Observations from the Little Bunker
A systematic observation of climate change, extreme weather events, and their cascading effects on society
🌍 Latest Environmental Observations
Shaming climate wrongdoers
Climate law, policy, and governance have grown substantially in recent years, yet these efforts have achieved only modest success. This article spotlights an underexplored complementary...
Observations and modeling reveal that heatwaves reduce photosynthesis, plant carbon reserves, and net carbon uptake
Heatwaves threaten ecosystem carbon balances, yet the mechanisms driving short-term carbon flux responses remain poorly understood. Here, integrating high-frequency eddy covariance (EC) data from 140...
A simple policy corrected pervasive gender imbalance in Ph.D. awards at Dutch university
Eindhoven University of Technology’s success sets example for other institutions to follow, researchers say
Diane Wilson Takes on Another Plastics Plant in Texas
Wilson’s Gulf Coast environmental group filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue Dow for chronic discharge of plastics from its enormous Seadrift chemical complex.By...
Inverted age-pyramidal global hourly population heat exposure
Population heat exposure has increased substantially, resulting in serious effects on human health. However, all previous assessments on global-scale heat exposure focused on the daily...
Five methodological updates of the Danish Pesticide Load Indicator to support EU-wide pesticide risk reduction policies
The effectiveness of pesticide reduction policies in the European Union (EU) depends critically on robust, scientifically grounded indicators that can reliably monitor pesticide-related risks across...
Where does Sweden’s nitrogen go? Building a comprehensive national nitrogen budget
We present Sweden’s first comprehensive National Nitrogen Budget (NNB), quantifying reactive nitrogen (Nr) inputs, outputs, and intersectoral transfers across eight key subpools, including agriculture, energy,...
An impact-oriented framework for a deep learning–based composite drought index considering potential economic losses
Droughts significantly impact socioeconomic systems globally. As a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, drought is characterized through various indices—meteorological, agricultural, and hydrological- each capturing different aspects...
Uncovering unprecedented storm surges in European and Mediterranean coastlines
Recent research has considerably advanced our ability to model extreme surges. Yet, simulating unprecedented events, i.e. events which are more extreme than observed in historical...
Measuring electric vehicle owners’ willingness to participate in smart charging programs
As power systems transition to renewable energy, integrating battery electric vehicles (BEVs) into grid operations presents new opportunities and challenges for managing electricity demand and...
AI may upend online studies critical to social science
Sophisticated bots risk contaminating surveys, games, and other approaches designed to shed light on human behavior
The Texas Power Grid Will Get a Boost from Batteries This Winter
Despite degradation risks in colder temperatures, storage allows for more availability during peak winter demand periods.By Arcelia MartinEven with less available electric power capacity during...
A River That Millions Rely on for Water Is on the Brink. A Deal to Save It Isn’t.
At their annual conference in Las Vegas, Colorado River Basin states remain at an impasse over how to cut their water use as Lake Mead...
U.S. Company Releasing Unauthorized Emissions From Peru LNG Terminal
Hunt Oil Co. has burned off an estimated 55.5 million cubic meters of unused gas from the export facility.By Maria Alejandra Gonzales and Wil Crisp,...
More research needed on people’s responses to air quality data
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Health equity impacts of climate change in the UK: a rapid systematic review and interactive evidence gap map
The aim of this project was to assess and summarise the evidence on the health equity impacts of climate change in the UK. We conducted...
When creating images, AI keeps remixing the same 12 stock photo clichés
In a game of visual telephone, models converge on ecstatic sports wins, romantic nights in Paris, and other cultural chestnuts
To reduce science’s carbon footprint, researchers in France reinvent work practices
Grassroots efforts explore what works—and where the tensions lie
Silicon Valley bets on science—without strings
Billionaire-backed Episteme aims to free research from bureaucracy, but history shows reinventing science is hard
DeBriefed 19 December 2025: EU’s petrol car U-turn; Trump to axe ‘leading’ research lab; What climate scientists are reading
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week EU easing up HITTING THE BREAKS: The...
Multilevel Collaboration Advances Zero Emission and Resilient Buildings in Colombia, Kenya and the Philippines
Launched at COP29 under the Subnational Climate Action Leadership Exchange Partnership, the Zero Emission and Resilient Buildings (ZERB) Accelerator brings national and subnational governments together...
Revealed: how Toyota uses retro-style games and prizes to urge US workers to lobby politicians
Games such as Dragon Quest used to mobilize workers to back corporate goals including relaxing environmental rulesToyota, the world’s biggest carmaker, is using retro-style video...
Protocol intercomparison project highlights non-equivalent carbon crediting across agricultural land management protocols
Voluntary markets for agricultural carbon credits are expanding, promoting climate-smart practices purported to increase soil carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To contribute effectively to...
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