The frequency and magnitude of extreme wildfires appear to have doubled in the last 20 years. Moreover, the six most extreme years for these events have occurred since 2017, according to a paper published in Nature Ecology & Evolution in which the authors used satellite data from 2003 to 2023.
Carbon stored globally by plants is shorter-lived and more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought, according to a study published in Science. This has implications for nature's role in climate change mitigation, including the potential for carbon removal projects such as mass tree planting. The research reveals that existing climate models underestimate the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that vegetation absorbs globally each year, but overestimate how long that carbon stays there.
International health organisations are warning about the spread in Europe of mosquito species that transmit diseases such as dengue fever. In Spain, where they are already widespread across much of the country, the Centro de Coordinación de Alertas y Emergencias Sanitarias (CCAES) warns of the risk of West Nile virus, and says that the summer is expected to be complicated. In this guide, we bring together information to understand this public health issue.
Since 2024, the Ministry of Health will begin using a new, more rigorous alert system based on 182 meteosalud zones instead of 52 provinces. The aim is to make the plan more effective, inform the population when necessary, and ultimately save lives.
Nitrous oxide is considered one of the three most important greenhouse gases, behind carbon dioxide and methane. According to a report by the Global Carbon Project, emissions of this gas from human activities continue to grow, with a 40% increase over the last four decades - from 2020 to 1980. The research, led by Boston College and published in the journal Earth System Science Data, reveals that in the last decade, agricultural production through the use of nitrogen fertilizers and animal manure contributed 74% of total anthropogenic emissions of this gas.
In an analysis published in Cell Reports Sustainability, an international team of researchers proposes a regular cash payment for the entire world population, which could increase global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 130 %. According to the authors, this basic income could be paid for, in part, by a tax on carbon emitters, which would also help to reduce environmental degradation.
A study has analyzed how 69 of the tree species present in Europe - such as oaks, ashes or willows - will behave over this century under different climate change scenarios. In the best-case scenario, the number of species able to survive per square kilometer will be reduced by a third, according to their calculations. For the authors, who publish their results in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, this could have strong negative repercussions on timber production, carbon storage and biodiversity conservation.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service, together with the World Meteorological Organisation, publishes the report on the state of Europe's climate in 2023. According to their findings, last year was one of the hottest on record, with a record number of extreme heat stress days and widespread flooding. According to their calculations, heat-related mortality has increased by 30 % over the last 20 years.
[This article has been retracted by Nature on December 3, 2025]. The global economy could lose, on average, 19% of income by 2049 due to increased carbon emissions over the past four decades, says an analysis published in Nature. To estimate the future economic damages of climate change, the authors used temperature and precipitation data for 1,600 regions worldwide in the past 40 years. Low-income countries will be more affected by these losses than higher-income countries, the authors warn.
A study has analysed data on heat waves from 1979 to 2020 and concludes that their propagation speed has decreased over the last 40 years due to anthropogenic causes. In addition, their frequency, intensity and travel distance have increased. According to the authors, "longer-lasting and slower-moving heat waves will cause more devastating effects on natural and social systems in the future if [greenhouse gases] continue to increase and effective mitigation measures are not taken". The findings are published in the journal Science Advances.