Quantifying disturbance effects on ecosystem services in a changing climate
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Climate change threatens crop diversity at low latitudes
Climate change alters the climatic suitability of croplands, likely shifting the spatial distribution and diversity of global food crop production. Analyses of future potential food crop diversity have been limited to a small number of crops. Here we project geographical shifts in the climatic niches of 30 major food crops under 1.5–4 °C global warming and assess their impact on current crop production and potential food crop diversity across global croplands. We found that in low-latitude regions, 10–31% of current production would shift outside the climatic niche even under 2 °C global warming, increasing to 20–48% under 3 °C warming. Concurrently, potential food crop diversity would decline on 52% (+2 °C) and 56% (+3 °C) of global cropland. However, potential diversity would increase in mid to high latitudes, offering opportunities for climate change adaptation. These results highlight substantial latitudinal differences in the adaptation potential and vulnerability of the global food system under global warming.
Event triggers and opinion leaders shape climate change discourse on Weibo
Understanding how real-world events and opinion leaders shape climate change discussions is vital for improving communication and policy formulation to meet global carbon mitigation goals. This study analyzed 5.3 million original posts from Weibo (2012–2022), China’s largest social media platform, to examine climate change discourse. We found five event types triggering 48 discussion peaks, including online activities, international conferences, extreme weather, domestic policies, and international news. Posts generally conveyed positive attitudes, though sentiment decreased during haze pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Network analysis revealed seven opinion leader groups with distinct strategies: official media and institutions emphasized political will, global initiatives, and socio-economic implications, while universities and grassroots individuals focused on scientific reality and personal actions. Celebrities and unofficial accounts often highlighted geopolitical topics, especially China-US relations. We suggest reducing fragmented echo chambers and fostering personal connections through digital media platforms to enhance public awareness.
Wildlife’s contributions to people
Nature’s contributions to people (NCP) are increasingly incorporated in modern conservation policy and management frameworks; however, the contributions of wildlife remain underrepresented in the NCP science that informs policy and practice. In this Perspective, we explore wildlife’s role in NCP. We use existing evidence to map wildlife contributions onto the conceptual framework of NCP and find that wildlife directly supports 12 of 18 NCP categories. We identify NCP provided or supported by wildlife as wildlife’s contributions to people (WCP). Knowledge gaps regarding WCP are prevalent, and failure to identify or account for WCP in policy and management could prevent both NCP and biodiversity targets from being achieved. To improve understanding of WCP and its integration into conservation decision-making, advances in monitoring and modelling wildlife are required and taxonomic, geographic and cultural biases in existing research should be addressed. These advances are necessary to connect biodiversity policies aimed at protecting wildlife species with NCP policies intended to ensure the long-term delivery of benefits to people, and to achieve widespread sustainable relationships with nature.
Decarbonizing urban residential communities with green hydrogen systems
Community green hydrogen systems, typically consisting of rooftop photovoltaic panels paired with hybrid hydrogen-battery storage, offer urban environments with improved access to clean, on-site energy. However, economically viable pathways for deploying hydrogen storage within urban communities remain unclear. Here we develop a bottom-up energy model linking climate, human behavior and community characteristics to assess the impacts of pathways for deploying community green hydrogen systems in North America from 2030 to 2050. We show that for the same community conditions, the cost difference between the best and worst pathways can be as high as 60%. In particular, the household centralized option emerges as the preferred pathway for most communities. Furthermore, enhancing energy storage demands within these deployment pathways can reduce system design costs up to fourfold. To achieve cost-effective urban decarbonization, the study underscores the critical role of selecting the right deployment pathway and prioritizing the integration of increased energy storage in pathway designs.
Algorithmic personalization: a study of knowledge gaps and digital media literacy
Understanding personalized content and its societal implications is critical in the digital media era. This article introduces a novel information-analytical system designed to evaluate the level of knowledge among different social classes regarding personalized content in the digital media ecosystem. Utilizing data from 1213 Czech respondents, we employ fuzzy logic and multidimensional membership functions for an in-depth evaluation of the populace’s awareness. It categorizes population knowledge on personalization processes, their preferences, and trust levels and advocates control mechanisms over online content. The research reveals significant insights into demographic disparities in digital media literacy, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted educational programs. This paper presents a pioneering methodological framework and lays the groundwork for future investigations into personalized media services’ ethical considerations and socio-political dynamics. Our study contributes to the broader discourse on media literacy, algorithmic understanding, and protecting informational self-determination in the digital age.
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