News & Comment

The Earth’s climate is regulated and stabilised by interconnected ecosystem processes. This Comment argues that following on from COP30, nature-based indicators should be integrated into formal climate policy processes—such as the Global Stocktake and Nationally Determined Contributions—to strengthen the coherence between climate governance and Earth System stability.

Adoption of the International Maritime Organisation’s Net Zero Framework was postponed by one year, to October 2026. This Comment argues that this time window must be used to address four outstanding challenges, and that success can turn the maritime sector into a model for achieving the Paris climate goals.

Fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field across time may have had wide-ranging impacts on ecosystems. Dr Tarduno and colleagues used paleomagnetic data from silicate crystals to examine the Ediacaran period. Crystal data indicated that Earth’s magnetic field had decreased in intensity, becoming 10 to 30 times weaker than the present day. This profound and unprecedented reduction in magnetic field intensity aligned with a diversification in macroscopic animals, suggesting that changes in Earth’s magnetic shielding contributed to Earth’s oxygenation and therefore supported faunal diversification.

Freshwater ecosystems produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and ponds on agricultural land are particularly strong emitters. Dr Malerba and colleagues used maps of agricultural ponds and compiled data on their emissions to produce assessments of methane emissions from agricultural ponds for both the USA and Australia. They found emissions twice as high as were initially being accounted for under national inventories, highlighting the need to account for this source in national inventories.

Vehicle emission standards have long been based on laboratory tests. This comment argues that policymakers now can and should regulate vehicles also based on real-world data. Europe’s performance-based regulation of plug-in hybrid vehicles can help develop more adaptive and evidence-based policies for transportation, energy, and environment.

On 28 May 2025, twenty million cubic metres of rock and ice buried the medieval village of Blatten and nearby settlements in the Swiss Lötschen valley. In the wake of the warmest decade since at least 742 CE, the disaster underlines the impact of climate warming on people and heritage.

Marine heatwaves threaten vulnerable ecosystems and are intrinsically linked to a warming climate. Dr Athanase and colleagues performed coupled climate model simulations and found that future climate change could create a feedback loop, increasing the intensity and spatial extent of marine heatwaves. For example, in a future + 4 °C warmer climate, global oceans could be + 1.9 °C warmer than present levels, while warming in Northeast Pacific marine heatwaves could be + 2.9 ± 0.15 °C above present levels. This work demonstrates the stress that future climate warming could play on marine ecosystems.

The research infrastructure of Earth science depends fundamentally on international cooperation, open-data exchange, and long-term institutional support. This Comment argues that growing global threats to science could initiate the erosion of the complex, collective understanding of planetary systems that underpins climate policy.

Wildfires are becoming one of the defining climate-related crises of the twenty-first century. We argue that their inclusion in the Loss & Damage framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is essential to support prevention, recovery and justice for the most affected communities.

Türkiye and Syria were struck by a series of powerful earthquakes in February 2023. Prof Görüm and colleagues documented the impacts of these earthquakes, which triggered landslides and regional flooding. The earthquakes were followed by a strong atmospheric river 36 days later, which brought with it intense rainfall. The downpours triggered further landslides and disrupted recovery work. Using reanalysis and hydrometeorological data, the authors showed that the earthquake impacts were worsened by the atmospheric river. In the future, they recommend considering atmospheric rivers when assessing multi-hazard risk.

Climate change is disrupting the seasonal rhythms of soil life, which governs how plant carbon is transformed, stabilized, or lost. This Comment argues that a focus on the temporal coordination between above- and belowground biota is critical to sustaining resilient soil carbon sinks in a warming world.

Germany’s energy transition relies on variable renewables and electricity use across sectors, and it needs to accelerate. This Comment argues that consistent policy commitments to proven technologies, such as wind and solar power, heat pumps and electric cars are needed.

Public input is important for governing air quality effectively, yet the United Kingdom's management systems treat public participation as an afterthought. Making air-quality management more participatory requires deep structural change that redefines institutional notions of knowledge and expertise.

The SDG global indicator framework suffers from insufficient data, overlap between indicators, and misalignment with local contexts. Future development goals should distinguish between global core indicators, global optional indicators, and custom indicators for local contexts and priorities.

Small lakes in mountain regions hold significant potential to wreak havoc as a result of sudden drainage. This Comment argues that the risks can be managed within existing disaster reduction frameworks, but must be acknowledged and monitored.

Strong governance, accelerated action, and empowered communities are essential to avoid cascading Earth system tipping points and achieve lasting, transformative change.

Harlequin toads are under threat from habitat change, pathogen spread, and climate change. Stefan Lötters and colleagues examined population records of 131 harlequin toad species (Atelopus), from 2004-2022. They interviewed harlequin toad experts and compiled population and threat data, finding that the status of harlequin toads has not improved since 2004. Despite species rediscoveries and increased conservation efforts, the lack of recovery indicates that the amphibian extinction crisis is ongoing. They recommend habitat protection, disease management, and captive breeding programs for the future.

Lockdowns loomed large when Communications Earth & Environment launched 5 years ago. Since restrictions lifted, we have seen a push-back on science as well as an AI revolution. In response, the global community of Earth and environmental researchers must stand together, while remaining open-minded.

Deniz Bozkurt is an associate professor in the Department of Meteorology, Universidad de Valparaíso (Chile), and associate researcher at Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR)2 and Center for Oceanographic Research COPAS COASTAL, Chile.