As humans face an inherently riskier world, a special collection in Earth’s Future explores thematic, theoretical, and empirical approaches to resilient decision-making.
Earth’s Future
Conserving Riverside Habitat Could Bolster Bottom Lines
Palm oil is in demand, and its agricultural footprint is expanding in the tropics. New research suggests that habitat buffers could improve conservation and prevent erosion that cuts into economic returns.
Countergeoengineering Could Ease or Escalate Climate Tensions
Researchers systematically consider the feasibility and political implications of future strategies to counteract temperature-lowering solar geoengineering efforts.
A Near-Real-Time Tool to Characterize Global Landslide Hazards
By fusing susceptibility information with precipitation data, a new model generates “nowcasts” to predict the potential for rainfall-triggered landslides in steep terrain between 50°N and 50°S.
Sea Level Rise Threatens Hundreds of Wastewater Treatment Plants
Untreated sewage could affect 5 times more people than direct flooding, a new study shows.
The Benefits and Vulnerabilities of a Warming Europe
Scientists evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of a warmer climate on European countries, finding a range of effects on tourism, electricity demand, and ecosystem production.
Urban Agriculture Could Provide Billions in Ecosystem Services
Expanding agriculture efforts in cities could improve food security, ecosystem health, and more.
A Quantitative Look at United Nations’ Global Vision for 2030
Achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals will require research, negotiation, and careful planning.
Incorporating Physical Processes into Sea Level Projections
Including the effects of physical mechanisms that can quickly increase ice sheet discharge significantly raises sea level rise projections under high-emission scenarios.
Reckoning with Climate’s Most Challenging Questions
Climate researchers outline a vision for the future of climate observations.