Science Briefs – Cool Green Science

Science Brief

New Map Shows Hotspots of Species Under Threat

A new analysis identifies global hotspots where the most species are threatened by human impacts.

Science Brief

Tropical Deforestation Is Making the Worst Climate Predictions A Reality

Industrial-scale tropical deforestation is altering local climate as much as 100 years of global warming under a worst-case emissions scenario.

Science Brief

Nature Improves Crop Production

New study shows that promoting nature around farm fields is essential to ensuring and maintaining abundant and stable food production.

Science Brief

What Makes Conservation Solutions Go Viral?

Conservationists often talk about “going to scale”—solutions that go big and go fast. But most conservation initiatives requiring decades to start proliferating on their own.

Science Brief

Time to Bust the Silos: Coral Reefs, Human Health + Sewage Pollution

The human health and marine conservation sectors are fighting the same root causes and effects of poor water quality. They’re just fighting them separately. New science says the opportunities for collaboration are there and it’s past time to bridge the gaps.

Science Brief

Indigenous Knowledge Helps Map Habitat for the Threatened Bilby

New research is the first of its kind to incorporate indigenous knowledge into predictive species distribution maps.

Science Brief

A Better Way to Protect Birds From Power Lines

Millions of birds are killed every year in collisions with power lines. Now, scientists have discovered installing suspended, rotating devices known as ”flappers” is the most effective way to reduce bird deaths.

Science Brief

Tropical Deforestation Is Making the Worst Climate Predictions A Reality

Industrial-scale tropical deforestation is altering local climate as much as 100 years of global warming under a worst-case emissions scenario.

Science Brief

Science for Evaluating Flood Risk + Improving Community Resilience

A new study examines flooding from Hurricanes Matthew and Florence and finds current hazard maps are inadequate for accurately assessing flood risks and protecting communities in North Carolina.

Science Brief

Putting Evidence into Action: Solutions for Climate-Ready Fisheries

As climate change upends ecosystems, including fisheries, scientists are moving beyond documenting the impacts to recommending actions to mitigate and adapt to those impacts.

Science Brief

Debt Conversions Can Advance Marine Conservation

Refinancing national debt can be a powerful tool for conservation.

Science Brief

Using Science to Select Flagship Species

New research provides science-based way to identify flagship species for effective biodiversity conservation.

Science Brief

A New Way of Mapping Global Ecosystems

Scientists have created the first standardized, fine-scale map of global ecosystems, allowing them to better measure the effectiveness of protected areas and identify ecosystems in need of additional protection.

Science Brief

Co-Benefits for Biodiversity & Carbon in Remnant Forests

New science shows that remnant forests with the greatest tree-species richness also store the most carbon, creating a potential win-win for protecting biodiversity and reducing global carbon emissions.

Science Brief

Tropics Offer Major Natural Climate Solutions Opportunity

New research identifies tropical countries where targeted investment can have the greatest impact on reducing global emissions in the short term.

Science Brief

Biodiverse Forests Capture Carbon Better Than Plantations

New science shows that diverse natural forests with a mix of tree species provide more stable and reliable carbon capture than monoculture plantations in the long run.

Science Brief

The Main Cause of Global Water Scarcity? It’s Us.

New research shows that by 2050, more than 70 percent of watersheds around the world will experience water scarcity driven primarily by human activity, not climate change.

Science Brief

Got Floods? Protecting Floodplains Could Be a Cheap Way to Reduce Damages

In many places in the U.S., $1 invested in floodplain protection today can return at least $5 in savings from avoided flood damages in the future.

Science Brief

Biodiversity Conservation in the Age of Climate Change

An international team of researchers argues that the twin goals of climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation must become the combined foundation of marine management and ocean conservation efforts.