Climate engineering carries serious national security risks − countries facing extreme heat may try it anyway, and the world needs to be prepared

The big question: Would climate engineering like sending reflective particles into the stratosphere or brightening clouds help reduce the national security risks of climate change or make them worse?

Tyler Felgenhauer, Research Scientist in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University • conversation
April 4, 2024 ~9 min

What ancient farmers can really teach us about adapting to climate change – and how political power influences success or failure

Agricultural sustainability is as much about power and sovereignty as it is about soil, water and crops.

Chelsea Fisher, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of South Carolina • conversation
Feb. 26, 2024 ~11 min


Potassium in our soil is running low, threatening global food security – new study proposes a way out

This key fertiliser ingredient is subject to sudden price spikes.

Peter Alexander, Senior Lecturer in Global Food Security, The University of Edinburgh • conversation
Feb. 19, 2024 ~8 min

Arctic Report Card 2023: From wildfires to melting sea ice, the warmest summer on record had cascading impacts across the Arctic

The early heat melted snow and warmed rivers, heating up the land and downstream ocean areas. The effects harmed salmon fisheries, melted sea ice and fueled widespread fires.

Twila A. Moon, Deputy Lead Scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Dec. 12, 2023 ~10 min

COP28: 7 food and agriculture innovations needed to protect the climate and feed a rapidly growing world

Food systems are increasingly disrupted by climate disasters, while also being a major contributor to climate change. World leaders at COP28 are vowing to do something about it.

Paul Winters, Professor of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame • conversation
Dec. 2, 2023 ~10 min

How dormant plant traits could be reawakened to unlock fertiliser-free farming

Farming has made crop plants reliant on synthetic fertilisers, but we can reactivate their ability to engage with beneficial microorganisms and make them more independent.

Giles Oldroyd, Professor of Crop Science, University of Cambridge • conversation
Oct. 5, 2023 ~8 min

Farmers face a soaring risk of flash droughts in every major food-growing region in coming decades, new research shows

If greenhouse gas emissions continue at a high rate, breadbaskets of Europe and North America will see a 50% chance of a flash drought each year by the end of this century.

Jordan Christian, Postdoctoral Researcher in Meteorology, University of Oklahoma • conversation
May 25, 2023 ~8 min

New animal welfare scoring system could enable better-informed food and farming choices

Cambridge University scientists have come up with a system of measuring animal welfare that enables reliable comparison across different types of pig farming.

Cambridge University News • cambridge
March 22, 2023 ~6 min


Further food price rises could cause up to 1 million additional deaths in 2023

The end of an era of cheap food.

Peter Alexander, Senior lecturer in Global Food Security, The University of Edinburgh • conversation
Feb. 7, 2023 ~7 min

Phosphorus supply is increasingly disrupted – we are sleepwalking into a global food crisis

This crucial fertiliser component is mostly found in just five countries.

Dana Cordell, Associate Professor, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney • conversation
Dec. 16, 2022 ~8 min

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