How restoring river catchments can minimise drought and flood risks

Natural infrastructure can be restored in ways that reduce both flood risk and the effects of drought.

Neil Macdonald, Senior Lecturer in Risk, University of Liverpool • conversation
June 24, 2025 ~8 min

The atmosphere is getting thirstier and it’s making droughts worse – new study

A new study shows that rising ‘atmospheric thirst’ is responsible for about 40% of the increase in drought severity over the last four decades.

Solomon Gebrechorkos, Reserach Fellow in Climate Change Attribution, University of Oxford • conversation
June 4, 2025 ~6 min


England’s water crisis needs more than just new reservoirs – here’s what will help

The changing climate and growing population means England is facing a water crisis.

Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology, University of Reading • conversation
June 2, 2025 ~7 min

California plan to ban most plants within 5 feet of homes for wildfire safety overlooks some important truths about flammability

Hedges and trees may actually reduce home exposure to radiant heat and flying embers, but they must be well maintained. Two scientists who study how plants burn explain.

Luca Carmignani, Assistant Professor of Engineering, San Diego State University • conversation
June 2, 2025 ~8 min

Solar panels’ shade helps boost Colorado grassland productivity in dry years

Solar energy can help grasslands weather droughts in the semi-arid American West.

Matthew Sturchio, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University; Faculty Afffiliate in Ecology, Colorado State University • conversation
May 30, 2025 ~6 min

Solar arrays help boost Colorado grassland productivity in dry years

Solar energy can help grasslands weather droughts in the semi-arid American West.

Matthew Sturchio, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University; Faculty Afffiliate in Ecology, Colorado State University • conversation
May 30, 2025 ~6 min

The psychology of climate traps and how to avoid them

Climate shocks trigger emotional distress, which limits long-term thinking and can lead to environmentally harmful choices.

Lucrezia Nava, Assistant Professor, Climate Psychology, Carbon Dioxide Removals, Business School, University of Exeter • conversation
May 21, 2025 ~7 min

How the weather got ‘stuck’ over the UK – and produced an unusually dry and warm spring

‘April showers’ were few and far between in 2025.

Matthew Patterson, Research Fellow in climate and machine learning, University of St Andrews • conversation
May 12, 2025 ~7 min


Extreme drought contributed to barbarian invasion of late Roman Britain, tree-ring study reveals

Three consecutive years of drought contributed to the ‘Barbarian Conspiracy’, a pivotal moment in the history of Roman Britain, a new Cambridge-led study

Cambridge University News • cambridge
April 17, 2025 ~7 min

Peru’s ancient irrigation systems succeeded in turning deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed

Ancient practices hold important lessons for farmers facing drying lands, but they were often more complex than modern societies realize. Glacier loss adds to the challenge today.

Ari Caramanica, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, Vanderbilt University • conversation
April 8, 2025 ~11 min

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