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Researchers on a mission | Environment
On a mission to bring nature back into cities
Polish geographer Dr Iwona Zwierzchowska is on a mission to develop green spaces in the city of Poznań with the help of EU funding and 30 partners across Europe and beyond.
Researchers on a mission | Environment
On a mission to beat plastic pollution
German marine biologist Dr Tim Kiessling is on a mission to discover the true scale of plastic pollution in…
EU-funded researchers are looking for alternative sources of protein to balance the environmental impact of meat production. © pbd Studio, Shutterstock.com
Agriculture | Environment | Science in society
From fava beans to future foods: researchers turn to plant-based proteins for a healthier planet
Crops like chickpeas, fava beans, lentils and quinoa could help make Europe’s food systems more…
Sea level rise will, it is commonly predicted, displace 187 million people by 2100. But the figure, which comes from a 2011 study, is controversial. Image credit - Rish Agarwal / Unsplash
Environment | Frontier research
How flood protection can paradoxically put people at risk
Governments who build defences against rising seas can actually increase their citizens’ risk of being flooded – if they fail to take account of the ‘safe development paradox’, according to a flood…
A meteotsunami is a form of tsunami generated by atmospheric conditions that can strike any coastline adjacent to a sea floor with a long, shallow shelf. Image credit - NOAASatellites, licensed under CC PDM 1.0
Environment | Frontier research
Why climate change could make Mediterranean atmospheric ‘meteotsunamis’ more common
Rogue waves that strike without warning across the Mediterranean and elsewhere may become more frequent as the climate changes, early-stage research suggests.
Devising models to predict sea level rise is notoriously difficult, say researchers. Image credit - Dan Meyers / Unsplash
Environment | Frontier research
‘Impossible to adapt’: Surprisingly fast ice-melts in past raise fears about sea level rise
Studies of ancient beaches and fossilised coral reefs suggest sea levels have the potential to rise far more quickly than models currently predict, according to geologists who have been studying past…
Megathrust earthquakes happen at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate is forced under another. Image credit - Marco Reyes / Unsplash
Environment | Frontier research
What happens below Earth’s surface when the most powerful earthquakes occur
At 03:34 local time on 27 February 2010, Chile was struck by one of the most powerful earthquakes in a century. The shock triggered a tsunami, which devastated coastal communities. The combined…
GrowGreen's team adapted the idea of a ‘sponge city’ in West Gorton Park, Manchester, where the natural environment acts as a slow-release sponge for water. Image credit - Manchester City Council
Environment
Sponge parks and vertical gardens – how cities are using nature to overcome extreme weather
In January 2021, Storm Christoph pummelled the United Kingdom with heavy rains and the threat of unmanageable runoff. But in flood-prone Manchester, a newly developed park was proving its worth…
Steel ships are often damaged by corrosion and repair is eventually no longer possible, which is not a problem when non-metallic materials are used. Image credit - Cameron Venti / Unsplash
Environment | Transport
New materials to make ships more sustainable and less noisy for marine life
Ships have a significant environmental impact during building, operation and when they’re scrapped, but new approaches and composite materials to replace steel – still popular due to its strength and…
Genetic analysis shows that around a third of female hawksbill turtles at nesting sites in Bahia, Brazil, are in fact hawskbill-loggerhead hybrids. Image credit -  Tchami / Flickr, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Environment
The curious case of northeast Brazil’s cross-breeding sea turtles
Sea turtles have been around since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, stretching back about 110 million years. Yet now their existence is at risk, with six of today’s seven species classified as threatened…
‘People are worried about insects, and like insects now, but still they turn their gardens into stone deserts and they don’t see the connection,’ says Prof. Kleijn who leads the SHOWCASE project. Image credit - Krzysztof Niewolny / Pixabay
Environment | Frontier research
People have started to care about insects. Now we need action, say experts
‘If you had asked me this question four years ago, I would have given you a totally different answer.’
Europe needs to see green tech breakthroughs in three areas: air, water and soil, says Dr Matteucci. Image credit - Francesco Matteucci
Interview | Environment | Energy | Policy
Q&A: We need non-critical raw materials for green tech to flourish
Developing new, green technologies has been hailed as a way to both achieve Europe’s environmental goals and support its economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic. But what type of green…
Wildflower strips consisting of a mix of a dozen flowers attract beneficial insects, including predators of crop pests such as aphids, particularly ladybirds, hoverflies and lacewings, and some parasitic wasps. Image credit: Severin Hatt
Environment | Agriculture
Pheromones, mulch and wildflowers – how to control pests without pesticides
Pheromones that interfere with insect mating patterns, crops that are grown together with others and fields edged with wildflowers are just some of the techniques being developed by European…

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