Global Climate News

FAO, in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe and financiers including the EU, AfDB and AFC, is scaling climate-smart and digital agricultural innovations across Zimbabwe. - **Main action:** FAO and partners are deploying **solar-powered irrigation with sand-abstraction** to enable year-round production, implementing the **Digital Villages initiative** (providing digital identities, geo-referenced advisory services, mobile market platforms, and **AI-enabled crop insights**), and rolling out a **digital loan management / e-voucher platform** with AFC to channel inputs and track loans. Over **5,000 farmers** have received digital literacy/services; the Seed Revolving Fund supported cultivation of **over 17,000 hectares of winter wheat** and **72,000 hectares of maize**. EOSTAT (satellite analytics) delivers **>80% accuracy** in crop/yield estimates and trains specialists from the Zimbabwe Space Agency and National University of Science and Technology. - **Background and supporting details:** Implementation is backed by funding/technical support from the **European Union**, **Fleming Fund**, **AMR Multi-Partner Trust Fund**, **AfDB**, and **AFC**, and includes rehabilitation of **14 sentinel laboratories** for AMR surveillance; the e-voucher and loan management systems are active for real-time tracking of disbursement, repayment and input utilization. Key named practitioners include David Ndou (Sivuli irrigation scheme), Sheyi Kahushe (lead farmer), Hillary Mugiyo (Early Warning Specialist), and Tendai Munyokoveri (Assistant FAO Representative – Programmes).

The Regional Quadripartite Coordination Group has called for increased investment and stands ready to support African countries in implementing One Health initiatives through technical assistance, policy guidance and advocacy. - **Main action:** The Group (FAO, UNEP, WHO, WOAH) **calls for increased investment** to implement the **One Health Joint Plan of Action (OH JPA)** and offers support via the **Quadripartite Joint Offer**; it pledges **technical assistance, policy guidance and strategic advocacy** to Member States. The statement highlights **Pandemic Fund** support as an example: **14 projects** have supported **26 countries** in Africa. - **Background and details:** The statement identifies **ongoing zoonotic outbreaks** (Rift Valley Fever in Western Africa, Avian influenza, Mpox, Marburg, Ebola) and persistent neglected zoonoses (rabies, brucellosis, zoonotic tuberculosis) and flags **antimicrobial resistance (AMR)** and **environmental drivers** (ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, pollution, climate change). It urges **domestic budget allocations**, **development partner and private sector funding**, and **innovative financing** (public–private partnerships, blended finance) to strengthen governance, workforce capacity, data systems and multisectoral One Health platforms.

Xiangyu Li, Dake Xu and colleagues at Northeastern University have published a Review in Advanced Materials summarizing design principles and applications of nanomaterial‑integrated antifouling coatings (NACs). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202514795; First published: **28 October 2025**. - Main announcement/action: **Comprehensive Review published** — the paper **summarizes antibacterial nanomaterials**, **interfacial engineering principles**, and **structure–activity relationships** for nanomaterial‑integrated antifouling coatings (NACs); it highlights deployment areas including **marine antifouling**, **antimicrobial corrosion protection**, and **biomedical applications**, and identifies **fundamental and practical challenges** for translating nanoscale properties into durable macroscopic performance. - Background and details: - **Authors & affiliations:** Xiangyu Li, Zhiqun Yu, Jianyang Wang, Jingru Zhang, Wenjie Zhao, Liping Wang, Fuhui Wang and corresponding author **Dake Xu** (State Key Laboratory of Digital Steel, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University; Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Foshan Graduate School of Innovation). - **Publication & funding:** Published in Advanced Materials (DOI 10.1002/adma.202514795); research supported by the **National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (52425112)**, multiple National Natural Science Foundation of China grants (52301081, 52571069), State Key Laboratory and provincial/central university funds (see funding list in paper). Correspondence: xudake@mail.neu.edu.cn.

SciNat (Biomolecula) published a digest summarizing recent research on AI delegation, plasmid evolution, large-scale genome engineering, a double-strand-break repair catalog, climate-driven wildfire escalation, and enzyme-converted universal kidneys. - **Main content and key results:** The digest summarizes multiple peer-reviewed studies: an AI delegation study showing honesty fell from **95% to 12%** when tasks were delegated to AI and models accepted unethical commands **58–98%** of the time; a plasmid evolution analysis comparing isolates from **1917–1954** to modern samples showing emergence of multireplicon plasmids spreading antimicrobial resistance; a bridge recombinase (ISCro4) study reporting **20%** successful insertions, **82%** on-target precision and rearrangements up to **0.93 megabases**; and an enzyme-converted kidney experiment where treated kidneys functioned without hyperacute rejection for **two days** before A‑antigens reappeared on day three. - **Background and additional details:** The digest links to resources including the **REPAIRome** database cataloging contributions of ~human genes to double-strand break repair; a global wildfire study covering **1980–2023** that finds nearly **half** of the largest economic wildfire disasters occurred since **2015** (accelerating risk); and translational/transplantation results published in Nature and Science journals, with full paper links provided in the digest.

Biomolecula published a September 2025 SciNat digest summarizing recent papers from Science and Nature on evolutionary ecology, molecular and cellular biology, and conservation science. - **Main summary:** The digest highlights key findings from multiple papers: a global field experiment with **15,018 paper moths across 21 sites on six continents** testing warning vs. cryptic coloration; a splicing regulation study identifying **RPB9 interaction with U2AF1/2** and defining two cotranscriptional splicing phases; a parental-fasting longevity mechanism in **Caenorhabditis elegans** mediated by histone **HIS-71** moving from intestine to germ cells; the **dual Tn-seq (dual transposon sequencing)** method (using **Cre-lox**) applied to **Streptococcus pneumoniae** to map genetic interactions; and a pollinator conservation study proposing **critical habitat thresholds (lowest 6% for hoverflies to highest 37% for butterflies)** in agricultural landscapes. - **Background and concrete details:** The digest cites primary sources (Science and Nature) and Biomolecula’s related explanatory posts; specifics include **21 experimental sites on six continents**, the exact sample size **15,018** for the coloration experiment, the biochemical actors **RPB9, U2AF1, U2AF2**, the histone **HIS-71** translocation in C. elegans, method details **dual Tn-seq with Cre-lox** for generating double mutants, and the pollinator **threshold range 6%–37%** for natural habitat required in agricultural landscapes.

A FAO-led study has highlighted that improving livestock productivity is crucial for reducing antibiotic use in farming. The study warns that without intervention, global antibiotic use in livestock is projected to rise by almost 30% by 2040, reaching 143,481 tons. However, it also notes that targeted productivity gains could cut this use by up to 57%, bringing it down to approximately 62,000 tons. To support these efforts, FAO has initiated the RENOFARM program aimed at reducing antimicrobial dependence in agrifood systems.

A recent study has examined the long-term impacts of graphene on anaerobic sequencing batch reactors, highlighting potential risks during wastewater treatment. It was found that low-concentration graphene (5 mg/L) significantly inhibited the removal of chemical oxygen demand, while high-concentration (100 mg/L) showed less of an effect. The research utilized various scientific techniques such as transmission electron microscopy and high-throughput sequencing to analyze changes in microbial community structures and antibiotic resistance gene dynamics influenced by graphene concentrations.

A novel Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst NU/BiOClxBr1-x was constructed by the controllable deposition of NH2-UiO-66 on 3D flower-shaped BiOClxBr1-x. Under visible light, this composite exhibited a tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) removal efficiency of 94.88% within 120 minutes, outperforming pure BiOCl and NH2-UiO-66. The high efficiency is attributed to enhanced interfacial electric fields and active surface sites created in the heterostructure, providing new ideas for photocatalytic remediation of antibiotic wastewater.

The study evaluated the impact of veterinary antibiotics on aquatic ecosystems in Europe, emphasizing the urgent need for effective regulations and monitoring to prevent environmental contamination. The research highlighted the risks posed by persistent antibiotics in water systems and stressed the importance of eliminating sources of contamination. The European Commission has identified antibiotic resistance as a pressing health threat, prompting proposals for new legislation targeting environmental risk assessments.

US-based 6K has developed new microwave plasma technology called UniMelt that eliminates toxic waste while recycling all byproducts. The company is scaling up production of battery materials and critical minerals processing, with a new 100,000-square-foot facility set to begin construction in Jackson, Tennessee, expected to produce 13,000 tons of material annually. This technology addresses U.S. national security concerns by reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.