Weekly · 2026-W43 · 17 October to 24 October 2026
12 developments from climate research and environmental projects, 17 October to 24 October 2026, chosen and summarised in plain language by Albedo Weekly.
Research · Phys.org
Relatively simple changes to traditional brick kilns in Bangladesh can reduce pollution, save fuel and improve brick quality. The material also says cleaner kilns cut pollution, but the gains did not reach workers.
Research · Inside Climate News
New research reports that climate pollutant levels in the Beijing area have leveled off or started to decline, except for one greenhouse gas. It says a long effort to clean the city's air appears to be producing results.
Project · Mongabay
A restoration effort is underway in Białowieża Forest, a primeval woodland shared by Poland and Belarus, as drainage, drought and fragmentation have left the ecosystem under pressure. The material also says the forest faces a new challenge from the threat from Russia.
Project · BBC News
A project will use DNA testing to help restore rare native trees. Conservation groups say black poplars are endangered because of felling, land drainage and habitat loss.
Research · Inside Climate News
A new IUCN assessment projects that by 2075 most shallow coral reefs could stop functioning as habitat and as a lifeline for hundreds of millions of people. This would affect both marine life and the many people who rely on reefs.
Research · Phys.org
Researchers identified conditions that allow forecasts of some El Niño and La Niña events up to a year in advance. This could give communities and decision-makers more time to prepare for extreme weather.
Policy · Phys.org
A research team published a policy brief arguing that nonforested landscapes can hold large amounts of carbon and support water supply and biodiversity. It says climate policies favor forests, so this natural climate solution remains ignored.
Research · Carbon Brief
New-energy vehicles made up 67% of new car sales in China in September, the first time they reached that share. The figure shows that electrified vehicles now account for a large majority of new car sales in the country.
Project · Dialogue Earth
A facility in San Nicolás targets 360,000 tonnes of lower-carbon steel each year. It is the first industrial project to benefit from Argentina's Rigi programme.
Research · Springer Nature
Climate-model projections suggest southward swings of the South Indian convergence zone could occur twice as often this century and bring more intense rainfall. Such swings can trigger devastating floods in southern Africa.
Research · Phys.org
From 2010 to 2024, the Amazon rainforest released an average of 1.17 billion metric tons more CO₂ each year than it absorbed, making it a net source over the period. Wildfires emitted about 1.47 billion metric tons per year, far above the forest's 300 million metric tons of annual absorption.
Policy · Mongabay
Greenland’s parliament asked the government to stop issuing licenses for ocean-floor mining because of worries about foreign mining interests and harm to marine life. The Oct. 15 measure requires the government to bring a bill in early 2027 that would pause such licensing until at least 2029.
Summaries are our own words; follow each link for the original reporting.
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