Emissions from the coal-fired power plant industry in the form of fine particle pollution, global warming, ozone smog, acid rain and regional haze, cause significant negative effects on human beings. Research shows that death or disease from coal-based electricity production in the United States, can be reduced if the pollution from coal plants is addressed.

Nature Climate Change and Nature Geoscience jointly present 'Water in a warming world', a collection of research highlighting many of the key issues in this important area of climate change research. This article highlights some of the research on the potential impacts of climate change on the world's water resources.