Climate & Environment

Creating climate solutions requires connections, partnerships and cross-disciplinary approaches. At CU Boulder, we lead across all fields of climate research: adaptation and innovation, policy, natural hazards, human impacts, and climate science.听Stay up to date on our groundbreaking research and technological advancements.

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Bubble of expanding gas created by a supernova.

Tree rings may hold clues to earthly impacts of distant supernovas

Nov. 11, 2020

A very nearby supernova could wipe all life off the face of Earth. But even farther away events may still leave their mark on the planet, new research suggests.

Scientists explore how to protect fisheries, food supply in event of nuclear war

Nov. 9, 2020

Well-managed, healthy fisheries could serve as an important source of food for people around the world in the event of a nuclear catastrophe, a new study finds.

Tiny beetles a bellwether of ecological disruption by climate change

Oct. 19, 2020

New research shows that as species across the world adjust where they live in response to climate change, they will come into competition with other species that could hamper their ability to keep up with the pace of this change.

Unprecedented energy use since 1950 has transformed our planetary environment and humanity鈥檚 geologic footprint

Oct. 16, 2020

A new study makes clear the extraordinary speed and scale of increases in energy use, economic productivity and global population that have pushed the Earth towards a new geological epoch known as the Anthropocene.

Children heavily influenced by time in nature, social and emotional support

Oct. 1, 2020

CU Boulder Today spoke with Louise Chawla about how children are happier and more likely to protect the natural world when they have a greater connection to it, and the important role of social and emotional support from parents, peers and community in creating hope around issues like climate change.

Someday, even wet forests could burn due to climate change

Sept. 29, 2020

While today's fires are exacerbated by dry conditions, CU Boulder researchers found that forest fires 94 million years ago occurred even in wet regions due to changes in global climate.

The pace of environmental change can doom or save coral reefs

Sept. 28, 2020

Increasing fishing too quickly can cause coral reef ecosystems to collapse, new CU Boulder-led research finds.

Arctic sea ice 2020 minimum is second lowest in 42 years

Sept. 24, 2020

Arctic sea ice has likely reached its minimum extent for the year, at 3.74 million square kilometers (1.44 million square miles), according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. This is the second lowest extent in the nearly 42-year satellite record.

Stacked photo of fireflies flashing in a forest.

In the Smoky Mountains, thousands of fireflies flash in unison; researchers want to know how

Sept. 23, 2020

Ever wonder why some fireflies flash in harmony? New research sheds light on this beautiful phenomenon and strives to understand how relatively simple insects manage to coordinate such feats of synchronization.

Scientists identify gene family key to unlocking vertebrate evolution

Sept. 16, 2020

New CU Boulder-led research finds the traits that make vertebrates distinct from invertebrates were made possible by the emergence of a new set of genes 500 million years ago.

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