Demonstrating methods for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is now a focus of research and development programmes designed to support decision making about future technology deployment. In this perspective piece, we outline some of the approaches to responsible research and innovation (RRI) being put to work in a United Kingdom-based programme organising field trials of various carbon removal methods. Unlike the disruptive technologies that predominate in RRI scholarship, many land-based methods for carbon removal have already been deployed, in some cases over many decades, with governance closely linked with longstanding fields of research and practice. We highlight why responsible innovation frameworks that developed in the context of geoengineering controversies may be only partially-suited to field trials of land-based carbon removal methods. We suggest that field trials of carbon removal methods are not simply evidentiary procedures but also strategic sites within an emerging innovation regime where RRI approaches can be both implemented and critically tested.

Climate change is the leading crisis of our times exacerbating issues of health and working conditions for labourers. Whilst research has been undertaken looking at the connection between climate and health, health and work, and work and climate, little has been done to assess the intersection of all three concerns. In this perspective, we outline the need for more integrated thinking to address the wide-reaching impacts of climate change and what that means for the achievement of decent work combined with positive health outcomes. We outline current frameworks and ongoing activities seeking to prevent and mitigate risks to health and work within a changing climate and identify the need for a paired path forward on the local (communities, unions, labour organisations) and global (international and national governance) scales to ensure ‘Health-Labour-Climate’ drivers and outcomes are comprehensively addressed.

This paper proposes to bridge the gap between traditional criminal law and environmental jurisprudence by redefining the harm principle proposed by Mill through the Environmental Harm and Human Risk Matrix. The Matrix classifies environmental harm and human risk as low, medium, and high impact, creating nine intersectional approaches to assess environmental harm based on its severity and irreversibility, the risk to human and non-human wellbeing, its intergenerational impact, and the ability to mitigate the impact. Through the Matrix, the paper identifies activities that should be assessed as violations with no criminal liability, harms that should have criminal liability and harms that are subject to interpretation by the executive and the judiciary thereby helping to understand environmental harm within the socioeconomic realities of the situation. The approach not only challenges anthropocentric legal paradigms but also the interpretation of the harm principle while treating the environment as a resource. The challenge to the anthropocentric legal paradigms integrates the socioeconomic realities, environmental harm to human and non-human beings and offers guidelines to differentiate violations requiring restorative approaches from crimes necessitating punitive action. The paper further argues that if environmental harm is purely perceived from the lens of the harm principle apportioning blameworthiness based on liability, culpability and accountability, then the entire human population commits environmental harm since the environment is a resource which is used/misused by all. The paper integrates both approaches while contextualizing the use/misuse of the environment as a resource and examines liability and culpability from the profit motive, wherein environmental harm is intergenerational, pervasive, long-term, and irreversible. However, social manifestations (order, disorder and strain in the society), behavior, culture and socioeconomic vulnerabilities on the utilization of the environment as a resource are imperative to understand environmental harm before affixing accountability. The paper develops a theoretical framework examining the relevant legal and criminological theories (deterrence, rational choice, etc.) and proposes a differential approach to assess environmental harm committed for profits and those committed by the marginalized and least advantaged members of society who invariably utilize environmental resources for survival and/or out of necessity. The paper further argues that sweeping punitive actions risk creating a ‘paradox of poverty’. The Matrix contributes to the current scholarship from the legal and sociological standpoint, arguing for a just, fair and equitable utilization of resources while ensuring an inclusive and sustainable policy to combat environmental violations and thus harm. The work contributes to global green criminology discourse urging transformative legal reforms to mitigate ecological violence and advance planetary justice.

Traditional food systems are central to cultural continuity, sustainable livelihoods, and food security for Indigenous communities in northern Canada. However, these systems are threatened by climate change, rising costs, and increasing reliance on purchased foods. At the same time, climate change presents opportunities to diversify through small-scale food production. Such initiatives can enhance food security and self-sufficiency but require tools that integrate Indigenous values and systems thinking. This research introduces the Community Agroecological Values Framework as a novel model for describing local food systems and guiding transformation in northern regions by prioritizing Indigenous values in community-led planning. In partnership with the Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation, this participatory action research uses qualitative methods to describe the current state of the community’s food system and outline a future vision and path to achieving community defined food system goals. Community members highlighted the need for increased access to local foods, greater youth engagement, and support to develop sustainable gardening skills. Insights informed the development of the Community Agroecological Values Framework, which builds on the Community Capitals Framework and Northern Agroecology to create a harmonized, systems-based and values-oriented planning framework and planning tool. This tool centers Traditional Knowledge and cultural values including land stewardship, reciprocal relationships, collective betterment, food sovereignty, self-determination, and intergenerational knowledge sharing, empowering communities to design and implement more resilient, culturally grounded, and self-sufficient food systems.

A Correction on: Blessman M, Hurst KF, Nelson CJ, Toedte RJ and Tyrell JD (2025) Exposure to climate risks and youth engagement with climate change. Front. Clim. 7:1657820. doi: 10.3389/fclim.2025.1657820 Author affiliation Wrong affiliation, but not replacing with present address Affiliation 1 School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, United States, 2 Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN, United States, 3 1by4by9 Educational Concepts, LLC, Knoxville, TN, United States was erroneously given as 1 School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, United States, 2 Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, IL, United States, 3 1by4by9 Educational Concepts, LLC, Knoxville, IL, United States The original version of this article has been updated.

A Correction on: Yoshida Y, Sioen GB, Metuisela G and Crichton R (2025) Perspectives on climate change and adaptation in Fijian villages contemplating relocation. Front. Clim. 7:1579299. doi: 10.3389/fclim.2025.1579299 Incorrect Supplementary Material File missing Supplemental material Table 1 was omitted. The file(s) have now been published. The original version of this article has been updated.

Climate change poses a serious threat to human health and is a key driver of both health system stress and disaster-related health impacts. As climate-related crises become more frequent and intense, the likelihood of climate-induced disasters increases, bringing a wide range of health consequences, including climate-sensitive diseases (CSDs) and exacerbating health inequities. Strengthening disaster preparedness in health facilities is essential for managing increased service demands, ensuring continuity of care, and minimizing the impact of disasters on communities. However, there is limited evidence on how well health facilities are prepared to manage climate-related disasters and deliver CSD diagnosis and treatment services, particularly in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Nepal. This study aims to address that gap by linking data from the 2021 Nepal health facility Service Provision Assessment survey with local-level climate-related disaster data from the Nepal Disaster Risk Portal (2018–2020). We explore climate related disaster preparedness and the availability of CSD-related services across different types of health facilities, assessing overall emergency preparedness and the availability of six CSD services based on their past exposure to disasters. Furthermore, we compare differences in preparedness and CSD service availability between facilities with high and low levels of disaster exposure. The study provides an overview of how well various types of health facilities are prepared to respond to climate-related disasters and CSDs, while also highlighting disparities in preparedness and service availability across facility types. Although the findings indicate some degree of adaptation of some type of health facilities to climate-related disaster exposure, it calls for comprehensive assessments that integrate all components of a climate-resilient health system as defined by the WHO, to support evidence-based planning and strengthen Nepal’s progress toward a climate-resilient health system.

The Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River Basin is a critical ecological barrier and core production base (energy, agriculture, animal husbandry) in northern China, where water resource security and ecological sustainability directly affect regional and national development. Drought is a major constraint on the basin’s ecosystem and production activities, but its long-term spatial-temporal patterns and driving mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Here, we used MOD16 evapotranspiration data (2001-2024) to construct the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI), aiming to clarify drought evolution in the region, and applied the Geodetector model to identify key drivers of CWSI spatial heterogeneity and their interactions. Our results showed that: (1) Potential evapotranspiration (PET) and CWSI had stable interannual fluctuations, while actual evapotranspiration (ET) exhibited significant interannual variability; the average CWSI was 0.85, indicating long-term severe drought in the study area. (2) Spatially, most regions were in severe drought, but >76% of the area showed a significant downward CWSI trend (drought alleviation). (3) All land use types had decreasing CWSI; water bodies had the highest CWSI and cropland the lowest—opposite to the ET ranking. (4) NDVI and air temperature were the primary drivers of CWSI spatial variability (average q-values >0.5). The strongest interactive effects on CWSI heterogeneity were between precipitation and temperature (q: 0.72-0.95) and between precipitation and DEM (q: 0.78-0.93), with both interactive q-values >0.81. These findings reveal that drought in the basin is regulated more by ET than PET, and is driven by the synergy of meteorological factors (precipitation, temperature) and topographic factors (DEM). They provide a scientific basis for drought prediction, water resource management, and ecological protection in the Yellow River Basin, and offer a reference for similar arid/semi-arid regions globally.

Climate change is already upon us. Millions of people are expected to be displaced due to the severe and slow-onset impacts. These displacements will lead to large-scale movements from high-risk and less resilient areas to safer or more resilient areas, creating a relocation problem: where people should go and when. This complex problem involves factors such as the source and extent of relocation demand, identification and capacity of destinations, movements from origins to destinations, and the well-being and dignity of both the displaced and receiving communities. We intend to solve the resulting relocation problem at different levels, starting with high-level decisions about which destinations to choose and how many people to send there. This will facilitate early preparations, such as infrastructure and service planning, at these destinations, ensuring timely action without delays. But in such a complicated problem, what could be the measure of the success of certain relocation decisions compared to others? We consider it requisite that the level of social integration at the destination locations and the fairness of the flow decisions are pivotal to a successful relocation plan and should be thoroughly analyzed. The moral imperative of fairness in these decisions cannot be overstated. That is why our study focuses on the fairness of movements within the context of a relocation problem: how many people from each origin should go to each climate destination in a way that is fair for both climate migrants and receiving communities. To this end, we formulate an optimization model such that the objectives and constraints reflect the key aspects of the relocation problem to assign the number of people to be relocated from each origin to each destination. The model incorporates multiple fairness metrics into objectives representing the perspectives of different stakeholders. These metrics are then analyzed and compared to evaluate trade-offs in the results.