Detailed modeling of flood hazards in Los Angeles reveals exposure 10-40 times greater than suggested by federally defined flood zones. Across the U.S., urban flood risks may be similarly underestimated.

An apparently simple question about how many people work in the world's protected areas became a complex four-year investigation. The results have major implications for efforts to ensure conservation of at least 30 per cent of the planet.

Global scenario modelling to achieve “net-zero” emissions lacks national resolution, especially in the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector. This makes effective climate policymaking extremely difficult. Using Ireland as a case study, we have assessed 850 randomized scenarios of activity combinations for Ireland’s AFOLU sector in the year 2050 and evaluated associated greenhouse gas fluxes to the year 2100, using a GWP100 net-zero greenhouse gas definition.

Prof. Xiangming Xiao, Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, Center for Earth Observation and Modeling, University of Oklahoma, USA; Dr Xinxin Wang and Prof. Bo Li, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Fudan University, China.