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Bibliography on: Climate Change

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ESP: PubMed Auto Bibliography 12 Nov 2024 at 01:36 Created: 

Climate Change

The world is warming up, with 2023 being by far the hottest year since record keeping began and 2024 shaping up to be hotter yet. But these changes only involve one or two degrees. What's the big deal?

The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one liter of water by one degree is one kilocalorie (kcal). Scaling up, the amount of energy required for a one-degree increase in the water temperature of the Gulf of Mexico is 2,434,000,000,000,000,000 kcals. That's 25 million times more energy than released by the WW-II atomic bomb that destroyed the city of Hiroshima and killed more than 100,000 people.

So, for every one degree increase in water temperature, the Gulf of Mexico takes on 25-million atomic bombs worth of new energy, which is then available to fuel hurricanes and other storms. Maybe a one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal.

Created with PubMed® Query: (( "climate change"[TITLE] OR "global warming"[TITLE] )) NOT pmcbook NOT ispreviousversion

Citations The Papers (from PubMed®)

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RevDate: 2024-11-05
CmpDate: 2024-11-05

Adde A, Külling N, Rey PL, et al (2024)

Projecting Untruncated Climate Change Effects on Species' Climate Suitability: Insights From an Alpine Country.

Global change biology, 30(11):e17557.

Climate projections for continental Europe indicate drier summers, increased annual precipitation, and less snowy winters, which are expected to cause shifts in species' distributions. Yet, most regions/countries currently lack comprehensive climate-driven biodiversity projections across taxonomic groups, challenging effective conservation efforts. To address this gap, our study evaluated the potential effects of climate change on the biodiversity of an alpine country of Europe, Switzerland. We used a state-of-the art species distribution modeling approach and species occurrence data that covered the climatic conditions encountered across the full species' ranges to help limiting niche truncation. We quantified the relationship between baseline climate and the spatial distribution of 7291 species from 12 main taxonomic groups and projected future climate suitability for three 30-year periods and two greenhouse gas concentration scenarios (RCP4.5 and 8.5). Our results indicated important effects of projected climate changes on species' climate suitability, with responses varying by the taxonomic and conservation status group. The percentage of species facing major changes in climate suitability was higher under RCP8.5 (68%) compared to RCP4.5 (66%). By the end of the century, decreases in climate suitability were projected for 3000 species under RCP8.5 and 1758 species under RCP4.5. The most affected groups under RCP8.5 were molluscs, algae, and amphibians, while it was molluscs, birds, and vascular plants under RCP4.5. Spatially, by 2070-2099, we projected an overall decrease in climate suitability for 39% of the cells in the study area under RCP8.5 and 10% under RCP4.5, while projecting an increase for 50% of the cells under RCP8.5 and 73% under RCP4.5. The most consistent geographical shifts were upward, southward, and eastward. We found that the coverage of high climate suitability cells by protected areas was expected to increase. Our models and maps provide guidance for spatial conservation planning by pointing out future climate-suitable areas for biodiversity.

RevDate: 2024-11-05

Castellani P, Ferronato N, Barbieri J, et al (2024)

Solid waste management in Ugandan developing cities: Material flow analysis and sustainable practices for reducing the global warming potential.

Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA [Epub ahead of print].

The introduction of appropriate solid waste management (SWM) strategies can foster the mitigation of waste open dumping and burning in low-income developing cities. In this work, the SWM system in Gulu (Uganda) has been studied, and a material flow analysis, also of informal flows of waste, has been carried out. Moreover, the effectiveness of the SWM system of St. Mary's Lacor Hospital in Gulu was evaluated. Waste has been characterized and a material flow analysis allowed to highlight the difference with the current situation in the remaining part of Gulu. The sustainable practices already implemented in the hospital compound were studied to be replicated in Gulu to mitigate SWM impact in terms of global warming potential. Inadequate financial resources pose a hurdle for Gulu municipality in managing municipal solid waste (MSW) effectively. The SWM system of the hospital demonstrated both financial and managerial competence, paving the way to promote waste recycling actions acting as a hub for fostering sustainable and health-conscious valourization technologies, while discouraging waste open burning and dumping. This study estimated that the total CO2-eq emissions from open dumping and open burning avoided in 2030-2050, if Gulu would appropriately dispose of MSW by 2030, are equal to about 17,000 metric tonnes per year (t year[-1]). This work suggests appropriate strategies to mitigate waste open burning in low-middle income countries. The results can be helpful for waste management planners and practitioners providing important information for the use of appropriate technologies in low-middle income developing cities.

RevDate: 2024-11-06

Ji JS (2024)

China's health national adaptation plan for climate change: action framework 2024-2030.

The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific, 52:101227.

RevDate: 2024-11-06

Zhu DP, Yang L, Li YH, et al (2024)

Predicting the Potential Distribution of the Endangered Pyrethrum tatsienense in China Using an Optimized Maxent Model Under Climate Change Scenarios.

Ecology and evolution, 14(11):e70503.

Climate change can significantly impact the ecological suitability and diversity of species. Pyrethrum tatsienense, a critically endangered species in China, requires a thorough understanding of its habitat distribution and the environmental factors that affect it in the context of climate change. The Maxent algorithm was used to examine the key factors influencing the distribution of P. tatsienense in China, using data from 127 species occurrences and environmental variables from the Last Interglacial (LIG), Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Mid-Holocene (MH), current, and future scenarios. The Maxent model was optimized utilizing the R package ENMeval, providing the most accurate predictions for suitable habitats across various scenarios. Results show that suitable regions for P. tatsienense encompass approximately 15.02% (14.42 × 10[5] km[2]) of China, predominantly on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The mean UV-B of the highest month (UVB3: 39.7%), elevation (elev: 28.7%), and the warmest season of precipitation (Bio18: 17.4%) are the major limiting factors for suitable habitat. The optimal species distribution ranges are identified as > 7500 J m[-2] day[-1] for UVB3, 2700-5600 m for elev, and 150-480 mm for Bio18. Predictions for the historical climate indicate the presence of refugia at the junction of Sichuan, Tibet, and Qinghai. The MH predictions show an increase in climatic suitability for P. tatsienense compared to the LIG and LGM, with an expansion of suitable areas westward. Future climate change scenarios indicate that the potential suitable habitat for P. tatsienense is expected to increase with increasing radiative forcing, with higher latitude regions becoming new marginally suitable habitats. However, predicted environmental changes in western Tibet may drive the loss of highly suitable habitats in the future. These findings enhance our understanding of how environmental factors impact the habitat suitability of P. tatsienense and provide valuable insights for developing effective management and conservation strategies for this important species.

RevDate: 2024-11-06

Liu Y, L Chen (2024)

Predicting the Impact of Climate Change on Corylus Species Distribution in China: Integrating Climatic, Topographic, and Anthropogenic Factors.

Ecology and evolution, 14(11):e70528.

This study investigates the impact of climate change on the distribution of Corylus species in China using the MaxEnt model. Key environmental variables, such as Bio6 (mean temperature of the coldest month) and human footprint, emerged as significant determinants of habitat suitability. The study reveals substantial shifts in suitable habitats due to global warming and increased precipitation, with notable expansion towards higher latitudes. Species like Corylus heterophylla Fisch. ex Bess. and Corylus mandshurica Maxim. demonstrate resilience in extreme conditions, highlighting the importance of specific ecological traits for conservation. Future projections under various SSP scenarios predict continued habitat expansion, emphasizing the need for targeted conservation strategies to address the critical role of human activities. This research highlights the complex interplay between climatic, topographic, and anthropogenic factors in shaping Corylus habitats, advocating for integrated adaptive management approaches to ensure their sustainability amid ongoing climate change.

RevDate: 2024-11-05

Corbin JPM, Best RJ, Garthwaite IJ, et al (2024)

Hyperspectral Leaf Reflectance Detects Interactive Genetic and Environmental Effects on Tree Phenotypes, Enabling Large-Scale Monitoring and Restoration Planning Under Climate Change.

Plant, cell & environment [Epub ahead of print].

Plants respond to rapid environmental change in ways that depend on both their genetic identity and their phenotypic plasticity, impacting their survival as well as associated ecosystems. However, genetic and environmental effects on phenotype are difficult to quantify across large spatial scales and through time. Leaf hyperspectral reflectance offers a potentially robust approach to map these effects from local to landscape levels. Using a handheld field spectrometer, we analyzed leaf-level hyperspectral reflectance of the foundation tree species Populus fremontii in wild populations and in three 6-year-old experimental common gardens spanning a steep climatic gradient. First, we show that genetic variation among populations and among clonal genotypes is detectable with leaf spectra, using both multivariate and univariate approaches. Spectra predicted population identity with 100% accuracy among trees in the wild, 87%-98% accuracy within a common garden, and 86% accuracy across different environments. Multiple spectral indices of plant health had significant heritability, with genotype accounting for 10%-23% of spectral variation within populations and 14%-48% of the variation across all populations. Second, we found gene by environment interactions leading to population-specific shifts in the spectral phenotype across common garden environments. Spectral indices indicate that genetically divergent populations made unique adjustments to their chlorophyll and water content in response to the same environmental stresses, so that detecting genetic identity is critical to predicting tree response to change. Third, spectral indicators of greenness and photosynthetic efficiency decreased when populations were transferred to growing environments with higher mean annual maximum temperatures relative to home conditions. This result suggests altered physiological strategies further from the conditions to which plants are locally adapted. Transfers to cooler environments had fewer negative effects, demonstrating that plant spectra show directionality in plant performance adjustments. Thus, leaf reflectance data can detect both local adaptation and plastic shifts in plant physiology, informing strategic restoration and conservation decisions by enabling high resolution tracking of genetic and phenotypic changes in response to climate change.

RevDate: 2024-11-05

Thompson EJ, Alexander SE, Moneghetti K, et al (2024)

The interplay of climate change and physical activity: Implications for cardiovascular health.

American heart journal plus : cardiology research and practice, 47:100474.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the top contributors to global disease burden. Meeting the physical activity guidelines can effectively control and prevent several CVD risk factors, including obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The effects of climate change are multifactorial and have direct impacts on cardiovascular health. Increasing ambient temperatures, worsening air and water quality and urbanisation and loss of greenspace will also have indirect effects of cardiovascular health by impacting the ability and opportunity to participate in physical activity. A changing climate also has implications for large scale sporting events and policies regarding risk mitigation during exercise in hot climates. This review will discuss the impact of a changing climate on cardiovascular health and physical activity and the implications for the future of organised sport.

RevDate: 2024-11-05

Betro' S (2024)

From eco-anxiety to eco-hope: surviving the climate change threat.

Frontiers in psychiatry, 15:1429571.

INTRODUCTION: As the average global temperature increases, the effects of climate change worsen, through effects on worsening extreme events as well as exacerbating political, economic, and social turmoil (wars, conflicts, and migrations). This poses an existential risk to the survival of humans and non-humans. These effects are visible due to the impact on people's mental health and psychophysical well-being. This article aims to explore the growing phenomenon of psychoterratic syndromes, with focus on the effect of eco-anxiety on mental health. Furthermore, the relationship between eco-anxiety and behavior response (both individual and collective) in the climate crisis era is outlined.

METHODS: A research with interdisciplinary approach was carried out for recent literature and articles relating to psychoterratic syndromes and the effects of climate change on mental health.

RESULTS: The article explores the effects of climate change on mental health, including various research on the onset of new emotions in response to psychological effects to climate change, called psychoterratic syndromes (such as eco-anxiety, climate anxiety, solastalgia, eco-grief). Among these, eco-anxiety is the most popular term used for describing how people feel about climate change. However, the paradigm that described eco-anxiety only as a pathological emotion needs to be changed.

DISCUSSION: The article emphasizes the positive effect of eco-emotions and the need to stimulate people to move from a state of anxiety, which could bring apathy and resignation, toward eco-hope. Eco-hope could be an adaptive coping mechanism in people and communities, which is key to preventing, mitigating, and protecting mental and planetary health.

RevDate: 2024-11-05

Ouarda TBMJ, Masselot P, Campagna C, et al (2024)

Prediction of heatwave related mortality magnitude, duration and frequency with climate variability and climate change information.

Stochastic environmental research and risk assessment : research journal, 38(11):4471-4483.

UNLABELLED: Given the link between climatic factors on one hand, such as climate change and low frequency climate oscillation indices, and the occurrence and magnitude of heat waves on the other hand, and given the impact of heat waves on mortality, these climatic factors could provide some predictive skill for mortality. We propose a new model, the Mortality-Duration-Frequency (MDF) relationship, to relate the intensity of an extreme summer mortality event to its duration and frequency. The MDF model takes into account the non-stationarities observed in the mortality data through covariates by integrating information concerning climate change through the time trend and climate variability through climate oscillation indices. The proposed approach was applied to all-cause mortality data from 1983 to 2018 in the metropolitan regions of Quebec and Montreal in eastern Canada. In all cases, models introducing covariates lead to a substantial improvement in the goodness-of-fit in comparison to stationary models without covariates. Climate change signal is more important than climate variability signal in explaining maximum summer mortality. However, climate indices successfully explain a part of the interannual variability in the maximum summer mortality. Overall, the best models are obtained with the time trend and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) used as covariates. No country has yet integrated teleconnection information in their heat-health watch and warning systems or adaptation plans. MDF modeling has the potential to be useful to public health managers for the planning and management of health services. It allows predicting future MDF curves for adaptive management using the values of the covariates.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00477-024-02813-0.

RevDate: 2024-11-04

Booth EJ, Brauer CJ, Sandoval-Castillo J, et al (2024)

Genomic Vulnerability to Climate Change of an Australian Migratory Freshwater Fish, the Golden Perch (Macquaria ambigua).

Molecular ecology [Epub ahead of print].

Genomic vulnerability is a measure of how much evolutionary change is required for a population to maintain optimal genotype-environment associations under projected climates. Aquatic species, and in particular migratory ectotherms, are largely underrepresented in studies of genomic vulnerability. Such species might be well equipped for tracking suitable habitat and spreading diversity that could promote adaptation to future climates. We characterised range-wide genomic diversity and genomic vulnerability in the migratory and fisheries-important golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) from Australia's expansive Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). The MDB has a steep hydroclimatic gradient and is one of the world's most variable regions in terms of climate and streamflow. Golden perch are threatened by fragmentation and obstruction of waterways, alteration of flow regimes, and a progressively hotter and drying climate. We gathered a genomic dataset of 1049 individuals from 186 MDB localities. Despite high range-wide gene flow, golden perch in the warmer, northern catchments had higher predicted vulnerability than those in the cooler, southern catchments. A new cross-validation approach showed that these predictions were insensitive to the exclusion of individual catchments. The results raise concern for populations at warm range edges, which may already be close to their thermal limits. However, a population with functional variants beneficial for climate adaptation found in the most arid and hydrologically variable catchment was predicted to be less vulnerable. Native fish management plans, such as captive breeding and stocking, should consider spatial variation in genomic vulnerability to improve conservation outcomes under climate change, even for dispersive species with high connectivity.

RevDate: 2024-11-04

Hadley K, Talbott J, Reddy S, et al (2023)

Impacts of climate change on food security and resulting perinatal health impacts.

Seminars in perinatology pii:S0146-0005(23)00145-3 [Epub ahead of print].

Climate change's impact on global food security is a pressing concern with profound consequences. Climate change disrupts the global food system through a number of mechanisms including extreme weather events, rising food prices, and compromised food quality. In this article, we explore the effect of climate change on food security and the resulting health impacts of poor nutrition on pregnant women and infants in the perinatal period. Inadequate nutrition during pregnancy raises the risk of vitamin deficiencies, obstetric complications, maternal mortality, and infant malnutrition. Climate change exacerbates these challenges and perpetuates intergenerational cycles of poor nutrition. Addressing these issues requires traditional approaches to combating the climate impacts on general food security as well as specific approaches to bridge the food security gender gap. Empowering women as key stakeholders is crucial for overcoming the complex barriers to food insecurity caused by climate change, as well as protecting the well-being of vulnerable populations during the perinatal period.

RevDate: 2024-11-03

Xu W, Rhemtulla JM, Luo D, et al (2024)

Common drivers shaping niche distribution and climate change responses of one hundred tree species.

Journal of environmental management, 370:123074 pii:S0301-4797(24)03060-3 [Epub ahead of print].

Climate change is increasingly contributing to climatic mismatches, in which habitat suitability changes outpace the dispersal abilities of species. Climate niche models (CNM) have been widely used to assess such impacts on tree species. However, most studies have focused on either a single or a limited number of species, or have employed a fixed set of climate variables for multiple species. These limitations are largely due to the constraints of data availability, the complexity of the modeling algorithms, and integration approaches for the projections of diverse species. Therefore, whether specific climatic drivers determine the climatic niches of multiple tree species remains unclear. In this study, CNMs were developed for 100 economically and ecologically important tree species in China and were used to project their future distribution individually and collectively. Continentality was the predominant climate variable, affecting 71 species, followed by seasonal precipitation, which also significantly influenced over 50 species. Of the 100 tree species, the climate niche extent was projected to expand for 29 ("winners"), contract for 36 ("losers"), be stable for 27, and fluctuate for the remaining eight species. Principal component analysis showed that winners and losers were differentiated by geographic variables and the top five climatic variables, however, not by species type (deciduous vs. evergreen or conifer vs. broadleaf). The regions with the highest species richness were mainly distributed in the Hengduan Mountains, a global biodiversity hotspot, and were predicted to increase from 5.2% to 7.5% of the total area. Areas with low species richness were projected to increase from 33.0% to 42.4%. Significant shifts in species composition were anticipated in these biodiversity-rich areas, suggesting potential disruption owing to species reshuffling. This study highlights the urgent need for proactive forest management and conservation strategies to address the impacts of climate change on tree species and preserve ecological functions by mitigating climatic mismatches. In addition, this study establishes a framework to identify the common environmental drivers affecting niche distribution and evaluates the collective patterns of multiple tree species, thereby providing a scientific reference for enhanced forestry management and climate change mitigation.

RevDate: 2024-11-03

Siegrist M, A Berthold (2024)

The lasting effect of the Romantic view of nature: How it influences perceptions of risk and the support of symbolic actions against climate change.

Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis [Epub ahead of print].

Culture can have a major impact on how we perceive different hazards. In the Romantic period, nature was described and portrayed as mysterious and benevolent. A deep connection to nature was perceived as important. We proposed that this romantic view would be positively related to people's risk perceptions of man-made hazards and, more specifically, to concerns about climate change. Further, we hypothesized that the Romantic perception of nature leads to a biased perception of natural hazards and that the moral component of action is of particular importance above and beyond the mere efficacy of the action. We conducted an online survey in Germany (N = 531), a country where Romanticism had a very widespread influence. The study shows that individuals with a Romantic view of nature perceived greater risks associated with climate change than those without such a view. In addition, those with a Romantic view of nature were more likely to support measures to reduce the risks of climate change, even when it is said that such measures are not effective. Finally, the study found a significantly higher positive correlation between Romantic views of nature and risk perceptions of man-made versus natural hazards. The results suggest that ideas developed during the Romantic era continue to influence hazard perception in Germany.

RevDate: 2024-11-05
CmpDate: 2024-11-03

Minev-Benzecry S, BH Daru (2024)

Climate change alters the future of natural floristic regions of deep evolutionary origins.

Nature communications, 15(1):9474.

Biogeographic regions reflect the organization of biotas over long evolutionary timescales but face alterations from recent anthropogenic climate change. Here, we model species distributions for 189,269 vascular plant species of the world under present and future climates and use this data to generate biogeographic regions based on phylogenetic dissimilarity. Our analysis reveals declines in phylogenetic beta diversity for years 2040 to 2100, leading to a future homogenization of biogeographic regions. While some biogeographic boundaries will persist, climate change will alter boundaries separating biogeographic realms. Such boundary alterations will be determined by altitude variation, heterogeneity of temperature seasonality, and past climate velocity. Our findings suggest that human activities may now surpass the geological forces that shaped floristic regions over millions of years, calling for the mitigation of climate impacts to meet international biodiversity targets.

RevDate: 2024-11-02

Corrêa MP (2024)

Heatwaves, biodiversity and health in times of climate change.

Jornal de pediatria pii:S0021-7557(24)00133-5 [Epub ahead of print].

OBJECTIVES: This article discusses heatwaves (HWs), their definitions, and increasing frequencies associated with climate change, as well as their effects on human health, especially on children and vulnerable groups. It emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary studies to better understand the effects of HWs and preventive actions to mitigate the effects caused by this phenomenon.

DATA SOURCE: The data were obtained from recent studies, conducted in Brazil and abroad, on the impacts of HWs. The figures were attained with data provided by the Climate Change Knowledge Portal.

DATA SUMMARY: HWs are periods of extreme heat, modulated by climate phenomena such as El Niño and the Pacific Decadal Oscillations. The frequency and intensity of HWs have increased since the 1950s, driven by climate change. HWs affect public health by increasing the risk of mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Children are more vulnerable to problems such as fever caused by heatstroke, respiratory and kidney infections, as well as risks such as sudden infant death syndrome. Almost half of the HW episodes observed in South America in this century occurred in Brazil, mainly in socioeconomically vulnerable regions.

CONCLUSIONS: The increase in the number of HWs is a direct consequence of climate change and has severe impacts on public health and biodiversity. Vulnerable groups suffer more from these phenomena, and social inequalities aggravate the problems. It is essential to promote awareness, implement effective public policies and encourage interdisciplinary research to mitigate the effects of HWs on society.

RevDate: 2024-11-02

Romanello M, Walawender M, Hsu SC, et al (2024)

The 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: facing record-breaking threats from delayed action.

Lancet (London, England) pii:S0140-6736(24)01822-1 [Epub ahead of print].

RevDate: 2024-11-04

Locke H, Bidle KD, Thamatrakoln K, et al (2022)

Marine viruses and climate change: Virioplankton, the carbon cycle, and our future ocean.

Advances in virus research, 114:67-146.

Interactions between marine viruses and microbes are a critical part of the oceanic carbon cycle. The impacts of virus-host interactions range from short-term disruptions in the mobility of microbial biomass carbon to higher trophic levels through cell lysis (i.e., the viral shunt) to long-term reallocation of microbial biomass carbon to the deep sea through accelerating the biological pump (i.e., the viral shuttle). The biogeochemical backdrop of the ocean-the physical, chemical, and biological landscape-influences the likelihood of both virus-host interactions and particle formation, and the fate and flow of carbon. As climate change reshapes the oceanic landscape through large-scale shifts in temperature, circulation, stratification, and acidification, virus-mediated carbon flux is likely to shift in response. Dynamics in the directionality and magnitude of changes in how, where, and when viruses mediate the recycling or storage of microbial biomass carbon is largely unknown. Integrating viral infection dynamics data obtained from experimental models and field systems, with particle motion microphysics and global observations of oceanic biogeochemistry, into improved ecosystem models will enable viral oceanographers to better predict the role of viruses in marine carbon cycling in the future ocean.

RevDate: 2024-11-04

Fay RL, Keyel AC, AT Ciota (2022)

West Nile virus and climate change.

Advances in virus research, 114:147-193.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus with a global distribution that is maintained in an enzootic cycle between Culex species mosquitoes and avian hosts. Human infection, which occurs as a result of spillover from this cycle, is generally subclinical or results in a self-limiting febrile illness. Central nervous system infection occurs in a minority of infections and can lead to long-term neurological complications and, rarely, death. WNV is the most prevalent arthropod-borne virus in the United States. Climate change can influence several aspects of WNV transmission including the vector, amplifying host, and virus. Climate change is broadly predicted to increase WNV distribution and risk across the globe, yet there will likely be significant regional variability and limitations to this effect. Increases in temperature can accelerate mosquito and pathogen development, drive increases in vector competence for WNV, and also alter mosquito life history traits including longevity, blood feeding behavior and fecundity. Precipitation, humidity and drought also impact WNV transmissibility. Alteration in avian distribution, diversity and phenology resulting from climate variation add additional complexity to these relationships. Here, we review WNV epidemiology, transmission, disease and genetics in the context of laboratory studies, field investigations, and infectious disease models under climate change. We summarize how mosquito genetics, microbial interactions, host dynamics, viral strain, population size, land use and climate account for distinct relationships that drive WNV activity and discuss how these dynamic and evolving interactions could shape WNV transmission and disease under climate change.

RevDate: 2024-11-04

Montes N, I Pagán (2022)

Challenges and opportunities for plant viruses under a climate change scenario.

Advances in virus research, 114:1-66.

There is an increasing societal awareness on the enormous threat that climate change may pose for human, animal and plant welfare. Although direct effects due to exposure to heat, drought or elevated greenhouse gasses seem to be progressively more obvious, indirect effects remain debatable. A relevant aspect to be clarified relates to the relationship between altered environmental conditions and pathogen-induced diseases. In the particular case of plant viruses, it is still unclear whether climate change will primarily represent an opportunity for the emergence of new infections in previously uncolonized areas and hosts, or if it will mostly be a strong constrain reducing the impact of plant virus diseases and challenging the pathogen's adaptive capacity. This review focuses on current knowledge on the relationship between climate change and the outcome plant-virus interactions. We summarize work done on how this relationship modulates plant virus pathogenicity, between-host transmission (which include the triple interaction plant-virus-vector), ecology, evolution and management of the epidemics they cause. Considering these studies, we propose avenues for future research on this subject.

RevDate: 2024-11-04
CmpDate: 2024-10-31

Vivion M, Trottier V, Bouhêlier È, et al (2024)

Misinformation About Climate Change and Related Environmental Events on Social Media: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

JMIR research protocols, 13:e59345 pii:v13i1e59345.

BACKGROUND: Climate change and related environmental events represent major global challenges and are often accompanied by the spread of misinformation on social media. According to previous reviews, the dissemination of this misinformation on various social media platforms requires deeper exploration. Moreover, the findings reported applied mainly to the context of the United States, limiting the possibility of extending the results to other settings.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the current state of knowledge about misinformation concerning climate change and related environmental events that are circulating on social media. More specifically, we will explore past and current themes, actors, and sources, and the dissemination of this misinformation within the Canadian context.

METHODS: This scoping review protocol follows the methodological approach developed by Arksey and O'Malley and advanced by Levac, complemented by the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist and the best practice guidance for the development of scoping review protocols. Following the identification of the research questions and assisted by a specialized librarian, we developed search strategies for selected bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and GreenFILE) and for gray literature (Google and pertinent databases) searches. Bibliographic and gray literature will be searched to identify relevant publications. In total, 2 members of our team will use the review software Covidence (Veritas Health Innovation) to independently select publications to include in the review. Publications specifically addressing our research questions, peer-reviewed, evidence-based, and published from January 1, 2000, in the full-text version in English or French will be included. Data will be extracted from the included publications to chart, among other items, the years of publication, geographic areas, themes, actors, and sources of the climate change-related misinformation and conclusions reported. Our team will then synthesize the extracted data to articulate the current state of knowledge relating to our research inquiries.

RESULTS: The research questions were identified in January 2024. The search strategies were developed from January to March 2024 for MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science and in July 2024 for GreenFILE and gray literature. MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science searches were launched on March 26, 2024. The first of 2 rounds of selection of publications identified through these databases was achieved in April 2024.

CONCLUSIONS: This protocol will enable us to identify the evolution of themes, actors, and sources of misinformation regarding climate change and related environmental events on social media, including the latest platforms, and to potentially identify a context particular to Canada. As misinformation is known to undermine actions and public support in the fight against climate change, we intend to facilitate the targeting of efforts to combat misinformation related to climate change in an up-to-date and contextualized manner.

DERR1-10.2196/59345.

RevDate: 2024-10-31
CmpDate: 2024-10-31

Habibi I, Achour H, Bounaceur F, et al (2024)

Predicting the future distribution of the Barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus) under climate change using niche overlap analysis and species distribution modeling.

Environmental monitoring and assessment, 196(11):1140.

This study combines niche overlap analysis with species distribution modeling (SDM) to examine the niche dynamics of Atlantoxerus getulus, a ground squirrel native to Morocco and Algeria that has been introduced to the Canary Islands. We compiled 1272 records of A. getulus in its native and exotic ranges and five bioclimatic variables for present and future climate conditions for the years 2050 and 2070. We assessed the ecological niche of the species using exploratory and ordination analyses, followed by the prediction of its distribution using the SpatialMaxent model. Our results showed that the niches of A. getulus exhibited equivalence (p > 0.05) and significant similarity (p < 0.05) between the native and exotic ranges. No observed niche expansion in the exotic area is shown to be associated with complete niche stability. However, 90% of the niche in the Canary Islands remains unfilled, suggesting potential for further invasion. Our results highlighted habitat contractions ranging from 41% (SSP245-2050) to 60% (SSP585-2070), associated with a shift in the centroid of suitable habitat towards the Atlantic coast. These contractions are particularly severe in Algeria, where suitable habitats could disappear by 2050, contrasting with stable habitats maintained in the Canary Islands under all scenarios. Urgent habitat restoration in Algeria is crucial, including efforts to combat poaching. In Morocco, targeted in situ conservation is recommended, while in the Canary Islands, the focus should be on invasive species management and public awareness campaigns to prevent further spread.

RevDate: 2024-11-01

Ho YS, A Ouchi (2024)

Comments on "The economic impact of climate change: a bibliometric analysis of research hotspots and trends".

RevDate: 2024-11-01
CmpDate: 2024-11-01

Elia MR, Toygar I, Tomlins E, et al (2024)

Climate change, climate disasters and oncology care: a descriptive global survey of oncology healthcare professionals.

Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 32(11):764.

PURPOSE: Climate disasters and climate change have implications for healthcare globally. As the number and intensity of climate disasters increase, it is important to understand the effects on healthcare. We conducted a global survey of oncology healthcare providers to identify awareness, experiences, and educational needs related to climate change.

METHODS: An existing climate and health survey was adapted to oncology. This IRB- approved, 30-item survey measured demographics, climate disaster awareness, effects on cancer care and educational needs. Healthcare professionals employed in oncology settings (practice, research, or academic) were eligible. The survey was disseminated via social media and professional organizations. Descriptive statistics were computed using SPSS.

RESULTS: 154 responses from 26 countries were received from nurses (56%), physicians (19%), and other healthcare professionals (25%). Common climate change-related events impacting oncology care were extreme heat (63.8%) and heavy rains (52.2%). Respondents reported their workplace has a disaster plan for climate-related weather events (50.4%) or has taken steps to prepare for a climate-related weather event (48.5%). Respondents were aware that the planet has warmed significantly (98.7%), that healthcare contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (98.6%) and reported wanting to learn more about how climate change affects cancer care (88.3%). Preferred educational modalities include webinars (69%), e-learning (55%), journal articles (48.3%), conferences (46.3%) and podcasts (38.9%).

CONCLUSIONS: This global survey is the first to identify the awareness, experiences, and educational needs of oncology healthcare professionals related to climate change and climate disasters. Healthcare providers are positioned to take leadership roles related to climate and health.

RevDate: 2024-11-01
CmpDate: 2024-11-01

Knowles-Bacon M (2024)

Veterinary workplaces and climate change.

The Veterinary record, 195(9):392.

BVA policy and public affairs manager Megan Knowles-Bacon introduces BVA's latest report, which explores how vet teams can help tackle climate change.

RevDate: 2024-11-01

Jiao Y, Zhang Y, Wang X, et al (2024)

Awakening: Potential Release of Dormant Chemicals from Thawing Permafrost Soils under Climate Change.

Environmental science & technology [Epub ahead of print].

Permafrost is a crucial part of the Earth's cryosphere. These millennia-old frozen soils not only are significant carbon reservoirs but also store a variety of chemicals. Accelerated permafrost thaw due to global warming leads to profound consequences such as infrastructure damage, hydrological changes, and, notably, environmental concerns from the release of various chemicals. In this perspective, we metaphorically term long-preserved substances as "dormant chemicals" that experience an "awakening" during permafrost thaw. We begin by providing a comprehensive overview and categorization of these chemicals and their potential transformations, utilizing a combination of field observations, laboratory studies, and modeling approaches to assess their environmental impacts. Following this, we put forward several perspectives on how to enhance the scientific understanding of their ensuing environmental impacts in the context of climate change. Ultimately, we advocate for broader research engagement in permafrost exploration and emphasize the need for extensive environmental chemical studies. This will significantly enhance our understanding of the consequences of permafrost thaw and its broader impact on other ecosystems under rapid climate warming.

RevDate: 2024-11-01

Annan H, Baran I, S Litwin (2024)

Five I's of Climate Change and Child Health: A Framework for Pediatric Planetary Health Education.

Pediatrics pii:199816 [Epub ahead of print].

RevDate: 2024-10-31
CmpDate: 2024-10-31

Amoah P, Oumarou Mahamane AR, Byiringiro MH, et al (2024)

Genome editing in Sub-Saharan Africa: a game-changing strategy for climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture.

GM crops & food, 15(1):279-302.

Sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural sector faces a multifaceted challenge due to climate change consisting of high temperatures, changing precipitation trends, alongside intensified pest and disease outbreaks. Conventional plant breeding methods have historically contributed to yield gains in Africa, and the intensifying demand for food security outpaces these improvements due to a confluence of factors, including rising urbanization, improved living standards, and population growth. To address escalating food demands amidst urbanization, rising living standards, and population growth, a paradigm shift toward more sustainable and innovative crop improvement strategies is imperative. Genome editing technologies offer a promising avenue for achieving sustained yield increases while bolstering resilience against escalating biotic and abiotic stresses associated with climate change. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas) is unique due to its ubiquity, efficacy, alongside precision, making it a pivotal tool for Sub-Saharan African crop improvement. This review highlights the challenges and explores the prospect of gene editing to secure the region's future foods.

RevDate: 2024-11-02
CmpDate: 2024-10-31

Frantz CM, Bushkin L, D O'Keefe (2024)

Evaluating the usefulness of Protection Motivation Theory for predicting climate change mitigation behavioral intentions among a US sample of climate change deniers and acknowledgers.

BMC psychology, 12(1):605.

BACKGROUND: This paper summarizes data from 7 studies that used Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to guide climate messaging with the goal of increasing climate-mitigating behavioral intentions. Together, the studies address 5 research questions. 1) Does PMT predict behavioral intentions in the context of climate change mitigation? 2) Does PMT work similarly for climate change deniers vs acknowledgers? 3) Are the effects of threat and efficacy additive or multiplicative? 4) Does adding measures of collective threat and efficacy improve the model accuracy for a collective problem like climate change? 5) Can threat and efficacy appraisals - and ultimately behavioral intentions - be shifted through climate messaging?

METHODS: Seven online experiments were conducted on US adults (N = 3,761) between 2020 and 2022. Participants were randomly assigned to a control condition or to one of several experimental conditions designed to influence threat, efficacy, or both. Participants indicated their belief in climate change, ethnicity, gender, and political orientation. They completed measures of personal threat and efficacy, collective threat and efficacy, and behavioral intentions.

RESULTS: Multiple regressions, ANCOVAs, and effect sizes were used to evaluate our research questions. Consistent with PMT, threat and efficacy appraisals predicted climate mitigation behavioral intentions, even among those who denied climate change. Different interactions emerged for climate deniers and acknowledgers, suggesting that in this context threat and efficacy are not just additive in their effects (but these effects were small). Including measures of collective threat and efficacy only modestly improved the model. Finally, evidence that threat and efficacy appraisals can be shifted was weak and inconsistent; mitigation behavioral intentions were not reliably influenced by the messages tested.

CONCLUSIONS: PMT effectively predicts climate change mitigation behavioral intentions among US adults, whether they deny climate change or acknowledge it. Threat appraisals may be more impactful for deniers, while efficacy appraisals may be more impactful for acknowledgers. Including collective-level measures of threat and efficacy modestly improves model fit. Contrary to PMT research in other domains, threat and efficacy appraisals were not easily shifted under the conditions tested here, and increases did not reliably lead to increases in behavioral intentions.

RevDate: 2024-10-31
CmpDate: 2024-10-31

Devi V, Fulekar MH, Charles B, et al (2024)

Predicting the habitat suitability and species richness of plants of Great Himalayan National Park under different climate change scenarios.

Environmental monitoring and assessment, 196(11):1136.

This study elucidates the distribution of plants in Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP), India, in current and different future climate change scenarios. The distribution of plants and habitat suitability in GHNP due to climate change was analyzed by MaxEnt, species distribution model (SDM) algorithm. In this study, species presence records were retrieved through field survey and published literature. We have projected the distribution of 44 plant species using MaxEnt and tested whether GHNP is performing well in conserving the plant species. Initially, we have constructed a model for each species and created the habitat suitability map from average of ascii files and later we added the maps of all species in order to make binary map to show the species richness in the selected climate scenarios. The model was created using the HADGEM-2 global circulation model in 2050 and 2070 years by using climate change situations of RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5. The area under curve (AUC) values in the final models of 44 plant species were in the range 0.70-0.97 that indicates statistically significant results. The model identified precipitation of driest month followed by altitude and annual mean temperature as most determining variables in the distribution of plants of GHNP in selected climate scenarios. In the present study, we found that overall suitable habitat increased for nine species, decreased for thirty-four, and unchanged for one plant species in terms of percent area change from current to future scenarios. So these nine species were found to be more adaptable towards changing climate than the other plant species in this study. The species richness was high in western and southwestern parts of GHNP in the current scenario, however under future climatic scenarios, species richness shows a decreasing trend. Based on our findings, it can be concluded that GHNP should be prioritized for conserving the plant species.

RevDate: 2024-10-30

Berg A (2024)

Causal inference from high-dimensional static data in soil microbiota networks: Comment on "Topological change of soil microbiota networks for forest resilience under global warming" by Gong et al.

Physics of life reviews, 51:281-282 pii:S1571-0645(24)00137-4 [Epub ahead of print].

RevDate: 2024-10-29

Pinto-Zevallos DM, JD Blande (2024)

Challenges of climate change and air pollution for volatile-mediated plant-parasitoid signalling.

Current opinion in insect science pii:S2214-5745(24)00132-9 [Epub ahead of print].

Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) are reliable cues that parasitoids can use to locate host patches. Interactions mediated by plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are vulnerable to disturbance by predicted climate change and air pollution scenarios. Abiotic stress-induced VOCs may act as false signals to parasitoids. Air pollutants can disrupt signalling by degrading HIPVs at different rates and preventing the perception of olfactory signals by reducing the sensitivity of olfactory receptors or by occluding insect sensillae. As essential components of biological control programmes, efforts should be made to assess how different parasitoid species respond and adapt to HIPVs in predicted scenarios. Since providing parasitoid food sources is a promising practice for boosting biological control, parasitoid-flower interactions deserve attention.

RevDate: 2024-10-29

Leblanc N, Légaré AG, Diallo T, et al (2024)

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Quebec Nurses Relating to Climate Change in the Context of Their Practice with Children Aged 0 to 5 Years: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.

The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieres [Epub ahead of print].

STUDY BACKGROUND: Reducing children's vulnerability to climate change (CC) depends firstly on parents having the ability to adapt.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of nurses in support of parents' ability to adapt to CC to protect the physical and psychosocial health of 0-5 year olds.

METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was used. A total of 127 pediatric nurses from the province of Quebec completed an online questionnaire documenting nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about CC.

RESULTS: A third of nurses have little or no knowledge of the health risks of CC for children, even though they consider it to be a major issue for children. Nurses perceive that parents don't generally consider their children to be among the most vulnerable to CC, trivialize their effects on their children's health, have little knowledge of the effects of CC mainly on their children's psychosocial health, know little about the means to use to protect them, and more readily seek help from family and friends to ensure their children's protection. Nurses affirm that they are responsible for discussing the health effects of CC with parents, introduce measures to reduce their effects, possess little knowledge and few skills for reducing their effects, and feel unprepared to deal with their effects in their practice.

CONCLUSIONS: Greater access to training on CC-related concepts is needed to increase nurses' knowledge. Nurses' perceptions must be validated with parents to promote optimal protection of children from CC.

RevDate: 2024-10-30

Viegas S, Santos JA, Kazmierczak A, et al (2023)

Training on the Impact of Climate Change on Public Health: Reflections and Lessons Learnt.

Portuguese journal of public health, 41(3):230-234.

RevDate: 2024-10-31

Tsiftsis S, Štípková Z, Rejmánek M, et al (2024)

Predictions of species distributions based only on models estimating future climate change are not reliable.

Scientific reports, 14(1):25778.

Changes in climate and land use are the most often mentioned factors responsible for the current decline in species diversity. To reduce the effect of these factors, we need reliable predictions of future species distributions. This is usually done by utilizing species distribution models (SDMs) based on expected climate. Here we explore the accuracy of such projections: we use orchid (Orchidaceae) recordings and environmental (mainly climatic) data from the years 1901-1950 in SDMs to predict maps of potential species distributions in 1980-2014. This should enable us to compare the predictions of species distributions in 1980-2014, based on records of species distribution in the years 1901-1950, with real data in the 1980-2014 period. We found that the predictions of the SDMs often differ from reality in this experiment. The results clearly indicate that SDM predictions of future species distributions as a reaction to climate change must be treated with caution.

RevDate: 2024-10-31

Al-Rawas G, Nikoo MR, Janbehsarayi SFM, et al (2024)

Near future flash flood prediction in an arid region under climate change.

Scientific reports, 14(1):25887.

Flash floods represent a significant threat, triggering severe natural disasters and leading to extensive damage to properties and infrastructure, which in turn results in the loss of lives and significant economic damages. In this study, a comprehensive statistical approach was applied to future flood predictions in the coastal basin of North Al-Abatinah, Oman. In this context, the initial step involves analyzing eighteen General Circulation Models (GCMs) to identify the most suitable one. Subsequently, we assessed four CMIP6 scenarios for future rainfall analysis. Next, different Machine Learning (ML) algorithms were employed through H2O-AutoML to identify the best model for downscaling future rainfall predictions. Forty distribution functions were then fitted to the future daily rainfall, and the best-fit model was selected to project future Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curves. Finally, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was utilized with sub-daily time steps to make accurate flash flood predictions in the study area. The findings reveal that IITM-ESM is the most effective among GCM models. Additionally, the application of stacked ensemble ML model proved to be the most reliable in downscaling future rainfall. Furthermore, this study highlighted that floods entering urbanized areas could reach 20.33 and 20.70 m[[3]]/s under pessimistic scenarios during rainfall events with 100 and 200-year return periods, respectively. This hierarchical comprehensive approach provides reliable results by utilizing the most effective model at each step, offering in-depth insight into future flash flood prediction.

RevDate: 2024-10-28
CmpDate: 2024-10-28

Hansen J (2024)

Public History: Infrastructure, Climate Change, and Radical Action.

Technology and culture, 65(4):1309-1321.

This essay reviews the 2022 American film How to Blow Up a Pipeline, examining its significance for historians of technology. The film highlights do-it-yourself technologies, the experiences of marginalized technology users, and the environmental consequences of infrastructures. Central to the discussion is the film's dystopian portrayal of infrastructure, which drives the characters to take extreme measures, such as the bombing of an oil pipeline, to raise awareness about climate change. While the film might seem to advocate for radical action, this review suggests that it offers historians an opportunity to engage with broader social issues and reflect on the methodological challenges within the history of technology.

RevDate: 2024-10-30

Viegas S (2022)

Exposure Science in a Climate Change Scenario.

Portuguese journal of public health, 40(1):1-2.

RevDate: 2024-10-30
CmpDate: 2024-10-28

Muniz AC, de Lemos-Filho JP, MB Lovato (2024)

Non-adaptedness and vulnerability to climate change threaten Plathymenia trees (Fabaceae) from the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest.

Scientific reports, 14(1):25611.

Climate change is increasing species extinction risk. The ability of a species to cope with climate change can be quantified by projecting distribution models and by estimating the risk of non-adaptedness using genomic data. The Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest in Tropical South America are increasingly threatened by habitat loss and anthropogenic climate change. This work aims to evaluate the ecological and genomic vulnerability of Plathymenia taxa and its lineages, P. reticulata, a Cerrado species, and P. foliolosa, an Atlantic Forest species, to determine their current and future habitat suitability and the mismatch between current local adaptation with the expected climate changes. The species distribution models predicted a high range loss for the Plathymenia lineages. The genotype-environment association analyses showed that the Plathymenia lineages have populations adapted to different precipitation and temperature seasonality regimes. The genomic offset analyses predict a mismatch between local adaptations and future climate for the Plathymenia indicating a high risk of non-adaptedness, especially in the pessimistic scenario. Our results show an elevated extinction risk of the species due to climate change. We suggest reevaluating the extinction risk and management of the Plathymenia species separately based on their differences in vulnerability to climate change.

RevDate: 2024-10-29

Beri D, Elkington J, Moola S, et al (2024)

Impact of climate change on water-related physical events, consequent human migration, and burden of drowning in India: An evidence synthesis.

Journal of family medicine and primary care, 13(9):3552-3563.

INTRODUCTION: Disrupted weather patterns are associated with climate change. Between 2001 and 2018, nearly 74% of disasters were water-related, including floods and cyclones. Such water-related cataclysmic events increase the risk of drowning. We aimed to map evidence on the impact of climate change on water-related physical events, associated human migration, and drowning burden in India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched electronic databases, government reports, and relevant websites to map evidence on water-related physical events (including but not limited to sea-level rise, glacier bursts, lake bursts, floods, rainfall, cyclones, and droughts) and consequent human migration using narrative review approach, while drowning burden through scoping review approach. We summarized the results narratively.

RESULTS: Evidence from 48 studies and seven reports suggest that India will witness the greatest sea-level rise, significantly impacting poor coastal communities. An increase in droughts, cyclonic rainfall, storms, and floods, with increasing surface rainwater and streamflow water, due to melting glaciers is expected. Climate change-triggered migration is expected notably in northeast and south India, making farmers, drivers, street vendors, women, and youth most vulnerable. No direct evidence was identified on the impact of climate change, water-related disasters, meteorological events, or seasonal variations on drowning from India.

CONCLUSION: Our study highlights a significant gap in the availability of context-specific and localized data to improve disaster response and strengthen public health systems, especially for areas most vulnerable to climate change. There is an urgent need to generate new knowledge and understanding of climate change, water-related or meteorological events, and seasonal variations' impact on drowning burden as the level of risk remains unknown.

RevDate: 2024-10-29

Mao X, Zheng H, Luo G, et al (2024)

Climate change favors expansion of three Eucalyptus species in China.

Frontiers in plant science, 15:1443134.

Eucalyptus has become one of the most widely planted species in tropical and subtropical regions in China, with important economic, ecological, and social values. However, it is currently unclear how climate change will affect different Eucalyptus species. Therefore, it is urgent to investigate the potential distribution and dynamics of Eucalyptus under current and future climate scenarios. In this study, we analyzed the potential distribution patterns of the three main Eucalyptus species (Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus urophylla, and Eucalyptus tereticornis) under current and future climatic conditions (2041-2060 and 2061-2080) using the optimized MaxEnt model, which integrates a variety of environmental data including climate, topography, soil, and human influence. We also identified the main factors affecting the potential distributions of the three main Eucalyptus species. The model indicated that E. grandis exhibited heightened sensitivity to the mean temperature of the coldest quarter (7.0-20.0 °C) and annual mean temperature (11.9-24.2 °C), whereas E. urophylla displayed heightened sensitivity to precipitation of the warmest quarter (272-1694 mm) and annual precipitation (812-2624 mm). Conversely, E. tereticornis demonstrated heightened sensitivity to annual mean temperature (12.7-24.5 °C) and temperature seasonality (63.8-598.9). Under the current climate, E. tereticornis had the widest suitable distribution area (124.91 × 10[4] km[2]), followed by E. grandis (124.89 × 10[4] km[2]) and E. urophylla (119.81 × 10[4] km[2]). Under future climate change scenarios, the suitable ranges of E. grandis, E. urophylla and E. tereticornis will continue to expand. This study highlights the importance of climate change in Eucalyptus distribution and provides quantified potential distribution maps for three Eucalyptus species under current and future climate conditions in China. This research offers valuable scientific insights pertinent to the management and rational site selection for Eucalyptus plantations.

RevDate: 2024-10-29

Wang Y, Yang Y, M Zhang (2024)

The influence of climate change on the potential distribution of Ageratum conyzoides in China.

Ecology and evolution, 14(10):e11513.

Ageratum conyzoides L., an invasive plant originating from South America, is characterized by rapid growth and strong ecological adaptability, posing a threat to China's ecosystems, agricultural industry, and biodiversity. In this study, we optimized the MaxEnt model using the ENMeval package and constructed an ensemble model using the Biomod2 package based on global geospatial distribution data of A. conyzoides and considering climate, soil, and topography factors. We simulated the potential suitable distribution of A. conyzoides in China at present and in the future (2041-2060, 2061-2080). Through multivariate environment similarity surface and most dissimilar variable analysis, we identified the main environmental variables influencing the distribution of A. conyzoides. Additionally, niche analysis elucidated temporal and spatial variations in A. conyzoides' climate niche. Our results demonstrate that the ensemble model, constructed from the top seven single models, outperforms the individual models in predicting the suitable habitat of A. conyzoides. The ensemble model achieved the true skill statistic (TSS) of 0.833 and the area under the subject curve (AUC) of 0.971, indicative of outstanding predictive performance. Presently, the suitable habitat of A. conyzoides in China primarily exists in the region between 18° and 28° N, covering approximately 1.47 million km[2]. The temperature annual range, precipitation of the wettest month, and mean temperature of the coldest quarter were identified as the primary environmental variables influencing its distribution, while soil and elevation variables had minor roles. Under future climate conditions, the suitable habitat of A. conyzoides is expected to expand northeastward, with the centroid of its habitat shifting northward as the climate warms. The migration speed of A. conyzoides is projected to increase with the degree of warming. Furthermore, the climate niche of A. conyzoides will undergo certain changes and may face both niche expansion and a decrease in niche overlap under different climate conditions.

RevDate: 2024-10-26

Adeyeri OE, Folorunsho AH, Adeliyi TE, et al (2024)

Climate change is intensifying rainfall erosivity and soil erosion in West Africa.

The Science of the total environment pii:S0048-9697(24)07331-5 [Epub ahead of print].

Soil erosion is a critical environmental challenge with significant implications for agriculture, water quality, and ecosystem stability. Understanding its dynamics is essential for sustainable environmental management and societal welfare. Here, we analyze rainfall erosivity and erosion patterns across West Africa (WAF) during the historical (1982-2014), near future (2028-2060), and far future (2068-2100) periods under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs 370 and 585). Using bias-corrected-downscaled (BCD) climate models validated against reference data, we ensure an accurate representation of rainfall-a key driver of erosivity (R-factor) and soil erosion. We compare Renard's approach and the Modified Fournier Index (MFI) to calculate the R-factor and note a strong correlation. However, Renard's method shows slightly lower accuracy in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and The Gambia, likely due to its inability to capture high-intensity, short-duration rainfall events. In contrast, the MFI, utilizing continuous rain gauge data, proves more reliable for these regions. We also attribute fluctuations in erosivity, such as those seen during the 2003 West Africa floods, to synoptic weather patterns influenced by multiple climate processes. Furthermore, our analysis reveals regions where future soil erosion could exceed 20 t/ha/yr due to climate change. Under the SSP 370 scenario, soil erosion in WAF is projected to rise by 14.84 % in the near future and 18.65 % in the far future, increasing further under SSP 585 to 19.86 % and 23.49 %, respectively. The most severe increases are expected in Benin and Nigeria, with Nigeria potentially facing a 66.41 % rise in erosion by the far future under SSP 585. These findings highlight the region's exposure to intensified climatic conditions and underscore the urgent need for targeted soil management and climate adaptation strategies to mitigate erosion's ecological and socioeconomic impacts.

RevDate: 2024-10-26

Alum EU (2024)

Climate change and its impact on the bioactive compound profile of medicinal plants: implications for global health.

Plant signaling & behavior, 19(1):2419683.

RevDate: 2024-10-26

Zhang FX, Li HL, Wan JZ, et al (2024)

Identifying key monitoring areas for tree insect pest risks in China under climate change.

Journal of economic entomology pii:7845221 [Epub ahead of print].

Climate change can exacerbate pest population growth, posing significant threats to ecosystem functions and services, social development, and food security. Risk assessment is a valuable tool for effective pest management that identifies potential pest expansion and ecosystem dispersal patterns. We applied a habitat suitability model coupled with priority protection planning software to determine key monitoring areas (KMA) for tree insect pest risks under climate change and used forest ecoregions and nature reserves to assess the ecological risk of insect pest invasion. Finally, we collated the prevention and control measures for reducing future pest invasions. The KMA for tree insect pests in our current and future climate is mainly concentrated in eastern and southern China. However, with climate change, the KMA gradually expands from southeastern to northeastern China. In the current and future climate scenarios, ecoregions requiring high monitoring levels were restricted to the eastern and southern coastal areas of China, and nature reserves requiring the highest monitoring levels were mainly distributed in southeastern China. Tree insect pest invasion assessment using ecoregions and nature reserves identified that future climates increase the risk of pest invasions in forest ecoregions and nature reserves, especially in northeastern China. The increased risk and severity of tree insect pest invasions require implementing monitoring and preventative measures in these areas. We effectively assessed the pest invasion risks using forest ecoregions and nature reserves under climate change. Our assessments suggest that monitoring and early prevention should focus on southeastern and northeastern China.

RevDate: 2024-10-28

Flores A, Flores-Ortíz CM, Dávila-Aranda PD, et al (2024)

The Germination Performance After Dormancy Breaking of Leucaena diversifolia (Schltdl.) Benth. Seeds in a Thermal Gradient and Its Distribution Under Climate Change Scenarios.

Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 13(20):.

Climate change models predict temperature increases, which may affect germination, an important stage in the recruitment of individuals in agroecosystems. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct research on how temperature will impact the germination of multipurpose native species. Leucaena diversifolia (Schltdl.) Benth. is native to America and is commonly cultivated around the world due to having a high protein content in seeds, and their trees are used in agrosilvopastoral systems because they fix nitrogen and provide shade and cattle feed. However, climate change affects the critical phases of its life cycle and influences its growth, reproduction, phenology, and distribution. To assess the germination performance of Leucaena diversifolia under different temperatures throughout thermal times, we estimated germination variables and determined cardinal temperatures and thermal time; we also analysed germination and potential distribution under two climate change scenarios. We found significant variations in seed germination (78-98%) and differences in cardinal temperatures (Tb = 5.17 and 7.6 °C, To = 29.42 and 29.54 °C, and Tc = 39.45 and 39.76 °C). On the other hand, the sub-optimal and supra-optimal temperature values showed little differences: 51.34 and 55.57 °Cd. The models used showed variations in germination time for the analysed scenarios and the potential distribution. We confirm that the populations and distribution of L. diversifolia will be altered due to climate changes, but the species retains the ability to germinate under warmer conditions.

RevDate: 2024-10-28

Mir R, Mircea DM, Ruiz-González MX, et al (2024)

Cakile maritima: A Halophyte Model to Study Salt Tolerance Mechanisms and Potential Useful Crop for Sustainable Saline Agriculture in the Context of Climate Change.

Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 13(20):.

Salinity is an increasing problem for agriculture. Most plant species tolerate low or, at best, moderate soil salinities. However, a small (<1%) proportion of species, termed halophytes, can survive and complete their life cycle in natural habitats with salinities equivalent to 200 mM NaCl or more. Cakile maritima is a succulent annual halophyte belonging to the Brassicaceae family; it is dispersed worldwide and mainly grows in foreshores. Cakile maritima growth is optimal under slight (i.e., 100 mM NaCl) saline conditions, measured by biomass and seed production. Higher salt concentrations, up to 500 mM NaCl, significantly impact its growth but do not compromise its survival. Cakile maritima alleviates sodium toxicity through different strategies, including anatomical and morphological adaptations, ion transport regulation, biosynthesis of osmolytes, and activation of antioxidative mechanisms. The species is potentially useful as a cash crop for the so-called biosaline agriculture due to its production of secondary metabolites of medical and nutritional interest and the high oil accumulation in its seeds. In this review, we highlight the relevance of this species as a model for studying the basic mechanisms of salt tolerance and for sustainable biosaline agriculture in the context of soil salination and climate change.

RevDate: 2024-10-28

Poudel A, Adhikari P, Adhikari P, et al (2024)

Predicting the Invasion Risk of the Highly Invasive Acacia mearnsii in Asia under Global Climate Change.

Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 13(20):.

Acacia mearnsii, among the 100 worst invasive weeds worldwide, negatively impacts native biodiversity, agriculture, and natural ecosystems. Global climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns, enhances the risk of A. mearnsii invasion in Asia, making it crucial to identify high-risk areas for effective management. This study performed species distribution modeling using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm to predict the potential introduction and spread of A. mearnsii under various climate scenarios based on shared socio-economic pathways (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). Currently, only 4.35% of Asia is invaded, with a high invasion risk identified in six countries, including Bhutan, Lebanon, and Taiwan, where more than 75% of their areas are threatened. Under future climate scenarios, 21 countries face invasion risk, among which 14 countries, such as Georgia, Laos, Republic of Korea, and Turkey, are at moderate to very high risk, potentially encompassing up to 87.89% of their territories. Conversely, Northern Asian countries exhibit minimal changes in invasion risk and are considered relatively safe from invasion. These findings underscore that climate change will exacerbate invasion risks across Asia, emphasizing the urgent need for robust management strategies, including stringent quarantine measures and control efforts, to mitigate the threat of A. mearnsii expansion.

RevDate: 2024-10-25

Casteli Figueiredo Gallardo AL, A Bond (2024)

A Nature-based Solutions Framework for Embedding Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation into Urban Land Use Plans through Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).

Environmental management [Epub ahead of print].

Climate change impacts comprise a particular challenge for authorities when reconciling the implications of land use planning decisions. Whilst Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is typically applied to the development of urban land use plans, the selection of mitigation and adaptation strategies for climate change impacts can have knock-on effects on nature. However, Nature-based Solutions (NbSs) could provide an innovative means of addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation without these knock-on effects. The main aim of this research is therefore to propose a conceptual framework for embedding NbSs into the main stages of the SEA process to potentially enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban land use planning. This is achieved through a systematic literature review of academic and grey literature sources, with subsequent content analysis. This study demonstrates the value of matching these manifold NbS approaches to climate change impacts potentially addressed in SEA process stages and suggests how this might be achieved in practice focusing on urban land use plans.

RevDate: 2024-10-25
CmpDate: 2024-10-25

An M, Wei YQ, He WJ, et al (2024)

[Impact of Climate Change and Human Activities on the Ecological Sensitivity of the Yangtze River Economic Belt].

Huan jing ke xue= Huanjing kexue, 45(10):5833-5843.

The increasing climate change and human activities exert their influence on the ecological sensitivity of the region individually and interactively. Therefore, a clear understanding of the impact of climate change and human activities on ecological sensitivity will enhance the resilience of the regional ecological environment and the level of sustainable development. This study took the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the first demonstration zone of China's ecological civilization construction, as the research object. Based on the meteorological, remote sensing, and statistical data of 130 cities in the whole region from 2001 to 2021, an index system of climate change, human activities, and ecological sensitivity was constructed. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to explore the effects of climate and anthropogenic single factors and interactions on the ecological sensitivity in each region. The results showed that: ① The ecological sensitivity value of the belt fluctuated and rose in time, rising by 2.2% from 2001 to 2021. In terms of space, the overall spatial distribution was "high in the north and low in the south." In 2021, the proportion of severely and extremely sensitive cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt reached nearly 50%. ② For a single factor, the distribution of the effect of the same factor had certain characteristics: The areas where the single factors of economic development, rainfall, and temperature had a positive impact on the ecological sensitivity were concentrated in the areas with higher or faster economic development, along and south of the Yangtze River. For the interaction factors, the effect of 78.6% of the factors on the ecological sensitivity was negative interaction, and the change of one factor level would change the direction of the effect of the other factor on the regional sensitivity. ③ The comprehensive ecological management area of the Yangtze River Economic Belt was divided based on the ecological sensitivity and climate sensitivity. The governance areas that needed priority improvement were clustered within the three urban agglomerations and their northern adjacent areas, which meant that the ecological sensitivity and climate sensitivity of a city had spillover effects. This study is expected to provide inspiration for the economic zone and even the national and global efforts in the field of regional ecological governance.

RevDate: 2024-10-25

Yang F, Matthew C, Pu X, et al (2024)

Patterns of foliar fungal diseases and the effects on aboveground biomass in alpine meadow under simulated climate change.

The Science of the total environment pii:S0048-9697(24)07183-3 [Epub ahead of print].

RevDate: 2024-10-25

Duijvestein M, Sidhu R, Zimmermann K, et al (2024)

The United European Gastroenterology green paper-climate change and gastroenterology.

United European gastroenterology journal [Epub ahead of print].

Climate change, described by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021 as 'the single biggest health threat facing humanity', causes extreme weather, disrupts food supplies, and increases the prevalence of diseases, thereby affecting human health, medical practice, and healthcare stability. Greener Gastroenterology is an important movement that has the potential to make a real difference in reducing the impact of the delivery of healthcare, on the environment. The WHO defines an environmentally sustainable health system as one which would improve, maintain or restore health while minimizing negative environmental impacts. Gastroenterologists encounter the impacts of climate change in daily patient care. Alterations in the gut microbiome and dietary habits, air pollution, heat waves, and the distribution of infectious diseases result in changed disease patterns affecting gastrointestinal and hepatic health, with particularly severe impacts on vulnerable groups such as children, adolescents, and the elderly. Additionally, women are disproportionally affected, since climate change can exacerbate gender inequalities. Paradoxically, while healthcare aims to improve health, the sector is responsible for 4.4% of global carbon emissions. Endoscopy is a significant waste producer in healthcare, being the third highest generator with 3.09 kg of waste per day per bed, contributing to the carbon footprint of the GI sector. Solutions to the climate crisis can offer significant health co-benefits. Steps to reduce our carbon footprint include fostering a Planetary Health Diet and implementing measures for greener healthcare, such as telemedicine, digitalization, education, and research on sustainable healthcare practices. Adhering to the principles of 'reduce, reuse, recycle' is crucial. Reducing unnecessary procedures, which constitute a significant portion of endoscopies, can significantly decrease the carbon footprint and enhance sustainability. This position paper by the United European Gastroenterology aims to raise awareness and outline key principles that the GI workforce can adopt to tackle the climate crisis together.

RevDate: 2024-10-27

Bian H, Yu S, Li W, et al (2024)

Impact of Climate Change on Peach Fruit Moth Phenology: A Regional Perspective from China.

Insects, 15(10):.

It is widely recognized that the phenology of insects, of which the life activities are closely tied to temperature, is shifting in response to global climate warming. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of climate change on the phenology of Carposina sasakii Matsumura, 1900 (Lepidoptera: Carposinidae) across large temporal and spatial scales, through collecting and systematically analyzing historical data on the pest's occurrence and population dynamics in China. The results showed that for overwintering adults, the first occurrence date in eastern, northwestern, and northern China has significantly advanced, along with the population peak in eastern and northwestern China. At the provincial level, the population peak date in Shandong province has also moved significantly earlier, as well as the population peak date in Shandong and Shaanxi and the end occurrence date in Ningxia. However, the population peak date in Jilin has experienced a delayed trend. For first-generation adults, the first occurrence date in northeastern, eastern, and central China has notably advanced, while the first appearance date in northwestern and northern China has significantly delayed. Additionally, the population peak in northwestern China has experienced significant delays, along with the final occurrence in northeastern and northwestern China. At the provincial level, the first occurrence date in Liaoning, Shandong, and Shanxi has significantly advanced, while Hebei has demonstrated a significant delay. The population peak time in Gansu and Shaanxi has displayed significant delays, and the end occurrence date in Liaoning, Shanxi, and Shaanxi has also shown significant delays. Furthermore, these findings integrated with the Pearson correlation results reveal spatial heterogeneity in C. sasakii's phenological responses to climate warming at both regional and provincial scales. The phenology of C. sasakii and their changing patterns with climate warming vary by geographical location. This study provides valuable information for the future monitoring, prediction, and prevention of peach fruit moths in the context of climate warming.

RevDate: 2024-10-27

Kim SY, Lim C, Kang JH, et al (2024)

The Effect of Climate Change on Indicator Wetland Insects: Predicting the Current and Future Distribution of Two Giant Water Bugs (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae) in South Korea.

Insects, 15(10):.

Giant water bugs (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae) are top predators in wetland ecosystems, serving as biological indicators of the health of lentic ecosystems and as effective biological control agents for freshwater snails and mosquitoes. This study aimed to predict the current and future distribution of two Korean giant water bugs, Appasus japonicus and Diplonychus esakii, under three climate change scenarios, contributing to the sustainable management of wetland ecosystems in South Korea. Using MaxEnt models, we employed seven climatic and three non-climatic variables to investigate the habitat preferences and distribution patterns of the species. The results revealed that A. japonicus is likely to experience a northward range contraction due to climate change, while D. esakii is predicted to expand its distribution northward without losing its current range. These responses may lead to occupancy turnover between the two species, potentially driving reassembly in aquatic organism community. Elevation was the primary factor influencing the distribution of A. japonicus, whereas annual mean temperature was the most informative variable for D. esakii, both factors derived under the current climate conditions. These findings suggest that both species are highly sensitive to climate change, with potential range shifts toward higher latitudes and elevations. This study provides insights into how climate change could impact two giant water bugs, thereby supporting future efforts to manage and conserve wetland ecosystems in this country.

RevDate: 2024-10-27

Cruz TMP, Buchmann SL, KL Prudic (2024)

Buzzing towards Resilience: Investigating the Spatial Alignment of the Desert Pallid Bee, Centris pallida, and Its Host Plants in Response to Climate Change.

Insects, 15(10):.

Wild bees are vital for the pollination of native plants and crops, providing essential ecosystem services. Climate change is known to impact biodiversity and species distributions, but insects adapted to desert ecosystems may exhibit unique physiological, behavioral, and evolutionary responses. The desert pallid bee (C. pallida), a solitary bee native to the arid southwestern United States and northern Mexico, primarily forages on yellow palo verde (P. microphylla), blue palo verde (P. florida), and desert ironwood (O. tesota). This study used MaxEnt to estimate the current and projected geographical overlap of suitable habitats for C. pallida and its host plants. Here, we used MaxEnt to estimate the current and forecasted overlapping geographically suitable habitat of C. pallida with all three host plants. We forecasted potential environmentally suitable areas for each species to the year 2040 using the current distribution model and climate projections with moderate CO2 levels. We found a continued spatial alignment in the suitable area of the bee and its host plants with a 70% increase in the range overlap area, though shifted to higher average altitudes and a slight northern expansion. These findings may provide insight to stakeholders on the conservation needs of desert-dwelling pollinators.

RevDate: 2024-10-26

Wu Y, Xu D, Peng Y, et al (2024)

Mapping Species Distributions of Latoia consocia Walker under Climate Change Using Current Geographical Presence Data and MAXENT (CMIP 6).

Insects, 15(10):.

Latoia consocia Walker is an important phytophagous pest that has rapidly spread across North China in recent years, posing a severe threat to related plants. To study the impact of climatic conditions on its distribution and to predict its distribution under current and future climate conditions, the MaxEnt niche model and ArcGIS 10.8 software were used. The results showed that the MaxEnt model performs well in predicting the distribution of L. consocia, with an AUC value of 0.913. The annual precipitation (Bio12), the precipitation of the driest month (Bio14), the temperature annual range (Bio7), and the minimum temperature of the coldest month (Bio6) are key environmental factors affecting the potential distribution of L. consocia. Under current climate conditions, L. consocia has a highly suitable growth area of 2243 km[2] in China, among which Taiwan has the largest high-suitable area with a total area of 1450 km[2]. With climate warming, the potential habitat area for L. consocia shows an overall decreasing trend in future. This work provides a scientific basis for research on pest control and ecological protection. A "graded response" detection and early warning system, as well as prevention and control strategies, can be developed for potentially suitable areas to effectively address this pest challenge.

RevDate: 2024-10-25

Zhang Y, Yang H, Jiamahate A, et al (2024)

Potential Ecological Distribution of the Beetle Agrilus mali Matsumura (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in China under Three Climate Change Scenarios, with Consequences for Commercial and Wild Apple Forests.

Biology, 13(10):.

The apple jewel beetle (AJB), Agrilus mali Matsumura (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is a dangerous pest of commercial apple orchards across China, the largest apple production country in the world, and has recently become invasive in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of northwestern China, where wild apple forests also occur. This pest poses a serious threat to apple production and wild apple forests throughout the world. Global warming is expected to change the geographical distribution of A. mali in China, but the extent of this is unknown. Based on empirical data from 1951 to 2000, a MaxEnt model was used to forecast the ecological distribution of A. mali under three different climate scenarios projected in the fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The results showed that the most important variables were the maximum temperature of November, precipitation in January, and minimum temperatures in April. Under all climate scenarios, the forecasted suitable regions for A. mali in China will expand northward in the 2050s and 2070s. The forecasted highly suitable regions will be 1.11-1.34 times larger than they are currently, and their central distributions will be 61.57-167.59 km further north. These findings suggest that the range and damage caused by A. mali in China will increase dramatically in the future. Monitoring and management measures should be implemented urgently to protect both the commercial apple industry and wild apple resources.

RevDate: 2024-10-25

Roucka TM (2024)

Dentistry's ethical responsibility to patients' overall health through sustainable practices and climate change awareness.

General dentistry, 72(6):17-19.

RevDate: 2024-10-25

Atta MHR, El-Sayed AAI, Taleb F, et al (2024)

The Climate-Asthma Connection: Examining the Influence of Climate Change Anxiety on Asthma Control and Quality of Life: A Multi-National Study.

Journal of advanced nursing [Epub ahead of print].

AIMS: This study aims to identify the impact of climate change anxiety and asthma control on asthmatics' quality of life and examine the moderating role of climate change anxiety in this linkage.

METHOD: A multi-national cross-sectional study was conducted in four Arabian countries on 1266 asthmatics selected by convenience sampling. Data were collected from November 2023 to February 2024 using a climate anxiety scale, mini-asthma quality of life questionnaire, and an asthma control questionnaire.

RESULTS: Climate anxiety was higher among middle-aged participants, as well as those with longer disease durations and previous hospitalisations. Climate anxiety showed strong negative correlations with asthma control (r = -0.704, p ≤ 0.05) and asthma quality of life (r = - 0.638, p ≤ 0.05). Climate anxiety and asthma control are powerful predictors of quality of life among asthmatics. Climate anxiety moderates the relationship between asthma control and quality of life, making it less positive (B = -0.094, p > 0.001). Covariates such as gender, age, comorbidities, employment status, disease duration, and previous hospitalisation showed significant associations with asthma quality of life.

Assessment and mitigation of climate anxiety among asthmatics is a key strategy for controlling asthma and improving the quality of life. So, nurses must incorporate climate anxiety assessment into the care plan for asthmatics.

IMPACT: Climate change is a global concern, and insights into how climate-related psychological stressors exacerbate asthma symptoms and overall health outcomes are necessary. The findings provide actionable data for healthcare professionals to underscore the need for integrated healthcare approaches considering environmental and psychological factors.

REPORTING METHOD: This study adheres to strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement.

Clients with asthma across multiple nationalities actively contributed to our paper.

RevDate: 2024-10-26

Plantevin M, Merpault Y, Lecourt J, et al (2024)

Characterization of varietal effects on the acidity and pH of grape berries for selection of varieties better adapted to climate change.

Frontiers in plant science, 15:1439114.

Climate change is drastically modifying berry composition and wine quality across the world. Most wine regions with a history of winemaking are suffering from a loss of typicity and terroir expression because of climate change impact on berry components at harvest, including wine acidity, with total acidity decreasing and pH increasing. Such changes can have a major impact on wine stability and quality. One important option for adaptation is the selection of grapevine varieties better adapted to warmer and drier conditions. Weekly measurement of tartaric acid, malic acid, pH and titratable acidity from veraison until maturity were carried out on 51 varieties over seven years in two experimental plots. Varietal differences were shown for the rate of malic acid degradation during the ripening period, with some varieties metabolizing malic acid faster per unit of thermal time than others. Some varietal differences were also noticed regarding tartaric acid modulation, which can occur under exceptionally high temperatures. Differences in the dynamics of pH evolution in grape must over the growing season were evaluated and varieties characterized with regard to organic acids (tartaric acid and malic acid), inorganic compounds (cations) as well as pH levels and stability. This multi-trait approach allows the selection of grapevine varieties based on parameters linked to their acidity, which is of particular importance in the context of climate change.

RevDate: 2024-10-26

Portela Dos Santos O, Perruchoud É, Pereira F, et al (2024)

Measuring Nurses' Knowledge and Awareness of Climate Change and Climate-Associated Diseases: Systematic Review of Existing Instruments.

Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy), 14(4):2850-2876.

BACKGROUND: As early as 1995, the Institute of Medicine suggested that nurses were inadequately prepared for and educated about climate change and its health consequences. The aim of this systematic review is to identify the most reliable, robust, and valid instruments for measuring nurses' knowledge and awareness of climate change and climate-associated diseases.

METHODS: Included studies were appraised using the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool and the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies. The psychometrics and clinimetrics of the instruments were evaluated using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist and the COSMIN methodology for assessing content validity.

RESULTS: Medline, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Ebesco, Cochrane Library Wiley, Web of Science Core Collection, Trip Database, JBI OVID SP, GreenFILE EBSCO, Google Scholar, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, and DART-EU were consulted. The 14 studies retained identified eight different instruments evaluating attitudes, perceptions, environmental awareness, environmental sensitivity, environmental attitudes, behaviours, motivation, concern, optimism, and experience. This review is reported according to the PRISMA guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS: The New Ecological Paradigm Scale (NEPS) and the Climate, Health, and Nursing Tool (CHANT) are the most reliable, robust, and valid instruments for measuring nurses' knowledge and awareness of climate change and climate-associated diseases.

RevDate: 2024-10-25

Cael BB, Bisson K, Boss E, et al (2024)

Author Correction: Global climate-change trends detected in indicators of ocean ecology.

RevDate: 2024-10-24
CmpDate: 2024-10-24

Roveri G, Crespi A, Eisendle F, et al (2024)

Climate change and human health in Alpine environments: an interdisciplinary impact chain approach understanding today's risks to address tomorrow's challenges.

BMJ global health, 8(Suppl 3): pii:bmjgh-2023-014431.

The European Alps, home to a blend of permanent residents and millions of annual tourists, are found to be particularly sensitive to climate change. This article employs the impact chain concept to explore the interplay between climate change and health in Alpine areas, offering an interdisciplinary assessment of current and future health consequences and potential adaptation strategies.Rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns and increasing extreme weather events have profound implications for the Alpine regions. Temperatures have risen significantly over the past century, with projections indicating further increases and more frequent heatwaves. These trends increase the risk of heat-related health issues especially for vulnerable groups, including the elderly, frail individuals, children and recreationists. Furthermore, changing precipitation patterns, glacier retreat and permafrost melting adversely impact slope stability increasing the risk of gravity-driven natural hazards like landslides, avalanches and rockfalls. This poses direct threats, elevates the risk of multi-casualty incidents and strains search and rescue teams.The environmental changes also impact Alpine flora and fauna, altering the distribution and transmission of vector-borne diseases. Such events directly impact healthcare administration and management programmes, which are already challenged by surges in tourism and ensuring access to care.In conclusion, Alpine regions must proactively address these climate change-related health risks through an interdisciplinary approach, considering both preventive and responsive adaptation strategies, which we describe in this article.

RevDate: 2024-10-24
CmpDate: 2024-10-24

Kar G, Singh AK, D Datta (2024)

Potential impact of climate change on water productivity and water footprints of rice and wheat in the Indo-Gangetic plains of India.

Environmental monitoring and assessment, 196(11):1101.

Agriculture faces a significant problem as a result of the decline in per capita freshwater supply that has been observed over the past couple of decades. Better water management strategies are required in order to make agriculture water secure, environmentally sustainable, and economically attractive. The goal of this study was to develop water productivity scenarios for rice and wheat crops in India's Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) by analysing agricultural production from the perspective of water consumption. To pinpoint the areas that are hydrologically suitable for growing rice and wheat crops under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate change scenarios, water footprints and water productivity have been mapped. The study found that changes in temperature trends under future climate scenarios are probably going to increase crop water requirements, leading to greater water footprints for IGP regions. Water risk hotspots have been identified in the IGP for the rice- and wheat-growing states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana. In order to achieve food security in a sustainable way, attention should be given to increase the water productivity of both crops.

RevDate: 2024-10-25

Do V, Parks RM, Casey JA, et al (2024)

Use, limitations, and future directions of mixtures approaches to understand the health impacts of weather- and climate change-related exposures, an under-studied aspect of the exposome.

Exposome, 4(1):osae007.

The exposome concept aims to account for the comprehensive and cumulative effects of physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial influences on biological systems. To date, limited exposome research has explicitly included climate change-related exposures. We define these exposures as those that will intensify with climate change, including direct effects like extreme heat, tropical cyclones, wildfires, downstream effects like air pollution, power outages, and limited or contaminated food and water supplies. These climate change-related exposures can occur individually or simultaneously. Here, we discuss the concept of a climate mixture, defined as three or more simultaneous climate change-related exposures, in the context of the exposome. In a motivating climate mixture example, we consider the impact of a co-occurring tropical cyclone, power outage, and flooding on respiratory hospitalizations. We identify current gaps and future directions for assessing the effect of climate mixtures on health. Mixtures methods allow us to incorporate climate mixtures into exposomics.

RevDate: 2024-10-23

Kreibich J, Bino G, Zheng H, et al (2024)

River regulation and climate change reduce river flows to major Australian floodplain wetland.

Journal of environmental management, 370:122962 pii:S0301-4797(24)02948-7 [Epub ahead of print].

Freshwater ecosystems, including rivers and floodplain wetlands, face severe stress from unsustainable water resources development, with climate change exerting further pressure. This study compares the relative effects of river regulation and projected climate change on river flows to the semi-arid Lowbidgee Floodplain (3250 km[2]), the largest wetland ecosystem on the heavily regulated Murrumbidgee River, Australia's second longest river, within the Murray-Darling Basin. We modelled annual natural streamflow in the lower Murrumbidgee River before major dam constructions and water diversions (1890-1927), linking river flows to runoff from the upper Murrumbidgee catchment. Extending this analysis to the full rainfall-runoff dataset (1890-2018), we compared modelled natural flows to observed river flows affected by dams and water withdrawals. Additionally, we modelled climate change impacts on river discharge and overbank flows, which reduced inundation of riparian habitats. Current river regulation has reduced median annual streamflow by 43% from 2565 × 10[6] m[3] to 1490 × 10[6] m[3] during 1958-2018, relative to modelled natural flows, with a more pronounced 55% reduction in the last three decades (1988-2018). The return period of major overbank flows, essential for river-floodplain habitat connectivity, more than doubled from once every 2.0 years to once every 4.4 years (1916-2018). Mean climate change projections indicated an additional 7-10% decrease in median annual streamflow by 2047-2075, relative to 1977-2005. The annual duration of major floods declined from an average of 11.3 days under natural flow conditions to 4.5 days under the current regulated river flow regime, with a further reduction to 1.6-1.8 days (83-85% decrease) projected by 2047-2075, due to climate change. We recommend prioritising mitigation of river regulation effects, as these pose the most immediate threats to riverine ecosystems, including their native biodiversity, in the Murrumbidgee River catchment. Our 'natural flow' model offers critical insights for shaping environmental policy and managing environmental flows to mimic natural flow regimes, supporting the conservation and restoration of freshwater ecosystems, like the Lowbidgee Floodplain wetlands. Our approach is transferable to other large river systems globally, using available or modelled streamflow data.

RevDate: 2024-10-23

Eva EA, Marzen LJ, Lamba J, et al (2024)

Projection of land use and land cover changes based on land change modeler and integrating both land use land cover and climate change on the hydrological response of Big Creek Lake Watershed, South Alabama.

Journal of environmental management, 370:122923 pii:S0301-4797(24)02909-8 [Epub ahead of print].

Changing land use/land cover (LULC) and climate substantially affect the hydrological components of a watershed. This study explored the future impact of the hydrological responses due to the changing LULC and climate on the Big Creek Lake watershed in Alabama, USA, from 2021 to 2050 using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Five climate model datasets were used under the moderate scenario (Representative Concentrative Pathways 4.5) and the extreme scenario (Representative Concentrative Pathways 8.5), and the datasets were downscaled and bias-corrected. In addition, changing the LULC of five categories was predicted by Cellular Automata Markov (CA- Markov). With these data combined with the elevation (Digital Elevation Model), soils, and weather data, the SWAT model was calibrated and validated for the studied watershed to quantify how climate change will affect streamflow, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Our results indicate streamflow will increase due to the 50-acre increase in urban LULC. As streamflow increases, the percolation, surface runoff, lateral flow, groundwater flow, and water yield will also increase because the streamflow impacts these hydrological components. Moreover, the increase rate in streamflow is the same for all the components for January, February, and March. Therefore, there is a strong correlation between these months. On the contrary, evaporation will be high in May, June, and July because of the increasing temperature and streamflow. However, the changes in the water hydrological parameters and total nitrogen and phosphorus will be more intense in RCP8.5 than in RCP4.5.

RevDate: 2024-10-23
CmpDate: 2024-10-23

Souza IL, Cuzzuol GRF, LFT Meneses (2024)

Ecophysiological responses of bromelias in the restinga in simulated climate change scenarios.

Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia, 84:e285000 pii:S1519-69842024000101299.

We investigated the ecophysiological responses of the bromeliads Aechmea nudicaulis and Vriesea procera, seeking to assess their suitability to survive in a climate change scenario (optimistic scenario RCP 2.6 of the IPCC, 2021) in a Restinga environment. To carry out this investigation, we used open-top chambers (OTC). During a period of nine months (June 2022 to February 2023), the bromeliads A. nudicaulis and V. procera were subjected to the following treatments: treatment T: plants transplanted to the environmental conditions of the bare sand of the restinga and subjected to the microclimatic conditions of the OTC's; control C: plants transplanted to the environmental conditions of the bare sand of the restinga. The ecophysiological variables height, rosette diameter, relative water content, specific leaf area and total weight of the plants were evaluated. In addition, dead plants were counted. The OTC's showed an average increase in temperature and VPD (Vapor Pressure Deficit) of 1.6°C and 0.5 Kpa, respectively, and an average reduction in RH (relative humidity) of 5.3%. The results of this study indicated that the increase in local temperature that occurred between the sixth and seventh months evaluated (November and December) created limiting conditions that exceeded the tolerance capacity of the bromeliads studied. Furthermore, the climatic conditions of the OTCs intensified the damage that occurred in the plants, verified here by the reductions in the values of the ecophysiological attributes evaluated in the bromeliads studied. In addition, the high mortality rate (above 50%) reinforces the idea that the climatic conditions of the OTC's induced the bromeliads studied to a senescence process. Therefore, these results are important, as they indicate that even the most optimistic climate change scenario (IPCC 2021 RCP 2.6) can harm the growth and development of these bromeliads, which are essential for the structure and functioning of Restinga communities.

RevDate: 2024-10-23

Amin SM, El-Monshed AH, Khedr MA, et al (2024)

The Association between Emotional Responses to Climate Change, Antenatal Anxiety and Maternal-Fetal Attachment in Primigravida Women.

Journal of advanced nursing [Epub ahead of print].

AIM: To investigate the association between emotional responses to climate change, antenatal anxiety, and maternal-fetal attachment in primigravida women.

DESIGN: A multi-site cross-sectional research design study.

METHODS: This study was conducted at four primary health care (PHC) facilities in Damanhur district, El-Behera, from February 2024 to April 2024. Two hundred eighty-five women completed a comprehensive questionnaire that included a Woman's Social and Reproductive Form, The inventory of climate emotions (ICE) scale, The Stirling Antenatal Anxiety Scale (SAAS) and the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (MFAS-HU-20).

RESULTS: The study revealed that emotional responses to climate change show strong positive correlations with each other, ranging from 0.689 to 0.840, all significant at p < 0.001 level. Additionally, antenatal anxiety demonstrates substantial positive correlations with emotional responses to climate change, albeit with associations ranging from 0.239 to 0.287, all significant at p < 0.001 level. Moreover, maternal-fetal attachment displays substantial negative correlations with emotional responses to climate change, indicating that as emotional responses to climate change increase, maternal-fetal attachment tends to decrease. The correlations range from -0.263 to -0.426, all significant at p < 0.001.

CONCLUSIONS: The emotional impact of climate change can adversely affect the bonding process between mother and fetus.

Healthcare professionals, including obstetricians, midwives, and mental health counsellors, should integrate climate-related emotional distress into their assessments and interventions. Providing targeted psychological support for expectant mothers.

IMPACT: The study's findings highlight the need for nursing to integrate climate-related emotional distress screening into prenatal care and for research to explore long-term effects and intervention effectiveness. In practice, healthcare providers should adopt holistic approaches that combine environmental and psychological support, developing comprehensive guidelines and community-based programs to support pregnant women.

REPORTING METHOD: The research adhered to that is STROBE.

Public contributions by women in community health centers.

RevDate: 2024-10-24

Frazão Santos C, Agardy T, Crowder LB, et al (2024)

Ocean Planning and Conservation in the Age of Climate Change: A Roundtable Discussion.

Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England), 6(1):obae037.

Over recent years, recognition of the need to develop climate-smart marine spatial planning (MSP) has gained momentum globally. In this roundtable discussion, we use a question-and-answer format to leverage diverse perspectives and voices involved in the study of sustainable MSP and marine conservation under global environmental and social change. We intend this dialogue to serve as a stepping stone toward developing ocean planning initiatives that are sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient around the globe.

RevDate: 2024-10-24

Macinnis-Ng C, Ziedins I, Ajmal H, et al (2024)

Climate change impacts on Aotearoa New Zealand: a horizon scan approach.

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 54(4):523-546.

Many of the implications of climate change for Aotearoa (New Zealand) remain unclear. To identify so-far unseen or understudied threats and opportunities related to climate change we applied a horizon-scanning process. First, we collated 171 threats and opportunities across our diverse fields of research. We then scored each item for novelty and potential impact and finally reduced the list to ten threats and ten opportunities through a prioritisation process. Within the 20 items presented in this paper, we uncover a range of climate-related costs and benefits. Unexpected opportunities evolve from economic reorganisation and changes to perspectives. The threats we highlight include the overall failure to interconnect siloed policy responses, as well as those relating to extreme events and feedbacks, as well as pressures that undermine the coherence of society. A major theme of our work is that climate change effects in Aotearoa are likely to transgress the boundaries of research disciplines, industry sectors and policy systems, emphasising the importance of developing transdisciplinary methods and approaches. We use this insight to connect potential responses to climate change with Aotearoa's culture and geography.

RevDate: 2024-10-24

Milfont TL, Athy AE, CG Sibley (2024)

Climate change profiles of New Zealanders over time: a one-year latent transition analysis of climate change beliefs and concern.

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 54(4):395-411.

Scientific evidence unequivocally shows that human activities cause climate change, but some people still deny it. Using New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study data from 2018 and 2019 (N = 34,733), we examined segmentation profiles regarding beliefs and concern about climate change ('Climate change is real', 'Climate change is caused by humans', 'I am deeply concerned about climate change'), the probabilities of transitioning to and from profiles over time, and the characteristics of individuals in each profile. Five profiles were identified with varying levels of climate change beliefs and concern. The largest profile (60.4% of respondents) had the highest levels of climate change beliefs and concern, while the smallest profile (3.7% of respondents) had the lowest. Over time, more people moved from profiles of lower into profiles of higher levels of climate change beliefs and concern. The profile with the highest levels was the most stable, with members having an 82.7% chance of staying in this profile over time. Compared to this group, members of the profile with the lowest levels of climate change beliefs and concern were more likely to be male, New Zealand European, parents, religious, and to endorse conservative and system-justifying ideologies. We discuss the implications of the findings.

RevDate: 2024-10-24

Lawrence J, Wreford A, Blackett P, et al (2024)

Climate change adaptation through an integrative lens in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 54(4):491-522.

Climate change is being felt across all human and natural systems in Aotearoa New Zealand and is projected to worsen this decade as impacts compound and cascade through natural system and sectoral dependencies. The effectiveness of adaptation is constrained by how fast greenhouse gas emissions are reduced globally, the pace of change, the frequency and progression of impacts, and the capacity of our natural, societal and political systems to respond. We explore how these systems and sectors interact with existing and projected climate change stressors by categorising climate change impacts (Trends and Events) and consequential thresholds (Thresholds), and by grouping systems and sectors by types (Typologies). This approach has identified commonalities and differences between the typologies which are illustrated with examples. Critical constraints and opportunities for adaptation have been identified to guide sector adaptation decision-making and for ongoing adaptation progress and effectiveness monitoring. Constraints are found across all sectors, and opportunities exist to address them through modelling and projections, monitoring frameworks, decision tools and measures, governance coordination and integration of the Māori worldview of the relationship between humans and nature. However, limits to adaptation exist and will increase over time unless all sectors and all nations urgently reduce their emissions.

RevDate: 2024-10-24

Villamor GB, Wakelin SJ, PW Clinton (2024)

Climate change, risk perceptions and barriers to adaptation among forest growers in New Zealand.

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 54(4):433-448.

Climate change poses a significant challenge for forest growers. However, understanding climate change adaptation including the behaviour and decisions of forest growers remains unexplored in New Zealand, despite the forestry sector being a significant export leader and major contributor to regional economies. To explore this, we conducted surveys of 60 forest growers from organisations which collectively manage more than 70% of New Zealand's plantation forests. The results showed that 47% of the respondents perceived that climate change will affect their forest growing, and 60% perceived that climate change will increase wildfire frequency and pest and disease outbreaks. Only 21% of the respondents reported that they had taken adaptation measures directly. Lack of resources and motivation were among the barriers that respondents identified. A logistic regression analysis revealed that climate change perception, research to improve forest growers' adaptive capacity, climate change information, forest grower age and forestry experience are significantly associated with actual adaptation decisions. Risk perceptions central to protection motivation theory (e.g. vulnerability, probability and severity) were not linked to actual adaptation decisions, suggesting that widening adaptation analyses beyond individual perceptions as predictors of climate change adaptation may provide insights for fit-for-purpose climate change adaptation policies for the sector.

RevDate: 2024-10-24

Kaltsatou A, Foster J, TM Ikäheimo (2024)

Editorial: Climate change and cardiovascular health.

Frontiers in physiology, 15:1497232.

RevDate: 2024-10-22

Bolinesi F, Rossetti E, O Mangoni (2024)

Author Correction: Phytoplankton dynamics in a shellfish farming lagoon in a deltaic system threatened by ongoing climate change.

Scientific reports, 14(1):24860 pii:10.1038/s41598-024-76161-y.

RevDate: 2024-10-22
CmpDate: 2024-10-22

Mariën J, Mukomena E, Tevuzula VM, et al (2024)

A century of medical records reveal earlier onset of the malaria season in Haut-Katanga induced by climate change.

BMJ global health, 9(10):.

BACKGROUND: Despite worldwide efforts to eradicate malaria over the past century, the disease remains a significant challenge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today. Climate change is even anticipated to worsen the situation in areas with higher altitudes and vulnerable populations. This study in Haut-Katanga, a highland region, aims to evaluate the effectiveness of past control measures and to explore the impact of climate change on the region's distinct seasonal malaria pattern throughout the last century.

METHODS: We integrated colonial medical records (1917-1983) from two major mining companies (Union Minière du Haut-Katanga and the Générale des Carrières et des Mines) with contemporary data (2003-2020) from Lubumbashi. Concurrently, we combined colonial climate records (1912-1946) with recent data from satellite images and weather stations (1940-2023). We used Generalised Additive Models to link the two data sources and to test for changing seasonal patterns in transmission.

RESULTS: Malaria transmission in Haut-Katanga has fluctuated significantly over the past century, influenced by evolving control strategies, political conditions and a changing climate. A notable decrease in cases followed the introduction of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), while a surge occurred after the civil wars ended at the beginning of the new millennium. Recently, the malaria season began 1-2 months earlier than historically observed, likely due to a 2-5°C increase in mean minimum temperatures, which facilitates the sporogonic cycle of the parasite.

CONCLUSION: Despite contemporary control efforts, malaria incidence in Haut-Katanga is similar to levels observed in the 1930s, possibly influenced by climate change creating optimal conditions for malaria transmission. Our historical data shows that the lowest malaria incidence occurred during periods of intensive DDT use and indoor residual spraying. Consequently, we recommend the systematic reduction of vector populations as a key component of malaria control strategies in highland regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

RevDate: 2024-10-22

Schattman RE, Merrill SC, WF Tracy (2024)

Shifts in geographic vulnerability of US corn crops under different climate change scenarios: corn flea beetle (Chaetocnema pulicaria) and Stewart's Wilt (Pantoea stewartii) bacterium.

Environmental entomology pii:7831278 [Epub ahead of print].

Changing climate patterns will likely affect insect pressure on many agricultural crops. Mild winters may decrease the number of insects that experience reduced fecundity or that are killed during hard freezes. This may result in larger populations in subsequent years and allow for range expansion. Direct effects from pests are compounded by indirect effects, such as crop damage resulting from insect-vectored diseases. Corn flea beetle (Chaetocnema pulicaria) infestations have both direct and indirect effects on crops. This beetle is a pest on all types of corn in the United States, including sweet corn and grain corn (sometimes referred to as dent corn). It is responsible for damage to plant foliage and also serves as the primary overwintering vector for Pantoea stewartii bacterium, which causes Stewart's Wilt, a disease that can severely impact the health and productivity of corn. Evidence suggests that warmer winters will contribute to a geographic range expansion for the corn flea beetle. Here we show the projected northward expansion of economically damaging crop losses caused by Stewart's Wilt: (A) from 1980 to 2011, (B) projected by mid-century, and (C) projected by end-century. Our work suggests that climate change and associated increasing winter temperatures in the United States will lead to a dramatic increase in the probability of severe damage from corn flea beetle across the United States, including the Corn Belt. Predicted increases in pest and disease pressure will have negative ramifications for corn production and are likely to exacerbate issues associated with specific management tactics, such as pesticide application.

RevDate: 2024-10-22
CmpDate: 2024-10-22

Rodrigues T, Kratina P, Setubal RB, et al (2024)

Interaction Between Climate Change Scenarios and Biological Invasion Reveals Complex Cascading Effects in Freshwater Ecosystems.

Global change biology, 30(10):e17540.

Climate change often facilitates biological invasions, leading to potential interactive impacts of these global drivers on freshwater ecosystems. Although climatic mitigation efforts may reduce the magnitude of these interactive impacts, we are still missing experimental evidence for such effects under multiple climate change scenarios within a multi-trophic framework. To address this knowledge gap, we experimentally compared the independent and interactive effects of two climate change scenarios (mitigation and business-as-usual) and biological invasion on the biomass of major freshwater trophic groups (phytoplankton, zooplankton, periphyton, macroinvertebrates, and a native macrophyte) and the decomposition rate of allochthonous material. Among the independent effects, we found that the business-as-usual climate treatment resulted in lower native macrophyte biomass and higher periphyton biomass compared to the climatic baseline and mitigation treatments. This indicates the potential of climate change to alter the relative dominance of different freshwater producers and demonstrates that climate mitigation efforts can counteract these effects. Biological invasion alone increased the biomass of chironomids, a dominant macroinvertebrate group in tropical freshwater ecosystems, demonstrating a compensatory effect on climate change. Climate change and biological invasion interactively reduced the decomposition rate of allochthonous detritus, likely mediated by the feeding preference of abundant chironomids for periphytic algae associated with the presence of non-native macrophytes. We concluded that (i) climatic mitigation can maintain climate baseline conditions in freshwater ecosystems, and (ii) the interactive effects between future climate scenarios and biological invasion are related to complex cascading interactions among trophic groups on ecosystem processes.

RevDate: 2024-10-23

Pitron V, Witthöft M, Lemogne C, et al (2024)

How climate-change awareness can provoke physical symptoms.

Frontiers in ecology and the environment, 22(1):e2700.

RevDate: 2024-10-23

Kumar P, Jayan J, Jena D, et al (2024)

Valley fever on the rise: How climate change is fueling a public health crisis.

New microbes and new infections, 62:101500.

RevDate: 2024-10-23

Theriot MK, Olson LE, HC Lanier (2024)

Accounting for age: uncovering the nuanced drivers of mammal body-size responses to climate change.

Journal of mammalogy, 105(3):512-523.

Shifts in mean body size coinciding with environmental change are well documented across animal species and populations, serving as a widespread and complex indicator of climate-change response. In mammal research, identifying and disentangling the potential drivers of these trends (e.g., thermoregulation, resource availability) is hindered by treating adult size as fixed, ignoring morphological changes that occur throughout life in many species. However, observed population-level size trends may reflect underlying shifts in age structure (i.e., change in the proportion of older, potentially larger individuals in the population). Here, we assessed the role of age structure by explicitly evaluating age as a contributor to temporal variation in skull size (a proxy for body size) in 2 carnivorans, Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis) and American Marten (Martes americana). Using a series of linear and nonlinear models, we tested age in years (determined by cementum-layer analysis) as a predictor of skull size alongside other factors previously proposed to be important drivers of body-size trends, including population density for lynx and growing season conditions for martens. In both species, age was a significant predictor of skull size indicating a rapid year-to-year increase in young adult size that diminished in later adulthood. However, temporal shifts in age structure alone did not explain the observed changes in size over time, indicating that age structure acts in concert with other as-yet unidentified factors to drive body-size change. By explicitly evaluating the role of age, we can both refine models of temporal body-size trends and gain insights into size change as a signal of underlying demographic shifts-such as age-specific survivorship-providing a more holistic understanding of how mammals are responding to climate change.

RevDate: 2024-10-22
CmpDate: 2024-10-22

Kusmec A, PS Schnable (2024)

Phenological Adaptation Is Insufficient to Offset Climate Change-Induced Yield Losses in US Hybrid Maize.

Global change biology, 30(10):e17539.

Climate change is projected to decrease maize yields due to warmer temperatures and their consequences. Studies using crop growth models (CGMs), however, have predicted that, through a combination of alterations to planting date, flowering time, and maturity, these yield losses can be mitigated or even reversed. Here, we examine three assumptions of such studies: (1) that climate has driven historical phenological trends, (2) that CGM ensembles provide unbiased estimates of yields under high temperatures, and (3) that the effects of temperature on yields are an emergent property of interactions between phenology and environment. We used data on maize phenology from the United States Department of Agriculture, a statistical model of maize hybrid heat tolerance derived from 80 years of public yield trial records across four US states, and outputs of an ensemble of CMIP6 climate models. While planting dates have advanced historically, we found a trend toward later planting dates after 2005 and no trend for silking or maturity, shifting more time into the reproductive period. We then projected maize yields using the historical model and crop calendars devised using three previously proposed adaptation strategies. In contrast to studies using CGMs, our statistical yield model projected severe yield losses under all three strategies. Finally, we projected maize yields accounting for historical genetic variability for heat tolerance, discovering that it was insufficient to overcome the negative effects of projected warming. These projections are driven by greater heat stress exposure under all crop calendars and climate scenarios. Combined with analysis of the internal sensitivities of CGMs to temperature, our results suggest that current projections do not adequately account for the effects of increasing temperatures on maize yields. Climate adaptation in the US Midwest must utilize a richer set of strategies than phenological adaptation, including improvements to heat tolerance and crop diversification.

RevDate: 2024-10-23
CmpDate: 2024-10-22

Cuervo PF, Bargues MD, Artigas P, et al (2024)

Global warming induced spread of the highest human fascioliasis hyperendemic area.

Parasites & vectors, 17(1):434.

BACKGROUND: Climate change is driving the occurrence of several infectious diseases. Within a One Health action to complement the ongoing preventive chemotherapy initiative against human fascioliasis in the Northern Bolivian Altiplano hyperendemic area, field surveys showed a geographical expansion of its lymnaeid snail vector. To assess whether climate change underlies this spread of the infection risk area, an in-depth analysis of the long-term evolution of climatic factors relevant for Fasciola hepatica development was imperative.

METHODS: We used monthly climatic data covering at least a 30-year period and applied two climatic risk indices, the water-budget-based system and the wet-day index, both of verified usefulness for forecasting fascioliasis transmission in this endemic area. To reveal the long-term trends of the climatic factors and forecast indices, we applied procedures of seasonal-trend decomposition based on locally weighed regression and trend analysis on the basis of linear models. To further demonstrate the changes detected, we depicted selected variables in the form of anomalies.

RESULTS: This study revealed a notorious climatic change affecting most of the hyperendemic area, with a strong impact on crucial aspects of the fascioliasis transmission. Trends in maximum and mean temperatures show significant increases throughout the endemic area, while trends in minimum temperatures are more variable. Precipitation annual trends are negative in most of the localities. Trends in climatic risk indices show negative trends at lower altitudes or when farther from the eastern Andean chain. However, monthly and yearly values of climatic risk indices indicate a permanent transmission feasibility in almost every location.

CONCLUSIONS: Warmer temperatures have enabled lymnaeids to colonize formerly unsuitable higher altitudes, outside the endemicity area verified in the 1990s. Further, drier conditions might lead to an overexploitation of permanent water collections where lymnaeids inhabit, favoring fascioliasis transmission. Therefore, the present preventive chemotherapy by annual mass treatments is in need to widen the area of implementation. This study emphasizes the convenience for continuous monitoring of nearby zones for quick reaction and appropriate action modification.

RevDate: 2024-10-23
CmpDate: 2024-10-22

Shrikhande S, Wolf J, Vert C, et al (2024)

World Health Organization repository of systematic reviews on interventions in environment, climate change and health: a new resource for decision makers, intervention implementers, and researchers.

Environmental health : a global access science source, 23(1):88.

To facilitate the use of the mounting evidence on how human health is inextricably linked to the health of the planet and the urgent need for measures against the escalating triple planetary crisis, the WHO has developed a repository of systematic reviews on interventions in the area of environment, climate change and health (ECH). This commentary introduces the repository, describes its rationale and development, and points to potential future evolutions. The repository aims to provide a user-friendly tool for quickly finding systematic reviews and meta-analyses on specific ECH topics. The spreadsheet includes details on each systematic review, such as population, intervention type, control group, outcomes, and location, among other information. This supports effective assessment of the available evidence, potentially informing policy decisions across various sectors. The repository is a resource for anyone interested in the interlinkages between health and environment and is also targeted at decision makers, intervention implementers and researchers in order to identify priority issues and support evidence-based action. Furthermore, it can be used to identify areas in need of greater research. Additionally, systematic reviews of intervention effectiveness are often used for setting general guidelines and standards, for choosing the most promising intervention in a certain situation and for calculating the disease burden attributable to a specific environmental risk.

RevDate: 2024-10-23

Wang J, Nikolaou N, An der Heiden M, et al (2024)

High-resolution modeling and projection of heat-related mortality in Germany under climate change.

Communications medicine, 4(1):206.

BACKGROUND: Heat has become a leading cause of preventable deaths during summer. Understanding the link between high temperatures and excess mortality is crucial for designing effective prevention and adaptation plans. Yet, data analyses are challenging due to often fragmented data archives over different agglomeration levels.

METHOD: Using Germany as a case study, we develop a multi-scale machine learning model to estimate heat-related mortality with variable temporal and spatial resolution. This approach allows us to estimate heat-related mortality at different scales, such as regional heat risk during a specific heatwave, annual and nationwide heat risk, or future heat risk under climate change scenarios.

RESULTS: We estimate a total of 48,000 heat-related deaths in Germany during the last decade (2014-2023), and the majority of heat-related deaths occur during specific heatwave events. Aggregating our results over larger regions, we reach good agreement with previously published reports from Robert Koch Institute (RKI). In 2023, the heatwave of July 7-14 contributes approximately 1100 cases (28%) to a total of approximately 3900 heat-related deaths for the whole year. Combining our model with shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs) of future climate change provides evidence that heat-related mortality in Germany could further increase by a factor of 2.5 (SSP245) to 9 (SSP370) without adaptation to extreme heat under static sociodemographic developments assumptions.

CONCLUSIONS: Our approach is a valuable tool for climate-driven public health strategies, aiding in the identification of local risks during heatwaves and long-term resilience planning.

RevDate: 2024-10-23

Fei C, Jägermeyr J, McCarl B, et al (2023)

Future climate change impacts on U.S. agricultural yields, production, and market.

Anthropocene, 42:100386.

This study provides estimates of climate change impacts on U.S. agricultural yields and the agricultural economy through the end of the 21st century, utilizing multiple climate scenarios. Results from a process-based crop model project future increases in wheat, grassland, and soybean yield due to climate change and atmospheric CO2 change; corn and sorghum show more muted responses. Results using yields from econometric models show less positive results. Both the econometric and process-based models tend to show more positive yields by the end of the century than several other similar studies. Using the process-based model to provide future yield estimates to an integrated agricultural sector model, the welfare gain is roughly $16B/year (2019 USD) for domestic producers and $6.2B/year for international trade, but domestic consumers lose $10.6B/year, resulting in a total welfare gain of $11.7B/year. When yield projections for major crops are drawn instead from econometric models, total welfare losses of more than $28B/year arise. Simulations using the process-based model as input to the agricultural sector model show large future production increases for soybean, wheat, and sorghum and large price reductions for corn and wheat. The most important factors are those about economic growth, flooding, international trade, and the type of yield model used. Somewhat less, but not insignificant factors include adaptation, livestock productivity, and damages from surface ozone, waterlogging, and pests and diseases.

RevDate: 2024-10-21

Qie J, Favillier A, Liébault F, et al (2024)

A supply-limited torrent that does not feel the heat of climate change.

Nature communications, 15(1):9078.

Debris-flow activity in the Alps is anticipated to undergo pronounced changes in response to a warming climate. Yet, a fundamental challenge in comprehensively assessing changes in process activity is the systematic lack of long-term observational debris-flow records. Here, we reconstruct the longest, continuous time series (1626-2020) of debris flows at Multetta, a supply-limited torrential system in the Eastern Swiss Alps. Relying on growth-ring records of trees that were damaged by debris flows, we do not detect significant changes in the frequency or magnitude over time. This seeming absence of a direct climatic influence on debris-flow initiation aligns with the regular distribution of repose time patterns, indicating a dependence of local process activity on sediment discharge and recharge. This stark difference in process behavior between our supply-limited site and transport-limited catchments has implications for assessing torrential hazard and risk mitigation in a context of global warming.

RevDate: 2024-10-21
CmpDate: 2024-10-21

Shigetomi Y, Ishigami A, Long Y, et al (2024)

Curbing household food waste and associated climate change impacts in an ageing society.

Nature communications, 15(1):8806.

We explored the intricate quantitative structure of household food waste and their corresponding life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from raw materials to retail utilizing a combination of household- and food-related economic statistics and life cycle assessment in Japan. Given Japan's status as a nation heavily impacted by an aging population, this study estimates these indicators for the six age brackets of Japanese households, showing that per capita food waste increases as the age of the household head increases (from 16.6 for the 20's and younger group to 46.0 kg/year for 70's and older in 2015) primarily attributed to the propensity of older households purchase of more fruits and vegetables. Further, the largest life cycle greenhouse gases related to food waste was 90.1 kg-CO2eq/year for those in their 60's while the smallest was 39.2 kg-CO2eq/year for 20's and younger. Furthermore, food waste and associated emissions are expected to decline due to future demographic changes imparted by an aging, shrinking population after 2020 until 2040. Specific measures focused on demographic shifts are crucial for Japan and other countries with similar dietary patterns and demographics to achieve related sustainable development goals through suppressing food waste and associated emissions under new dietary regimes.

RevDate: 2024-10-21

Costopoulou D, Leondiadis L, M Rose (2024)

Climate change influence on the trends of BFRs in the environment and food.

Chemosphere pii:S0045-6535(24)02478-0 [Epub ahead of print].

Climate change poses new challenges for environmental protection and food safety. With reported consequences including warmer temperatures, melting of Alpine glaciers, higher sea levels, droughts, extreme rainfall events and increased surface UV radiation, concerns about the impact on food contaminants have been raised. While the effects of climate change on POPs were initially expected to have the biggest impact in the arctic region, given the intensity, frequency and spread of extreme weather events, global influence on environmental pollution and food safety is currently anticipated. Warmer temperatures are expected to enhance the volatilization of POPs and influence their partitioning between soil, sediment, water and atmosphere, enhancing their mobility and their potential for long-range atmospheric transport. Floods and strong winds can cause dilution but also spread of pollutants to wider areas. Limited data are available for the impact of climate change on BFRs levels, trends and toxicity. BFRs are widely used to protect people from fire hazards. Numerous BFR containing products are disposed in landfills where climate change could possibly induce increased leaching and resulting impacts on the food chain. Heat and UV exposure can lead to degradation of novel polymeric BFRs with adverse environmental effects. Long-term monitoring data are needed for feed, food and environmental compartments in order to evaluate climate change influence, which will also enable the development of prediction models specific for legacy and novel BFRs, for various climate change scenarios. Furthermore, there is a need to promote further discussion in the scientific community for the design of risk management and remediation activities for contaminated areas, in response to potential future conditions as the climate continues to change.

RevDate: 2024-10-21

Yesildere Saglam H, B Mizrak Sahin (2024)

The impact of climate change anxiety on premenstrual syndrome: A cross-sectional study.

Journal of evaluation in clinical practice [Epub ahead of print].

OBJECTIVE: Climate change is thought to have possible effects on changes in the menstruation process, which covers an important period of time in women's lives. Our study aimed to determine the impact of climate change anxiety on premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in women of reproductive age.

METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. The research was conducted online using various digital platforms between December 2023 and February 2024. This study was conducted on 456 women of reproductive age. The Personal Information Form, PMS Scale and Eco-Anxiety Scale were used for the data collection. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS: The prevalence of PMS was 44.7%. The average score for the Eco-Anxiety Scale was 27.28 ± 6.44. A significant majority of participants (81.4%) stated that climate change would affect women's health, and 81.1% thought that they were affected by climate change. The Eco-Anxiety Scale scores were higher in women with PMS (p < 0.05). The results of the binary logistic regression analysis showed that being affected by climate change (odds ratio [OR] = 2.109, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.045-4.259, p = 0.035), age at menarche (OR = 1.249, 95% Cl = 1.073-1.453, p = 0.004) and Eco-Anxiety Scale scores were significant predictors of PMS (OR = 0.828, 95% Cl = 0.791-0.867, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: The results of our study showed that women with PMS had higher Eco-Anxiety Scale scores. Given the global effects of climate change, it is important to investigate its effects as a risk factor for the emergence of PMS. Furthermore, women's healthcare providers play an important and beneficial role in adapting to a changing climate; these efforts will have long-term impacts.

RevDate: 2024-10-21

Kumar N, Latha Telagarapu VM, A Fornoni (2024)

Climate Change, Heat Stress, and Kidney Disease-Associated Mortality and Health Care Utilization.

Kidney international reports, 9(10):2844-2847.

RevDate: 2024-10-21

Azmat MA, Zaheer M, Shaban M, et al (2024)

Autophagy: A New Avenue and Biochemical Mechanisms to Mitigate the Climate Change.

Scientifica, 2024:9908323.

Autophagy is a preserved process in eukaryotes that allows large material degeneration and nutrient recovery via vacuoles or lysosomes in cytoplasm. Autophagy starts from the moment of induction during the formation of a phagophore. Degradation may occur in the autophagosomes even without fusion with lysosome or vacuole, particularly in microautophagosomes. This process is arbitrated by the conserved machinery of basic autophagy-related genes (ATGs). In selective autophagy, specific materials are recruited by autophagosomes via receptors. Selective autophagy targets a vast variety of cellular components for degradation, i.e., old or damaged organelles, aggregates, and inactive or misfolded proteins. In optimal conditions, autophagy in plants ensures cellular homeostasis, proper plant growth, and fitness. Moreover, autophagy is essential during stress responses in plants and aids in survival of plants. Several biotic and abiotic stresses, i.e., pathogen infection, nutrient deficiency, plant senescence, heat stress, drought, osmotic stress, and hypoxia induce autophagy in plants. Cell death is not a stress, which induces autophagy but in contrast, sometimes it is a consequence of autophagy. In this way, autophagy plays a vital role in plant survival during harsh environmental conditions by maintaining nutrient concentration through elimination of useless cellular components. This review discussed the recent advances regarding regulatory functions of autophagy under normal and stressful conditions in plants and suggests future prospects in mitigating climate change. Autophagy in plants offers a viable way to increase plant resilience to climate change by increasing stress tolerance and nutrient usage efficiency.

RevDate: 2024-10-21

Bezgrebelna M, Hajat S, Njenga S, et al (2024)

Neoliberalism, Climate Change, and Displaced and Homeless Populations: Exploring Interactions Through Case Studies.

Humanity & society, 48(2-4):107-129.

There is a growing attention to neoliberal policies and practices as they relate to climate change and housing within academic literature. However, the combined effects of neoliberal political and economic decisions on the interaction between climate change and displaced and homeless populations have not been substantially explored. In this paper, we identify and focus on three key re-emerging themes prevalent within neoliberal discourses: economic considerations, individualization, and short-termism. To examine the intersecting influence of climate change and these themes on vulnerable populations, the following case studies are discussed: displaced populations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, refugees in Kenya, and tiny homes programs in the U.S. and Canada. The diversified contexts and levels of analysis allow for more nuanced understanding of the variety of ways in which neoliberal influences and climate-induced events impact the most vulnerable populations. We argue for the need to change the framing of these issues, which are often presented in neoliberal terms and are driven by neoliberal logic. We then present potential avenues for resolving the identified issues, such as through systemic changes, development of long-term solutions, and focusing on community-based adaptation (CBA) programs.

RevDate: 2024-10-21

Sylvestre F, Mahamat-Nour A, Naradoum T, et al (2024)

Strengthening of the hydrological cycle in the Lake Chad Basin under current climate change.

Scientific reports, 14(1):24639.

Central Sahel is affected by a reinforcement of rainfall since the beginning of 1990s. This increase in rainfall is affected by high inter-annual variability and is characterized by extreme rain events causing floods of unprecedented magnitude. However, few studies have been carried out on these extreme events. Moreover, with current climate change expected to strengthen the hydrological cycle, we don't know if these events could become more frequent. Here, we report the hydrological changes that currently occur in the Lake Chad basin. Based on ground observations and satellite data, we focused on the 2022 flood event, demonstrating that it was the most important event from the last 60 years, comparable to what occurred during the last wet period between the 1950s and the 1960s. We showed that under this precipitation regime and if warming is not regulated at a global scale, the return period of the 2022 major riverine flood is expected to be between 2 and 5 years. By using modelling experiments, our study also suggested that in the next decade, future flow rates of the main rivers draining the Lake Chad basin could reach the values observed in the 1950s. These results strongly suggest anticipating water management in a context of poor infrastructural development.

RevDate: 2024-10-20

Rahko J, AA Alola (2024)

The effects of climate change technology spillovers on carbon emissions across European countries.

Journal of environmental management, 370:122972 pii:S0301-4797(24)02958-X [Epub ahead of print].

To unravel the challenges in the global diffusion of climate-friendly technologies, this investigation analyzes the diffusion of climate change-related technologies across countries. By using an unbalanced panel of selected European countries over the period 1990-2020, this investigation quantifies the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission effects of the diffusion of climate change-related technologies that are mediated by imports, geographical and technological proximity and free diffusion of technologies. In this study, the effects of domestic development of climate change-related technologies, population and affluence are also accounted for, and the emission effects are estimated using a fixed-effects panel model with instrumental variables. The instrumental variable for foreign technology spillovers is based on the technology support policies adopted in foreign countries. As expected, international spillovers of climate-friendly technologies are negatively linked to CO2 emissions, thus promoting emission reductions across the region. Importantly, emission reductions in Europe are more strongly influenced by international technology spillovers than by domestic innovation activities. Moreover, while all the analyzed technology diffusion channels appear relevant, the results are the most robust regarding import-mediated technology spillovers. Insights from this study support policy recommendations, especially in the trade policy context.

RevDate: 2024-10-19

Horton R (2024)

Offline: Rethinking the human costs of climate change.

Lancet (London, England), 404(10462):1506.

RevDate: 2024-10-19

Hosseini P, RT Bailey (2024)

Mutual impact of salinity and climate change on crop production water footprint in a semi-arid agricultural watershed: Application of SWAT-MODFLOW-salt.

The Science of the total environment pii:S0048-9697(24)07130-4 [Epub ahead of print].

Sustainable agriculture in intensively irrigated watersheds, particularly those in arid and semi-arid regions, requires enhanced management practices to maintain crop production, which depends on climate, available water resources, soil conditions, irrigation practices, and crop type. Among these factors, soil salinity and climate change are significant challenges to agricultural productivity. To investigate the long-term influence of salinity and climate change on crop production from 1999 to 2100 in irrigated semi-arid regions, we apply the water footprint (WF) concept using the hydro-chemical watershed model SWAT-MODFLOW-Salt, driven by five General Circulation Models (GCMs) and two climate scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), to a 732 km[2] irrigated stream-aquifer system within the Lower Arkansas River Valley (LARV), Colorado, USA. The study focused on calculating the green (WFgreen), blue (WFblue), and total (WFtotal) crop production WFs for 29 crops in the region, with and without including salinity effect on crop yield. Results reveal that during the baseline period (1999-2009), the total annual average WFgreen, WFblue, and WFtotal increased by 7.6 %, 4.4 %, and 6.5 %, respectively, under salinity stress, as crops experienced reductions of up to 4.6 %, 1.6 %, and 2.3 % in green, blue, and total crop yield. The mutual impact of salinity and the worst-case climate model (IPSL_CM5A_MR) under the higher emission scenario (RCP8.5) led to a 3.3 %, 1.9 %, and 3 % increase in green, blue, and total crop production WFs. Furthermore, the study highlighted that the proportion of green, blue, and total crop production WFs in the LARV exceeded the world average. This discrepancy was attributed to various factors, including different spatial and temporal crop distribution, irrigation practices, soil types, and climate conditions. Notably, salinity stress affected green crop yield and green WF more significantly than blue crop yield and blue WF across all GCM models. This finding underscores the importance of prioritizing management practices to control salinity-associated challenges within the region.

RevDate: 2024-10-19

Okon EM, Oyesiji AA, Okeleye DE, et al (2024)

The Escalating Threat of Climate Change-Driven Diseases in Fish: Evidence from a Global Perspective - A Literature Review.

Environmental research pii:S0013-9351(24)02091-7 [Epub ahead of print].

Climate change has brought significant alterations to the aquatic environment, leading to the rapid spread of infectious fish diseases with increasing water temperatures. It is crucial to understand how aquatic pathogens will impact fish in the context of climate change. This study aimed to assess the effects of climate change on fish diseases globally. Data from 104 papers published between 2003 and 2022 were analyzed to identify recent trends in the field. The majority of the studies (54%) focused on parasites, particularly proliferative kidney disease, while 22% examined bacteria. The United States accounted for 19% of the studies, followed by Canada at 14%, covering a wide range of fish species. More research was published on farmed fish (54%) than wild fish (30%), with a higher emphasis on freshwater species (62%) compared to marine species (34%). Most published studies (64%) focused on the local environment rather than the farm level (7%). The findings highlight temperature as a significant threat to global aquaculture and fisheries, impacting the progression of fish diseases. These impacts could be exacerbated by factors such as pH, salinity, and ocean acidification, posing challenges to fish health. Therefore, there is a pressing need for enhanced research and management strategies to address these issues effectively in the future.

RevDate: 2024-10-19

Hubert DL, Bentz EJ, RT Mason (2024)

Increased offspring size and reduced gestation length in an ectothermic vertebrate under a worst-case climate change scenario.

Journal of thermal biology, 125:103990 pii:S0306-4565(24)00208-0 [Epub ahead of print].

As global temperatures continue to rise, understanding the impacts of warming environments has become increasingly important. Temperature is especially relevant for ectothermic organisms which depend upon consistent and predictable annual temperature cycles for reproduction and development. However, additional research is required in this area to elucidate the potential impacts of climate change on future generations. To understand how projected increases in environmental temperatures may impact reproductive outcomes within natural populations of ectothermic vertebrates, we manipulated minimum ambient temperatures during gestation in Red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis). Wild snakes were collected in the Interlake region of Manitoba, Canada during their spring mating season and allowed to mate in controlled conditions. For the duration of gestation, mated females were placed into one of two ambient thermal conditions: temperatures emulating those found in the species' natural habitat or temperatures with a consistent 5 °C increase to match end-of-century climate change projections. We recorded observations for each litter and all neonates resulting from controlled mating trials. We observed no difference in litter sizes or birth rates between thermal conditions. However, we observed a significant reduction in gestation length and significant increase to neonate body mass and body condition associated with increased ambient temperatures. These results suggest that increased minimum temperatures during gestation may confer reproductive benefits for the northern populations of this species even under the most extreme current modeled warming predictions. We discuss the broader implications of this effect, including possible negative ecological outcomes.

RevDate: 2024-10-19

Celeghini ECC, Baatsch-Nascimento F, Bozzi ADR, et al (2024)

Bovine testicular heat stress: From climate change to effects on microRNA profile.

Animal reproduction science, 270:107620 pii:S0378-4320(24)00220-3 [Epub ahead of print].

Heat stress is caused by exposure of animals to high temperatures and humidity, outside their thermal comfort zone. This can have negative outcomes, including adversely affecting general well-being and reducing productive and reproductive performance. In males, heat stress can disrupt testicular thermoregulation, with deleterious effects on spermatogenesis and consequently, decreases in sperm quality and fertility potential. Thus, high environmental temperature is considered one of the most important factors that predisposes bulls to subfertility and has already been the subject of many studies, particularly in tropical or subtropical countries. It is essential to study effects of testicular heat stress in bulls, know the chronology of clinical and sperm findings, and understand the underlying pathophysiology. In addition, elucidating molecular mechanisms involved in heat stress and testicular function could provide the basis for effective, evidence-based strategies for selecting more thermotolerant animals. Excessive heat affects expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) in sperm, which have important roles in regulating male fertility. Based on current trends in climate change, the incidence of chronically high temperatures that cause heat stress is expected to increase, posing increasing risks to health and survival of many species. The study of mRNAs and miRNAs can provide valuable insights to select animals that are more resilient to climate change. In addition to the search for more thermotolerant animals, other strategies to mitigate effects of heat stress include reproductive biotechniques and promotion of a better environment.

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ESP Quick Facts

ESP Origins

In the early 1990's, Robert Robbins was a faculty member at Johns Hopkins, where he directed the informatics core of GDB — the human gene-mapping database of the international human genome project. To share papers with colleagues around the world, he set up a small paper-sharing section on his personal web page. This small project evolved into The Electronic Scholarly Publishing Project.

ESP Support

In 1995, Robbins became the VP/IT of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA. Soon after arriving in Seattle, Robbins secured funding, through the ELSI component of the US Human Genome Project, to create the original ESP.ORG web site, with the formal goal of providing free, world-wide access to the literature of classical genetics.

ESP Rationale

Although the methods of molecular biology can seem almost magical to the uninitiated, the original techniques of classical genetics are readily appreciated by one and all: cross individuals that differ in some inherited trait, collect all of the progeny, score their attributes, and propose mechanisms to explain the patterns of inheritance observed.

ESP Goal

In reading the early works of classical genetics, one is drawn, almost inexorably, into ever more complex models, until molecular explanations begin to seem both necessary and natural. At that point, the tools for understanding genome research are at hand. Assisting readers reach this point was the original goal of The Electronic Scholarly Publishing Project.

ESP Usage

Usage of the site grew rapidly and has remained high. Faculty began to use the site for their assigned readings. Other on-line publishers, ranging from The New York Times to Nature referenced ESP materials in their own publications. Nobel laureates (e.g., Joshua Lederberg) regularly used the site and even wrote to suggest changes and improvements.

ESP Content

When the site began, no journals were making their early content available in digital format. As a result, ESP was obliged to digitize classic literature before it could be made available. For many important papers — such as Mendel's original paper or the first genetic map — ESP had to produce entirely new typeset versions of the works, if they were to be available in a high-quality format.

ESP Help

Early support from the DOE component of the Human Genome Project was critically important for getting the ESP project on a firm foundation. Since that funding ended (nearly 20 years ago), the project has been operated as a purely volunteer effort. Anyone wishing to assist in these efforts should send an email to Robbins.

ESP Plans

With the development of methods for adding typeset side notes to PDF files, the ESP project now plans to add annotated versions of some classical papers to its holdings. We also plan to add new reference and pedagogical material. We have already started providing regularly updated, comprehensive bibliographies to the ESP.ORG site.

Electronic Scholarly Publishing
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Papers in Classical Genetics

The ESP began as an effort to share a handful of key papers from the early days of classical genetics. Now the collection has grown to include hundreds of papers, in full-text format.

Digital Books

Along with papers on classical genetics, ESP offers a collection of full-text digital books, including many works by Darwin and even a collection of poetry — Chicago Poems by Carl Sandburg.

Timelines

ESP now offers a large collection of user-selected side-by-side timelines (e.g., all science vs. all other categories, or arts and culture vs. world history), designed to provide a comparative context for appreciating world events.

Biographies

Biographical information about many key scientists (e.g., Walter Sutton).

Selected Bibliographies

Bibliographies on several topics of potential interest to the ESP community are automatically maintained and generated on the ESP site.

ESP Picks from Around the Web (updated 28 JUL 2024 )