Pine needles trace 50-year history of ‘forever chemicals’

Pine tree needles are a great way to monitor the proliferation of PFAS over time. "This is... applicable to sites all over the world."

Tracey Peake-NC State • futurity
Feb. 22, 2022 ~5 min

Beavers offer lessons about managing water in a changing climate, whether the challenge is drought or floods

Beavers in our landscapes have great potential to provide small-scale adaptations to climate change – if humans can figure out how to live with them.

Christine E. Hatch, Professor of Geosciences, UMass Amherst • conversation
Jan. 20, 2022 ~9 min


Bare winter fields to disappear as part of new plan for healthy greener countryside

Soil health is at the heart of new government plans for farm payments with policies to increase soil organic matter and promote winter cover.

Ian Dodd, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, Lancaster University • conversation
Dec. 10, 2021 ~7 min

Tropical forests can recover surprisingly quickly on deforested lands – and letting them regrow naturally is an effective and low-cost way to slow climate change

As governments and corporations pledge to help the planet by planting trillions of trees, a new study spotlights an effective, low-cost alternative: letting tropical forests regrow naturally.

Lourens Poorter, Professor of Functional Ecology, Wageningen University • conversation
Dec. 9, 2021 ~11 min

COP26: how unlocking nature's power can help the UK step up its fight against climate change

Nature-based solutions can help us sustainably tackle climate disasters - but to do that, they urgently need policy support.

Nathalie Seddon, Professor of Biodiversity, University of Oxford • conversation
Nov. 9, 2021 ~8 min

How unlocking nature's power can help the UK step up its fight against climate change

Nature-based solutions can help us sustainably tackle climate disasters - but to do that, they urgently need policy support.

Nathalie Seddon, Professor of Biodiversity, University of Oxford • conversation
Nov. 9, 2021 ~8 min

A new, lower threshold for lead poisoning in children means more kids will get tested – but the ultimate solution is eliminating lead sources

The Centers for Disease Control has announced a new, stricter standard for lead poisoning in children, which will more than double the number of kids considered to have high blood lead levels.

Gabriel Filippelli, Chancellor's Professor of Earth Sciences and Director of the Center for Urban Health, IUPUI • conversation
Nov. 5, 2021 ~9 min

Forests can't handle all the net-zero emissions plans – companies and countries expect nature to offset too much carbon

Yes, trees and soils can absorb and store carbon, but the carbon doesn’t stay stored forever. That’s one of the problems with how net-zero plans for the climate are being designed.

Kate Dooley, Research Fellow, Climate & Energy College, The University of Melbourne • conversation
Nov. 5, 2021 ~8 min


Why the fate of our planet's environment depends on the state of its soil

If we want to reduce carbon emissions and preserve planetary ecosystems, we need to protect our soils.

Duncan Cameron, Professor of Plant and Soil Biology, University of Sheffield • conversation
Nov. 3, 2021 ~7 min

Severe 2011 drought in Texas was much worse than thought

The 2011 drought in Texas, considered one of the worst ever, was even more widespread and longer lasting than previously thought.

Anton Caputo-UT Austin • futurity
Oct. 7, 2021 ~6 min

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