Plastic poses a major environmental threat: but is it being over-stated?

Jul 12, 2019 09:59 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

There is no doubt that plastic affects the environment badly. But a trend has developed in the reporting on the impact of plastics thats not only selective but also borders on panic mongering rather than impartial analysis...

How your diet contributes to nutrient pollution and dead zones in lakes and bays

Jul 12, 2019 09:58 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Every year in early summer, scientists at universities, research institutions and federal agencies release forecasts for the formation of dead zones and harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay and...

London to be as hot as Barcelona by 2050? I research urban heat, and I'm sceptical

Jul 12, 2019 09:58 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Barcelona just had a week of temperatures above 30℃. Its a few degrees hotter than the long-term average, but no heatwave. In winter, Spains second largest city is typically a mild 15℃ or so. With its climate regulated by...

How heat waves increase your craving for sodas: findings from Mexico

Jul 12, 2019 09:57 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Unseasonably hot weather hit Europe this June, giving residents and visitors a taste of what could possibly become common in the near future. With ongoing climate change, temperatures are predicted to rise by 0.3-0.7C by...

Arctic ice loss is worrying, but the giant stirring in the South could be even worse

Jul 12, 2019 09:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

A record start to summer ice melt in Greenland this year has drawn attention to the northern ice sheet. We will have to wait to see if 2019 continues to break ice-melt records, but in the rapidly warming Arctic the...

We create 20m tons of construction industry waste each year. Here's how to stop it going to landfill

Jul 12, 2019 09:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

The Australian construction industry has grown significantly in the past two decades. Population growth has led to the need for extensive property development, better public transport and improved infrastructure. This...

How to fight wildfires and climate change with wetlands

Jul 07, 2019 15:10 pm UTC| Nature

As unlikely as it may sound, a new approach for fighting the destruction of wildfires in Canadas boreal region may lie in unassuming wetlands packed with soaking wet layers of peat and topped with living moss. These...