Environment

Electric motors power everything from cars to household appliances. EU-funded researchers are developing advanced materials that could make them more efficient, saving both energy and resources.

Scientists are turning to AI to analyse millions of images and sensor readings, spotting changes in oceans and rivers faster than ever before.

With housing costs surging across Europe, EU-funded researchers are showing how tackling energy poverty and inequality together could fix fragmented housing policy.

Heatwaves, floods and other climate extremes are exposing the limits of Europe’s ageing buildings and infrastructure. Researchers across the continent are exploring how cities can adapt to a changing climate.

Centuries of drainage have turned many of Europe’s wetlands from carbon stores into sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Now EU-funded researchers are exploring how restoring wetlands could benefit both climate and local economies.

European researchers are developing new ways to preserve microscopic communities from soils, oceans and bodies, paving the way for sustainable farming, healthier ecosystems and personalised medicine.

Farmland birds have declined dramatically across Europe, signalling wider ecological problems. Researchers are using satellite data and AI to identify where conservation efforts could have the greatest impact.

Aviation has an emissions problem. Researchers in four EU-funded projects are betting that hybrid-electric engines could solve it, and aim to demonstrate it by 2030.

Thousands of teenagers across Europe have tracked plastic pollution in rivers, and the data they collected is starting to make waves.

Forests across Europe are struggling with drought, fire and disease. Researchers working to future-proof them say one of the answers lies in their diversity.