environmental-science

Today's ELI is 'Flood through the window - what would you see, how would you feel? Pupils picture for themselves what a major flood through the window might look like'. In this activity, pupils are asked to visualise a flood seen through the window and imagine its likely impacts now and in the future. It uses the window as a teaching aid. Other activities relating to flooding can be found in our …

When John Kurz left Alaska’s North Slope in 2009, he was staring at a grim future for what had once been the country’s premiere oil field. Crude production had plummeted to 567,000 barrels per day, barely more than a quarter of the roughly 2 million barrels pumped daily at the field’s peak two decades earlier. The decline stoked concerns that the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, built to carry the s…

npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41612-026-01439-z Towards a theoretical understanding of Arctic amplification dynamics

Changes in land-use across Southeast Asia over the past 15 years are worsening air quality and contributing to thousands of excess deaths each year, according to a study led by researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore).

The UK is experiencing record-breaking temperatures in an unprecedented May heatwave, while large parts of Europe are also facing blistering conditions. As the climate crisis makes extreme heat more likely, are we prepared? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian reporter Helena Horton. Continue reading...

Parts of Spain could also see the mercury climb to 40C by the end of the week More than 20 towns in France have recorded their highest-ever May temperatures and the UK set a national heat record amid an extreme early-summer heat event that could see the mercury climb to 40C in parts of Spain by the end of the week. The UK’s Met Office said the country’s all-time temperature record for May was bro…

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The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has officially launched the second round of the Women Delegates Fund (WDF) Training Programme ahead of COP17, creating a major opportunity for women leaders from developing countries to strengthen their participation in global environmental negotiations. As preparations intensify for UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the initiati…

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01992-5 The dominant control of soil nitrogen retention changes at a threshold of around 700 mm precipitation, according to an analysis of soil nitrogen and biogeochemical measurements from 31 sites across the United States.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01998-z Soil viruses greatly influence the carbon sequestration processes associated with anaerobic methane oxidation, according to analyses of carbon flows in paddy soil.

Nature Geoscience, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-01985-4 Carbon dioxide outgassing from the ocean associated with the passage of tropical cyclones has declined in recent decades and may switch to being a net sink of CO2 under high-emissions scenarios, according to an analysis of observational records.

After years of delays, the world’s largest wildlife crossing is nearing its debut, offering mountain lions and other animals a new path over one of California’s most dangerous freeways.

Carlo Petrini and Slow Food acolytes in Turin, 2016.   As a member of Slow Food USA, I received its notice about the death of its founder, Carlo Petrini, at age 76 in Bra, Italy. A visionary leader and public intellectual with a profound commitment to the common good, human relationships, and the natural world, […] The post RIP Carlo Petrini: a huge loss to the food world and to humanity appeared…

US officials hope damaged tank at California aerospace site will relieve pressure and avert blast risk A damaged chemical tank in southern California cracked over the weekend, which authorities were hopeful would relieve pressure and reduce the risk of an explosion. Some 50,000 residents in Garden Grove, a city of roughly 170,000 about 40 miles (60km) south of downtown Los Angeles, have been evac…

Microplastics have been found inside women's ovaries, and they may be hijacking your hormones. Here's what the science says and what you can do about it.

Scientists say record-breaking heat is a reminder of how climate crisis is affecting lives The fierce heat sweeping Europe over the bank holiday weekend has beaten the UK’s all-time temperature record for May, with highs of up to 35C still to come on Monday afternoon. A temperature of 33.5C was recorded at London’s Heathrow on Monday lunchtime, according to provisional data from the Met Offfice, …

A recent United Nations report declares the world is facing a state of water bankruptcy that will force food and agriculture systems to adapt.   Across the globe, surface waters and glaciers are shrinking, wetlands have been liquidated, and groundwater has been depleted, the report states. As water insecurity grows, agricultural heartlands are running off a… The post The Path Forward from Global …