Purpose

The journal “3 Degrees More: The Impending Hot Season and How Nature Can Help Us Prevent It,” edited by Klaus Wiegandt, aims to explore the severe impacts of a 3°C global temperature rise and the critical role of nature-based solutions in mitigating these effects. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted consequences of climate change and emphasises the urgency of immediate, decisive action.

Part I: Hot season ahead: What a 3-degree warmer world looks like

Climate and weather at 3 degrees more: Earth as we don’t (want to) know it

• Focus: Examines drastic changes in climate and weather patterns under a 3°C warming scenario, comparing current warming trends to historical climate periods. Discusses the acceleration of extreme weather events and long-term implications for the planet.

Biodiversity at the tipping point: The impact on fauna and flora

• Focus: Analyses the effects of climate change on biodiversity, emphasising critical thresholds for various species and ecosystems. Highlights risks of mass extinctions and ecosystem collapse if global temperatures continue to rise.

Agriculture in a hot world

• Focus: Investigates challenges and potential adaptations for agriculture in a hotter climate. Discusses how increased temperatures and extreme weather events will affect crop yields, livestock, and food security.

Escape from heat, drought, and extreme weather: When local people have nothing left to survive

• Focus: Addresses human impacts of climate change, particularly on vulnerable communities. Explores migration, displacement, and socio-economic challenges exacerbated by extreme weather conditions.

Economic impacts: The economic consequences of the climate crisis

• Focus: Evaluates economic ramifications of climate change, including costs of natural disasters, impacts on global markets, and the financial burden of adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Part II: Nature-based solutions: How can we still prevent a 3-degree warmer world

Stop rainforest deforestation: The most urgent way of combining climate and species protection

• Focus: Emphasises the critical need to halt deforestation to protect both climate and biodiversity. Discusses the role of rainforests in global carbon and water cycles.

Reforestation in the tropics and subtropics: Exploiting the growth potential at the lower latitudes

• Focus: Explores the potential of reforestation in tropical and subtropical regions to sequester carbon and restore ecosystems.

Bauhaus Earth: Sustainable use of wood in the construction sector

• • Focus: Investigates the sustainable use of wood in construction, promoting renewable building materials to reduce carbon footprints.

Peatland must be wet: Advance rewetting, stop peat extraction

• • Focus: Highlights the importance of rewetting peatlands to sequester carbon and prevent greenhouse gas emissions from peat extraction.

Humus enrichment of soils: The many ways of regenerative agriculture

• • Focus: Discusses regenerative agriculture practices to enrich soil humus, enhancing soil fertility and carbon sequestration.

Strengthen terrestrial water cycles: Evaporative cooling as a forgotten climate opportunity

• • Focus: Explores the role of vegetation in terrestrial water cycles and evaporative cooling, emphasising reforestation and sustainable land management.

Part III: Call to action: On the power of informed citizens in a democracy

Germany under climate stress: Consequences for our social coexistence

• Focus: Examines the social implications of climate change in Germany, including impacts on social cohesion, public health, and economic stability.

People must know what they are in for!

• Focus: Discusses the need for widespread public awareness and mobilisation to address climate change effectively. Emphasises the importance of nature-based solutions and the necessity for democratic processes to drive climate action.