows off the southeastern coast of Africa, linking the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean as part of a broader inter-ocean current syst...

"The impact of horizontal resolution on the representation of thermal air-sea interaction of the Agulhas system in coupled climate-models" - Busatto et al.

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

#OSM2026

And for a flavour of the ocean science published in PLOS Climate in recent months, check out this selection of articles 👇

#OSM2026 is taking place in Glasgow this week! Don't miss the session on "Abrupt Changes in the North Atlantic Ocean Circulation: Past, Present, and Future" on Weds and Thurs, chaired by our PLOS Climate's Section Editor for Palaeoclimate, Ruza Ivanovic!

Scientists as activists: An ethnography of the ‘critical moments’ in scientists’ transition to climate activism This study presents the first ethnographic investigation of scientist climate activism, addressing a major gap in understanding how scientists navigate tensions between professional norms of neutralit...

New research by @samuelfinnerty.bsky.social just published in PLOS Climate:

"Scientists as activists: An ethnography of the ‘critical moments’ in scientists’ transition to climate activism"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

New Opinion article by Tao Bao, Xiyan Xu and Gensuo Jia:

"Strengthening wetland restoration to increase urban resilience in China"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

📸 Andrew Martin, Pixabay

Heat exposure and physical-mental health outcomes among older adults in India: Findings from the Longitudinal Aging Study (LASI) Wave-I As climate change exacerbates heatwaves, the health risks for vulnerable populations, particularly older adults, are intensifying. This study examines the relationship between heat exposure and health...

New research by Priya Rajagopalan and Sijiu Wang:

"Heat exposure and physical-mental health outcomes among older adults in India: Findings from the Longitudinal Aging Study (LASI) Wave-I"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

Scenario of global climate change in the Stratosphere-Mesosphere-Thermosphere-Ionosphere system The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causes net heating in the troposphere and net cooling at higher atmospheric levels, which results in long-term changes of many other ...

New article by Jan Lastovicka and colleagues:

"Scenario of global climate change in the Stratosphere-Mesosphere-Thermosphere-Ionosphere system"

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

@aetherlux.bsky.social