Observations from the Little Bunker
A systematic observation of climate change, extreme weather events, and their cascading effects on society
🌍 Latest Environmental Observations
Shifting climate boundaries for European peatlands
Globally, peatlands store twice as much carbon as forests. Conservation of these ecosystems is vital in preventing the return of massive amounts of carbon to...
Long-term carbon dioxide removal potential from the application of wood biochar and basanite rock powder in sandy soil using the LiDELSv2 process-based modeling approach
The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations requires scalable and effective carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies. pyrogenic carbon capture and storage relies on the...
Online signals of heat vulnerability: revealing city-level response to extreme heat using Google Trends
Extreme heat poses a growing public risk, yet understanding real-time, population-level human response remains a major challenge. This study leverages Google Trends search activity (2016–2024)...
Contemporary patterns of prescribed fire and its risks and benefits to water quantity and water quality over the conterminous United States
Prescribed fire has emerged as an essential ecosystem management practice for maintaining forest health and mitigating wildfire risks. However, its spatio-temporal patterns and potential impacts...
Nonlinear influence of coexisting CO2 and anthropogenic aerosols on East Asian summer precipitation through a mid-high-latitude pathway
Increased CO2 and anthropogenic aerosols (AAs) coexist in the atmosphere with opposite radiative effects. Their resultant climate responses may not fully offset each other, leading...
Interbasin wave teleconnection in the northern Indian Ocean under combined ENSO-IOD impact: propagation pathways from the eastern Indian Ocean to the Arabian Sea coast
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) significantly regulate sea surface height (SSH) variability in northern IO through equatorial and coastal waveguides....
DeBriefed 28 November 2025: COP30’s ‘frustrating’ end; Asia floods; UK ‘emergency’ climate event
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week ‘Lukewarm’ end to COP30 BYE BELÉM: The...
EU refuses to review “strategic” mineral projects for energy transition
The European Commission has rejected requests by green groups to review the status of 16 controversial projects it has designated as “strategic” to shore up...
Revealed: Leak casts doubt on COP30’s ‘informal list’ of fossil-fuel roadmap opponents
A confused – and, at times, contradictory – story has emerged about precisely which countries and negotiating blocs were opposed to a much-discussed “roadmap” deal...
Monitoring marine carbon dioxide removal: quantitative analysis of indicators for carbon removed and environmental side-effects
Marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) implementations can potentially remove 1–15 Gt CO2 yr−1, which encompasses the minimum requirement removal of CDR in 2050 to limit...
Polluted air quietly erases the benefits of exercise
Long-term inhalation of toxic air appears to dull the protective power of regular workouts, according to a massive global study spanning more than a decade...
Africa’s forests transformed from carbon sink to carbon source, study finds
Alarming shift since 2010 means planet’s three main rainforest regions now contribute to climate breakdownAfrica’s forests have turned from a carbon sink into a carbon...
Invasive Scud Is Threatening the Great Lakes. Pollution Might Be Helping to Keep It Back.
Long-polluted waterways near Chicago are part of a system of natural and manmade barriers keeping invasive crustaceans at bay, a recent study suggests.By K.R. CallawayThrough...
“Coordinated backlash”: Activists say COP30 gender spat reflects wider threat
During the closing session of COP30, the representative of the Holy See – the governing body of the Vatican – was booed. That reaction was...
From hazard to disruption: forecasting direct and indirect tropical cyclone impacts on infrastructure in Mozambique
Critical infrastructure (CI), such as healthcare facilities, schools, and the road network, plays a vital role in society by providing essential services that sustain the...
Author Correction: Increasing risk of mass human heat mortality if historical weather patterns recur
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 27 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02524-6Author Correction: Increasing risk of mass human heat mortality if historical weather patterns recur
Over 100 global climate sensitive rivers are experiencing large and severe changes in streamflow volume and timing
Only about one-third of global rivers (or tributaries) remain in a nearly natural condition, known as climate-sensitive rivers. We lack clear evidence on the changes...
Biosecurity from non-native insects in Belt and Road countries: the role of donor–receiver patterns and human activity
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as a green development initiative, highlights the importance of regional cooperation among participating countries to address the possibility of...
Subsurface constraints amplify vegetation stress during extreme heat and drought in a Mediterranean forest
Drought and extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and intense as the global climate warms, threatening forests worldwide. Subsurface conditions such as soil depth...
Climate benefits of afforestation and reforestation with varying species mixtures and densities in the north-western boreal lands
The boreal forest is a vital carbon sink. Using 250 year simulations for Canada’s Taiga Plains, a priority of the 2 billion trees program, we...
Economic benefits and cost competitiveness of green hydrogen in decarbonizing China’s electricity and hard-to-electrify sectors
Green hydrogen has the potential to address two critical challenges in a zero-carbon energy system: balancing seasonal variability of solar and wind in the electricity...
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