Climate Science Weekly — 2026-09-12

Key Research & Findings

Climate Feedback Loops Accelerate Global Warming

• Published in: The Guardian (reporting on new study)
• Key finding: Emissions of planet-heating methane and CO2 from natural sources are worsening the climate crisis, with feedback loops potentially adding 20 to 30 per cent more warming over current estimates for this century.
• Why it matters: This finding suggests that current climate models may underestimate future temperature rises because they do not fully account for self-reinforcing cycles involving wildfires, permafrost melt, and wetland emissions.

Sharp Acceleration in Global Warming Rate

• Published in: ScienceDaily
• Key finding: After removing the effects of El Niño, volcanic eruptions, and solar cycles, researchers found that the planet has warmed at roughly 0.35°C per decade over the past ten years, compared with just under 0.2°C per decade from 1970 to 2015.
• Why it matters: This indicates that the baseline rate of anthropogenic warming is accelerating, independent of short-term natural variability, raising urgent concerns for climate projections.

Climate Data & Observations

The data from Copernicus confirms that global temperatures have pushed back above the critical 1.5°C threshold, tied with July 2023 as the joint warmest month ever recorded. Scientists warn that without action to reduce global warming emissions and invest in climate resilience measures, heat-related illnesses and deaths will continue to mount.

1 sources

scientificamerican.com

scientificamerican.com

Policy & Action

• Factcheck: Reform UK’s 45 false or misleading claims about climate and energy: Carbon Brief has released a detailed factcheck addressing 45 false or misleading claims made by Reform UK regarding climate and energy policy, highlighting the political challenges in communicating scientific consensus.
• Philippines Submits Higher Unconditional Target: In its latest Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submission to the United Nations, the Philippines underscores its high vulnerability to climate impacts despite minimal contribution to the crisis, promising to reduce more carbon emissions on its own.
• Greenhouse Gas Protocol Merges with ISO: The Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s decision to merge its corporate accounting guidance with ISO cuts out a long-standing source of duplicated effort, while the SBTi calls for input on the Forest, Land and Agriculture Standard to better standardize land-use targets.

What to Watch Next

• COP31 Preparation: The International Science Council is presenting "10 New Insights in Climate Science 2026" to inform the policy and research communities ahead of COP31, focusing on the implications of recent findings.
• SBTi Forest, Land and Agriculture Standard: Stakeholders should watch for updates on the Science Based Targets initiative's (SBTi) call for input on the Forest, Land and Agriculture Standard, which aims to standardize land-use targets.
• Continued Heat Record Monitoring: Following the record-breaking US heat in August and Summer 2026, scientists are monitoring the trajectory of heat-related health impacts and the effectiveness of current resilience measures.