• Energy Research
• 2025-2025close
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Climate change, along with infectious diseasespathogens notably Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), B. salamandrivorans (Bsal), Ranavirus, and PerkinseaPerkinsus, continue to devastate global amphibian populations, contributing to the greatest vertebrate extinctions of the Anthropocene. These pathogens, primarily favoring cooler, subtropical conditions, demonstrate a significant overlap in their climatic niches, thus affecting a broad range species. Here, we aim to explore the role of global warming and other climatic factors in the dispersal and evolution of these pathogens and to predict the future implications for amphibian populations worldwide. Given the limitations of data availability We conducted a thorough analysis of the climatic niche conservatism (NC) and evolution (CNE) of these pathogens using the currently available distributional data, including our own. We used , We engaged in a comprehensive analysis of the climatic niche conservatism (NC) and evolution (CNE) of these pathogens, utilizing predictive models to anticipate potential shifts in their future distribution and evaluate the capacity for CNE in response to climate change. We show that Bd and Bsal are likely to experience a total reduction in their current potential distributions by 2040, while Ranavirus and PerkinseaPerkinsus may expand their distributions. Interestingly, CNE has played a significant role in influencing the climatic niches of Bd and Bsal, with lineage dependent variations. However, there was no strong correlation found between virulence of Bd and its climatic niche. On the contrary, ranaviruses Ranaviruses and PerkinseaPerkinsus showed evidence of sporadic and recent CNE. Moreover, the emergence of lineages adapted to warmer climates suggests an ongoing CNE and a potential evolutionary response to climate change. With increased infection risk, particularly for Asian amphibians (from Ranavirus and PerkinseaPerkinsus), and the vulnerability of the southern hemisphere (except Bsal) due to limited prior exposure, this study underscores the urgent need for close monitoring and preventive measures, including stringent biosecurity protocols such as risk analysis and pre-border pathogen screening. Our study provides a critical framework for international collaboration and guideline development for amphibian trade, while contributing to the deeper dialogue on mitigating impacts of climate change on wildlife diseases.

In the last decade, the manufacturing capacity of silicon, the dominant PV technology, has increasingly been concentrated in China. This has led to PV cost reduction of approximately 80%, while, at the same time, posing risks to PV supply chain security. Recent advancements of novel perovskite tandem PV technologies as an alternative to traditional silicon-based PV provide opportunities for diversification of the PV manufacturing capacity and for increasing the GHG emission benefit of solar PV. Against this background, we estimate the current and future cost-competitiveness and GHG emissions of a set of already commercialized as well as emerging PV technologies for different production locations (China, USA, EU), both at residential and utility-scale. We find EU and USA-manufactured thin-film tandems to have 2 to 4% and 0.5 to 2% higher costs per kWh and 37 to 40%and 32 to 35% less GHG emissions per kWh at residential and utility-scale, respectively. Our projections indicate that they will also retain competitive costs (up to 2% higher)and a 20% GHG emissions advantage per kWh in 2050.