Sustainability

Rising temperatures are pushing many species to the brink, alongside disease, pollution and unsustainable fishing.

Nations are meeting in Azerbaijan to discuss the future of our changing Earth.

While some progress was made, crucial decisions on protecting nature will be left until next year after the meeting ran out of time.

Discover the importance of the oceans to life on Earth, the problems facing these waters and how to conserve them.

Rising temperatures are pushing many species to the brink, alongside disease, pollution and unsustainable fishing.

Nations are meeting in Azerbaijan to discuss the future of our changing Earth.

While some progress was made, crucial decisions on protecting nature will be left until next year after the meeting ran out of time.

Discover the importance of the oceans to life on Earth, the problems facing these waters and how to conserve them.

The risk of wildfires is rising, and it’s only likely to get worse.

Passing 1.5⁰C of warming is a step that cannot easily be undone.

Each year, 52 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the environment.

Food security and biodiversity are threatened by the chemicals contaminating our soils.

More and more land will be shared between people and wildlife by 2070.

Northern Scotland is among the quarter of Europe that could be suitable for rewilding.

Find out the facts about palm oil and its impact on the health of rainforests.

Plant infections can now be detected in our crops before they’re even visible.

The North Sea’s oil and gas rigs impact more than the atmosphere.

The past year has been more than 1.5⁰C hotter than it was over than a century ago.

Growing food on land can be challenging and costly for the planet. Discover how seaweed farming offers a solution.

Some of the UK’s most recognisable birds are vanishing before our eyes.

New research suggests that Europe hasn’t had as warm a summer since the time of the Romans.

Protections for the world’s oceans need strengthening, a new report suggests.

Making our gardens earthworm friendly could help urban spaces become more resilient.

From helping us grow our food to tackling our plastic waste problem, fungi can help us achieve a more sustainable future.

The lesser flamingo is in danger of losing its feeding and breeding grounds.

Giving communities a greater say over mining could help to speed up the transition to net zero.

Satellite images have revealed a missing 64,000 square kilometres of coral cover, an area similar to the size of Ireland.

Has the world already passed a critical level of global warming? A new paper claims so.

Seaweeds play a vital role in the modern world, but their existence is under threat.

The fishing of sandeels in the UK’s portion of the North Sea will be banned from April.

Wells, streams and springs are in danger of going dry as we take water out of the ground faster than it can be replaced.

A new study suggests that levels of ozone have declined by as much as 26% over the south pole.

Microplastics in the atmosphere might encourage the formation of clouds.

Earth’s climate is entering “uncharted territory” – and we have no idea what’s coming next. 

The last remaining wildernesses on Earth could be swept away to feed humanity’s growing appetite.

Seaweeds are vital for the health of our planet, but we are unaware of just how threatened they might be. 

The tropical crops may face an uncertain future amid rising temperatures and habitat loss.

Rising temperatures and habitat loss could spell an uncertain future for bumblebees in Europe.

Red imported fire ants are one of the world’s most damaging invasive species.

When we live alongside nature, we end up happier and healthier. We might even end up rewilding ourselves. 

The breeding failure of four emperor penguin colonies is a sign of things to come, researchers have warned.

A new study demonstrates the extraordinary ability of whales to develop new ways of feeding.

If the worst case predictions of climate change come to pass, rainforests could be at serious risk.

Artificial reefs attract fish, which can improve the ability of seagrass to lock up more carbon dioxide beneath the waves.

A new report offers a path to recover England's woodlands, one that could increase the country's biodiversity from the mid-2040s onwards.

A new climate change report reveals that Europe is heating up fast, but expanded use of renewable energy offers some hope for the future.

Kangaroos spring up faster when they’re living with their predators.

Primate poo is revealing how pollutants are affecting threatened species in the wild.

Over 85% of methane emissions aren't being regulated by governments around the world.

The world is rapidly running out of time to halt rising temperatures.

An unprecedented look at potato genetics could help to tackle world hunger.

Levels of some ozone-damaging gases are on the rise, despite a global ban on their production.

Microplastics aren't just affecting large animals, they're also affecting microscopic species too.

Development in Key Biodiversity Areas poses a risk to the stability and survival of unique ecosystems.

The latest climate report reveals that the world is more than capable of tackling climate change, but current action simply isn't enough.

With the number of satellites expected to increase by over six times by 2030, there are calls for a new treaty to curb space pollution.

As light pollution continues to increase around the world, the stars above Ynys Enlli remain much as our ancestors would have seen them.

Nights are becoming around 10% lighter each year, which has implications for the health of both humans and wildlife. 

Get the facts about sustainable energy.

Intensively used land isn't just harmful to biodiversity we can see – it's also harming the wildlife living under the ground.

Recognising the rights of the world's Indigenous Peoples could be crucial to protecting nature.

Nature faces a series of unprecedented threats in the twenty-first century - and the Convention on Biological Diversity sets the stage to help it fight back.

Demands for climate action are stronger than ever as the world comes together once again to discuss the rapidly warming world.

Dam building in Australia is reducing gene flow between platypus groups, piling pressure on populations whose numbers are already falling.

Carcinogenic fuel, explosives and chemical weapons are leaking into the seas from sunken naval vessels.

The new Global Typology of Ecosystems provides an important step towards characterising the true diversity of life on Earth at its largest scale. 

Mass producing the proteins in the saliva could provide a cheap and effective way to break down polyethylene waste. 

Termites could reduce the amount of carbon stored in wood as the world gets hotter and drier. 

Going green is no longer just the smart decision – it's also the most profitable one. 

Carbon dioxide could be being undervalued by over 70% in the USA, making the cost effectiveness of climate action appear much lower than it actually is. 

Debate over the use of artificial and natural lawns has been rekindled in recent weeks as temperatures surge across the UK.

The protective equipment that kept us safe during from COVID-19 could pose a lethal threat to nature. 

Records for the highest UK temperature have been set three times already in the twenty-first century and could continue to do so as global warming takes its toll.

The effect of rising global temperatures on human health may require changes in our behaviour, mindset and the spaces we live in.  

Over 40% of the world's rivers could contain harmful levels of pharmaceuticals.

Despite vast investment in climate change, much less attention is being paid to plastic pollution - and we need to fight both together. 

The UK is on track to cut just 40% of the emissions required to reach net zero, the country's top climate body has warned.

A new report lays out how we can prioritise the best selection of habitats to give the UK's 24 species of bumblebee a boost.

Scientists have called for greater protections for species which are at risk of being collected into extinction.

A new report from the British Ecological Society warns the UK needs to change how it looks after biodiverse areas of the country.

We have just three years to keep the dream of 1.5⁰C of global warming alive.

As climate change intensifies, a greater number of wildfires will increase the risk from ultraviolet radiation.

The reintroduction is another step forward for campaigns to return the aquatic rodent to the UK.

While it could provide a useful stopgap, there is no guarantee the technique, or whales, will ever fully restore what has been lost.

175 countries voted to start preparations for a new treaty aimed at regulating and controlling plastics last week.

The second IPCC report is looking at the effects of climate change on extreme weather, floods and temperature rises.

Just 20 large mammals, including beavers, bears and bison, could bring back communities across a quarter of the planet.

Structures inspired by pollen could make electric car batteries cheaper and more efficient.

Scientists believe that the behavioural change may help the reptiles wash away poison from the cane toad, an amphibian which has decimated Australian biodiversity. 

Air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides can cause as much as a 90% decline in pollinator visits to flowers.

The UK faces more deaths, higher costs and greater disruption if preparations to adapt to climate change aren't taken now, the government's climate advisors have warned. 

2021 is tied as the sixth hottest year on record

Scientists, activists and members of the public fought to ensure that 2021 won't be remembered as all bad for conservation.

The combination of a common fungal disease with climate change on ladybirds could cause aphids to become more of a problem. 

Here's a roundup of the important announcements that have been made at COP26 over the past week amid plenty of promises but also harsh reality checks.

Read a summary of the major headlines coming out of the climate summit.

With COP26 starting in just a few days time, here's a roundup of the key headlines ahead of the upcoming climate summit.

Thousands of homes, schools and hospitals in London are at risk from climate change, the Mayor of London has said. 

Eco-fashion can seem expensive and overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Here are nine ways to forget fast fashion and shop sustainable instead.

Turn your kitchen food scraps into fantastic fertiliser by making a wormery.

Future farmers face a big challenge: feeding everyone on Earth while being kind to the planet. Could genetically modified food be the answer?

The oceans are facing down three huge threats: overfishing, pollution and climate change. 

The world's sugar addiction is destroying tropical rainforest.

A breakthrough in domestic production could bring down the carbon footprint of lithium-ion batteries.