PLOS Climate Editors’ Picks 2025

As we approach the end of the year, we ask some of our editors to select their highlights from this year’s publications in PLOS Climate.

Val Kapos, UNEP-WCMC, Section Editor for Ecology & Biogeochemistry

Article pick: “Climate change impacts the non-market value of nature: A case study of birding cultural ecosystem services in South Africa” by Kyle Manley et al.

Val says: Cultural ecosystems and their non-market values receive very little attention in general, much less in the context of climate change. It is good to see a paper tackle this and the comparison between domestic and international beneficiaries yields some intriguing contrasts.

Desiree Rose, University of Alberta, Section Editor for Adaptation

Article pick: “Universal, healthy and sustainable school meals: An opportunity for impactful food and climate research” by Manuel Franco et al.

Desiree says: I thought this Opinion piece provided insight on a topic that I think is largely overlooked in the climate adaptation literature. This was my first time reading an article focused on the intersection of school lunch programs and climate adaptation, and I was surprised to learn about the web of climate-related implications that must be considered (emissions reduction, equity and social resilience, sustainable farming, ethics etc.).

Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Gates Foundation, Section Editor for Agriculture & Food Systems

Article pick: “Co-production of knowledge on climate change, its effects, and adaptation measures: A gender-responsive qualitative study of smallholder farmers” by Bridget Bwalya and Kweleka Mwanza

Ana Maria says: This article piqued my interest because it provides an especially nuanced and empirically grounded account of how climate change is perceived and experienced differently by women and men smallholder farmers across micro-ecological contexts in Eastern Zambia. Through a gender-responsive, participatory methodology, the study describes how social roles, differentiated access to resources, and localized climatic variation shape distinct vulnerabilities and adaptation choices. What stands out is how clearly it demonstrates the importance of understanding the specific needs of different population groups when designing climate adaptation strategies. By elevating diverse perspectives through co-production of knowledge, the work underscores that equitable and effective interventions depend on engaging directly with these differentiated experiences rather than assuming uniformity within farming communities.

Sirkku Juhola, University of Helsinki, Editor-in-Chief

Article picks:

“Shifting environmental pollution abroad contributes to lower emissions in democracies” by Thomas Bernauer et al.

“Reducing U.S. military spending could lead to substantial decreases in energy consumption” by Ryan Thombs et al.

“Who talks about climate, peace and security? A social media analysis to identify key global actors” by Giulia Tucci et al.

Sirkku says: There is an increasing focus on the role democracy, its recent developments and how that is connected to climate issues. What these papers collectively illustrate is the current turn in geopolitics and how it influences not only greenhouse gas emissions but also climate policy and global multilateralism. Bernauer et al. challenge the notion whether democracies are inherently greener than authoritative states and, through a long time series analysis, show that part of this greening is achieved through offshoring of environmental impacts. Thombs et al. examine the role of military spending and energy consumption, and show cuts to military spending may result in significant energy savings, which unfortunately are unlikely given the current geopolitical reality. Finally, Tucci et al. show how the emerging climate security debate is advanced by institutions connected to multiltateral and global organisations, who dominate the messaging. National state voices are mainly absent from this discussion, which further stresses the need to enhance international dialogue and multilateralism.