News Archive
- 22/03/23 22 March 2023 - read more +How to talk to your family and friends about the new IPCC report - five tips from climate change communication researchThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report is a sobering read, which some describe as a "final warning" from scientists. It's important that people who already know about climate change and treat it seriously take proactive steps to speak with others about IPCC reports and climate change more generally. In an article for The Conversation, Josh Ettinger, doctoral candidate at SoGE, examines how to promote successful climate discussions among diverse groups of people.
- 09/03/23 9 March 2023 - read more +University of Oxford makes joint appointment of Professor of Sustainable Energy Engineering and ZERO Institute DirectorProfessor Paul Shearing will lead the new Zero-carbon Energy Research Oxford (ZERO) Institute and bring extensive experience in electrochemical engineering to the University's response to the urgent need for system level change in the energy sector. The ZERO Institute was launched by the Departments of Engineering Science, Materials, and Geography and the Environment in 2022.
- 03/03/23 3 March 2023 - read more +Innovative 'Heat Pump Ready' Neighbourhood Roll Out In OxfordThe innovative Clean Heat Streets project to install up to 150 heat pumps in Rose Hill, Oxford, ultimately aims to save time, money, and resources to encourage more people to adopt heat pump technology.
- 23/02/23 23 February 2023 - read more +Small temperature rise can cause large scale forced migration - studyA 1°C temperature increase can cause a tenfold increase in displaced people, according to new research led by the University of Oxford, which studied the effects of conflict, weather, and drought, on forced displacement in Somalia.
- 17/02/23 17 February 2023 - read more +Bookings now open for sustainability leadership courseEnvironmental sustainability and the climate crisis will affect all of us - no matter what we study or what field we decide to work in. To truly work towards a just and sustainable future, we all have a part to play, and we need people who are willing to lead on sustainability in every possible sector. Which is why the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) is once again offering students the chance to participate in the Oxford Programme in Sustainability Leadership.
- 10/02/23 10 February 2023 - read more +Schoolchildren have their finger on the pulse as they help create a new gameBeanz meanz gamez for children taking part in a healthy eating project with the University of Oxford which coincides with World Pulses Day (10 February). The BeanMeals project, led by the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), is a collaborative research project involving stakeholders across the food system, including Food for Life. As part of the research to promote diets that are good for people and planet, the project is working with children at schools across Leicestershire to encourage them to eat school meals made with dried beans.
- 27/01/23 27 January 2023 - read more +Demand outstrips supply for a hugely popular economics lecture seriesOriginally booked to take place in the back room of a pub, and now being staged in the largest Oxford University venue, overwhelming demand for a lecture series has left many on a waiting list. The highly sought-after course is Doughnut Economics Live, an eight-week lecture series delivered by ecological economist Kate Raworth, Senior Associate at Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute, where she teaches on the Masters in Environmental Change and Management.
- 12/01/23 12 January 2023 - read more +International trade and world economies exposed to multi-billion-dollar climate risk to ports - Oxford studyNearly nine in ten major ports globally are exposed to damaging climate hazards, resulting in escalating economic impacts on global trade, according to new research from the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute (ECI).
- 12/01/23 12 January 2023 - read more +Climate goals can be achieved at affordable cost, if fossil fuel producers pay for carbon clear up - Oxford-led studyClimate change could be constrained by implementation of policies to ensure fossil fuel producers pay for carbon clear-up, or capture, according to new Oxford-led research, published today in Environmental Research Letters.
- 12/01/23 12 January 2023 - read more +Oxford University to co-lead £8m Energy Demand Observatory and Laboratory to help UK reach net-zeroThe University of Oxford, alongside University College London (UCL), is to lead on an £8.7m research project to establish an Energy Demand Observatory and Laboratory (EDOL) in the UK. The five-year programme, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC, part of UK Research and Innovation) and working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), will establish a national energy data platform to help facilitate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions.
- 10/01/23 10 January 2023 - read more +Forests recovering from logging still act as a source of carbonTropical forests recovering from logging are sources of carbon for decades afterwards, contrary to previous assumptions, finds a new study.
- 03/01/23 3 January 2023 - read more + Artificial Intelligence Can Help Address Biodiversity Challenges Artificial intelligence (AI) can play a crucial role in addressing biodiversity challenges according to a new report co-authored by the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) at the University of Oxford.
- 15/12/22 15 December 2022 - read more + Oxford climate research excellence recognised by renewed Met Office partnership The University of Oxford has been selected to help deliver the Met Office Academic Partnership (MOAP) for a further three years, as part of a multi-institutional agreement supporting cutting-edge research in the science of weather and climate prediction.
- 14/12/22 14 December 2022 - read more + New study finds logged tropical forests are surprisingly vibrant and need protection Logging affects many of the world's tropical forests, and such forests are often considered degraded because they have lost vegetation structure, biomass and carbon stocks. But there has rarely been analysis of whether the ecological health and functionality of these ecosystems are similarly degraded. A new study by researchers at the University of Oxford, finds that logged rainforests are treasure-troves of healthy ecological function and should not be written off for oil palm plantations.
- 22/11/22 22 November 2022 - read more + A new World Emissions Clock aims to increase climate action with improved projections Land use emissions estimation data from the Environmental Change Institute is being used to assist in providing projections for a new World Emissions Clock. It's hoped these calculations will inform investment decisions and speed up efforts for global climate security.
- 17/11/22 17 November 2022 - read more + Can the world feed 8bn people sustainably? Dr Tara Garnett, of Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute, explores the dietary changes needed to feed 8 billion people sustainably. She argues that widespread dietary change cannot be achieved by focusing on individuals. 'Stop blaming the individual is one point I would make. There is a much greater role for government leadership and the food industry to play.'
- 11/11/22 11 November 2022 - read more + COP27: Net Zero guidelines aim to drive higher standards and counter 'greenwashing' accusations To counter accusations of greenwashing and vague sustainability targets, a clear set of guidelines, has today been published at COP27, establishing standards for the pathway to net zero, by the International Standards Organisation. Coming in response to the United Nations' call for comprehensive standards for policymakers, business and individuals, the new guidelines were drafted by an international team including Oxford's Kaya Axelsson, a researcher from Oxford Net Zero and the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.
- 10/11/22 10 November 2022 - read more + We must stop fossil fuels causing global warming, before the world stops using fossil fuels - Prof Myles Allen We have to stop fossil fuels from causing global warming, before the world stops using fossil fuels, insists Professor Myles Allen today, as he explains how net zero can be reached by 2050.
- 07/11/22 7 November 2022 - read more + 100 Most Influential People in Climate 2022 Apolitical has featured Kate Raworth and Myles Allen from the Environmental Change Institute, and Sam Fankhauser and Ben Caldecott from the Oxford Smith School on their annual list of climate luminaries.
- 01/11/22 1 November 2022 - read more + It's perfectly possible to remove CO2 from the atmosphere - Professor Myles Allen, the physicist behind net zero Professor Myles Allen is such a powerful advocate for the environment that he was dubbed 'the physicist behind Net Zero' by the BBC and is regularly asked for comment on all things related to climate and weather. But Oxford's Professor for Geosystem Science is a scientist, not an activist - despite more than two decades of work on climate change. And, he says, he was nearly not a scientist at all.
- 01/11/22 1 November 2022 - read more + COP27 must deliver fast action, swift justice and protect nature - Oxford experts In a series of powerful 'hopes' for Egypt, 20 leading researchers from across the University have recorded wishes and warnings in videos and written messages for the delegates to COP27.
- 18/10/22 18 October 2022 - read more + Why the 'energy price cap' is confusing - and how it could be better communicated If you thought energy bills in Britain were capped at £2,500, you are not alone. Even Prime Minister Liz Truss recently made the same mistake, incorrectly claiming that no household would pay more. What Britain has actually done, in common with many other countries facing an energy crisis this winter, is cap the price of units of energy - the amount you pay per watt of electricity or gas. Dr Sam Hampton explores the issue in a recent article in The Conversation.
- 05/10/22 5 October 2022 - read more + Shining a light on energy's zero carbon future In a new film and long read article, the Oxford Martin School explores how its Programme on Integrating Renewable Energy has been working towards a future for the energy system that is not just about reaching net zero, but that is about delivering a high quality of life for everyone: a future with clean and efficient transport, affordable domestic energy, and life-enhancing benefits. The programme's interdisciplinary team includes several researchers from SoGE.
- 29/09/22 29 September 2022 - read more + Dr Monika Zurek interviewed by Australian Radio Station ABC Dr Monika Zurek, Senior Researcher at the ECI, was interviewed for a podcast on 'Food security in a precarious world' for the Australian Radio Station ABC in September. As food security issues increase across the world, expenditure on agri-food research and development is going the other way - in fact, funding in some western countries is now back at 1980s levels.
- 06/09/22 6 September 2022 - read more + Could Liz Truss allow new drilling for oil and gas and still strengthen the UK's net zero target? "The UK's new prime minister, Liz Truss, has pledged to suspend green levies on energy bills and look for 'better ways to deliver our net zero targets'. Despite a record-breaking heatwave plus wildfires, droughts and floods worldwide, neither contender for the Conservative Party leadership felt the urge, as David Cameron once did, to hug a husky during the summer leadership campaign." Prof Myles Allen writes in The Conversation.
- 24/08/22 24 August 2022 - read more + How to develop a code of conduct for ethical research fieldwork A code of conduct for ethical research fieldwork developed by two SoGE researchers has been published by the University of Oxford and taken up by departments across the institution and beyond. Stemming from the BLM movement and student led antiracist activism within our department, Catherine Fallon Grasham and Laura Picot share how they went about creating this first of its kind exemplary guidance and the lessons they learned along the way.
- 24/08/22 28 August 2022 - read more + From OPEC to Net Zero and still optimistic: Professor Nick Eyre on 34 years as an environmentalist An environmental campaigner for over 30 years and advisor to two Prime Ministers, Professor Nick Eyre is surprisingly buoyant in the circumstances. He laughs easily and maintains he is an optimist because the alternative is too depressing.
- 27/07/22 27 July 2022 - read more + More investment in community-scale food supply chains could increase food system resilience A new policy brief from a major research programme whose coordination team is based in the ECI has highlighted the role of small, local food enterprises in feeding communities in Covid-19, and recommends greater investment to allow these types of food providers to contribute to a more resilience UK food system.
- 22/07/22 22 July 2022 - read more + Current policies cannot stabilise the Colorado River in face of ongoing megadrought An ongoing megadrought, impacts of climate change and systematic overuse have created a crisis for the Colorado River, an essential water source for 40 million inhabitants of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
- 12/07/22 12 July 2022 - read more + Congratulations to Tina Fawcett on her appointment to Associate Professor Dr Tina Fawcett has been appointed Associate Professor in recognition of her sustained academic contribution to energy research at Oxford.
- 30/06/22 30 June 2022 - read more + Climate change and the urgency to transform food systems Without rapid changes to agriculture and food systems, the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change will not be met says a new study out today in the journal Science.
- 27/06/22 27 June 2022 - read more + New study shows we need to target climate change adaptation across all sectors if we are to properly support sustainable development New research led by Lena Fuldauer from the Environmental Change Institute demonstrates that without targeted climate adaptation action across sectors, achievement of all 169 SDG targets is being threatened by the impacts of climate change.
- 20/06/22 20 June 2022 - read more + ECI researchers win IMF's Climate Innovation Challenge A team of ECI researchers, alongside IMF colleagues, have won the Climate Innovation Challenge of the International Monetary Funds, an initiative to advance ideas to better integrate climate change into economic analysis.
- 10/06/22 10 June 2022 - read more + Serious flaws in the estimations of global water needs are putting agriculture and communities around the world at risk Serious flaws in the estimations of global water needs are putting agriculture and communities around the world at risk, according to recent research from an international team of researchers, including some from the University of Oxford.
- 27/05/22 27 May 2022 - read more + New cross-sector sustainable energy transition hub opens with energy crisis forum On Thursday 26 May Oxford University's brand new £3.25m Zero-carbon Energy Research Oxford (ZERO) Institute and Energy Systems Accelerator pilot (Mini-TESA) opened their doors to showcase the range and depth of ambition in Oxford to drive forward the energy systems transition for the UK and globally.
- 23/05/22 23 May 2022 - read more + Museums Heritage Award win for Meat the Future Meat the Future: A partnership to feed minds and bodies' exhibition at Oxford's Museum of Natural History has won Partnership of the Year at the 2022 Museums and Heritage Awards. The exhibition draws on research by the LEAP Project which studies the health, environmental, social and economic impacts of meat and dairy production and consumption.
- 23/05/22 23 May 2022 - read more + Professor Myles Allen appointed Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment at Gresham College Gresham College, London's oldest Higher Education Institution, and the Frank Jackson Foundation have announced the appointment of Professor Myles Allen as the Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of the Environment.
- 19/05/22 19 May 2022 - read more + Recent study explores the 15 minute neighbourhood A recently published study shows that a local shop proves to be the most important neighbourhood amenity to residents in Oxfordshire. Working with the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT), Dr Brenda Boardman (Emeritus Research Fellow) has surveyed 450 residents in Oxfordshire to understand what neighbourhood amenities are most important to them.
- 04/05/22 4 May 2022 - read more + Jamaica to be the world's first country to use ground-breaking technology capable of accelerating the resilience of its major national infrastructure to extreme weather events Ground-breaking technology developed to help countries most exposed to extreme weather events to become more climate resilient has been launched in Jamaica today by the global Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI).
- 03/05/22 03 May 2022 - read more + Boost for National Infrastructure Commission with new appointments Infrastructure, energy and environment expertise has been further strengthened at the National Infrastructure Commission, as they appoint new Commissioners, one of them being Prof. Jim Hall.
- 25/04/22 25 April 2022 - read more + New research takes a fork-to-farm approach to assess the potential of bean-based meals A newly launched research project led by Dr John Ingram of the Food Systems Transformation Group at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, is subverting the 'farm-to-fork' paradigm to assess how UK grown beans can help tackle the issue of HFSS (high in fat, sugar and salt) food.
- 05/04/22 5 April 2022 - read more + What the invasion of Ukraine means for the IPCC's latest climate change report The UN's new IPCC report on the mitigation of climate change says that immediate and deep emissions reductions are needed to limit global warming, along with removing carbon dioxide back out of the air in future. Meanwhile, the world's governments are urging fossil fuel companies to drill for more oil and gas as fast as possible to make up for sanctions on Russia. What on earth is going on? Prof Myles Allen and Dr Hugh Helferty write for The Conversation.
- 28/03/22 28 March 2022 - read more + Award for ECI alumni's working paper on climate regulation Recent ECI alumni Jiaxian Zhao and Linus Mattauch won the third prize at the biannual German economics prize, awarded by the Joachim Herz foundation. This years' theme of the award was environmental economics and is given for best academic papers for junior scholars.
- 28/03/22 28 March 2022 - read more + Maria Jose Torres Santeli, Claudia Comberti Scholar 2021/22 Maria Jose Torres Santeli is the 2021/22 Claudia Comberti Scholar on the MSc Environmental Change and Management at the Environmental Change Institute.
- 28/03/22 28 March 2022 - read more + "Ghana: Roadmap for Resilient Infrastructure in a Changing Climate" Report Launch In an effort to mitigate the impact of climate change on Ghana's infrastructure systems, the Government of Ghana and the Global Center on Adaptation, with support from UNOPS, UNEP and the University of Oxford, in July 2020 decided to undertake a national assessment to assess the impacts of climate change on Ghana's National Infrastructure and identify adaptation measures to mitigate these impacts.
- 23/03/22 23 March 2022 - read more + Oxford launches new multi-disciplinary ZERO Institute The University of Oxford today announces the launch of the multi-disciplinary ZERO Institute (Zero-carbon Energy Research Oxford) to tackle the challenges of an equitable, secure global zero-carbon energy transition.
- 16/03/22 16 March 2022 - read more + Individual climate action - the free and instant way to help Ukraine In the face of a constant stream of bad news - the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis, spiralling fuel poverty and looming global food shortages - positive action is the best way to cope. Alison Smith shows how there is a set of actions that we can all take to address all these emergencies simultaneously, with immediate results, and at no financial cost.
- 16/03/22 16 March 2022 - read more + How can SMEs help to enhance food system resilience? Collaboration with larger institutions could untap the potential for small and medium sized enterprises to contribute to greater UK food security, according to the latest policy and practice brief from the GFS FSR Programme.
- 01/03/22 1 March 2022 - read more + Too many words, too little action: climate justice is essential to limit climate change - IPCC chapter author Dr Lisa Schipper, co-ordinating lead chapter author for the IPCC sixth assessment report and Oxford environmental research fellow, provides her expert opinion on the IPCC sixth assessment report published yesterday (28 February) and why climate justice is essential to limit climate change.
- 23/02/22 23 February 2022 - read more + UNEP: Number of Wildfires to Rise by 50 per cent by 2100 Climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with a global increase of extreme fires of up to 14 per cent by 2030, 30 per cent by the end of 2050 and 50 per cent by the end of the century. This is according to a new report, released ahead of the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal, for which the ECI's Dr Imma Oliveras is a contributing author.
- 22/02/22 22 February 2022 - read more + Towards a more resilient London food system Embedding food resilience in agendas such as climate, planning and health as well as addressing the overlap between income and food access could help London's complex and fragile food system better meet the needs of its growing population. In a new report, food system researchers at the ECI have brought together diverse perspectives to create a set of high-level and specific recommendations to increase the resilience of a complex, dynamic, diverse and potentially fragile food system, in which 99% of the food consumed is imported from outside the capital.
- 16/01/22 26 January 2022 - read more + Invest strategically in wind and solar farms in Africa - Oxford study A sustainable future for Africa can be achieved through strategic investment in wind and solar farms, reveals an Africa wide study from the Environmental Change Institute. Lead author Dr Jay Doorga was the winner of ECI's Environmental Change and Management Dissertation Award in 2020.
- 19/01/22 19 January 2022 - read more + Taxing meat can protect the environment Taxing meat could be an important lever for aligning Western diets with environmental goals and can be designed such that low-income households and farmers are compensated. A forthcoming paper in the Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, co-authored by Dr Linus Mattauch, explores an environmental tax on meat in countries like the UK, US, and Australia to increase its price by 20-60%, depending on the meat type. This would reduce consumption of the most damaging foods and could provide revenue for sustainable farming practices and to support low-income families. The authors stress that taxing meat directly is a simple tool if more targeted and efficient policy options, such as extending carbon pricing to the livestock sector, are not available.
- 10/01/22 10 January 2022 - read more + Leverhulme Trust awards £10 million to new Oxford nature recovery centre A new £10 million Oxford-based Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery has today [10 Jan] been announced - one of three UK centres established with a hotly-contested Leverhulme Trust 2021 award. On top of the 10-year Leverhulme funding, the centre, led by Professor Yadvinder Malhi, will receive £5 million in co-funding from the University of Oxford, which will support fundamental cross-disciplinary research.
- 05/01/22 5 January 2022 - read more + How much CO2 can be saved by active mobility in cities? To understand how much CO2 can be saved by active mobility in cities, Academy WebTV travelled to Oxford and London to meet with Dr Christian Brand - Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor at the ECI and TSU - and Dr Audrey de Nazelle - Senior Lecturer and Co-Deputy Director of the Centre of Environmental Policy at the Imperial College London.
- 05/01/22 5 January 2022 - read more + Professor Myles Allen awarded CBE Myles Allen, Professor of Geosystem Science at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, has been awarded a CBE in the Queen's annual New Year Honours list for services to climate change attribution, prediction and net zero.
- 14/12/21 14 December 2021 - read more + Tropical mountain ecosystem restoration: five directions for future research Many tropical mountain ecosystems (TMEs) are severely disturbed and require ecological restoration. However, the extent of restoration efforts across these ecosystems, and their relative successes, is not known due to a lack of syntheses on ecological restoration research. In a new paper published in Nature, Tina Christmann and Dr Imma Oliveras undertake a thorough review of existing TME restoration efforts and make five recommendations for future research.
- 10/12/21 10 December 2021 - read more + Yadvinder Malhi receives CBE at Windsor Castle ceremony At Windsor Castle on 8 December 2021, Yadvinder Malhi, Professor of Ecosystems Science at the University of Oxford, received a CBE from the Prince of Wales for services to ecosystems science. Professor Malhi was one of three recipients highlighted by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall on their Clarence House twitter account on the day of the ceremony.
- 07/12/21 7 December 2021 - read more + Major report points way to a more resilient UK food system Government, the food industry, financial investors, charities and researchers all have a key role to play in securing the food system into the future, according to the results of a five-year research programme. The 'Resilience of the UK Food System in a Global Context' research programme's report published today outlines multiple approaches to enhancing resilience and provides tailored messages for a range of key players and responsible stakeholders.
- 18/11/21 18 November 2021 - read more + Tropical tree growth sensitivity to climate is driven by species intrinsic growth rate and leaf traits A better understanding of how climate affects growth in tree species is essential for improved predictions of forest dynamics under climate change. A new study, led by David Bauman at ECI, utilises an exceptional dataset of 49 years of growth data for 509 tree species across 23 tropical rainforest plots along a climatic gradient to examine how multiannual tree growth responds to both climate means and anomalies, and how species' functional traits mediate these responses. The study demonstrates that both climate means and anomalies shape tree growth in tropical forests, and that species traits can provide insights into understanding these demographic responses to climate change. ECI's Jeppe Kristensen explains how large animals will be crucial in
- 16/11/21 16 November 2021 - read more + The world has made more progress on climate change than you might think - or might have predicted a decade ago Following COP26, Professor Myles Allen takes a look at the decades-long process that started with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and explores how far we have come in an article for The Conversation.
- 10/11/21 10 November 2021 - read more + COP26: Seven reasons global transport is so hard to decarbonise Transport accounts for 21% of global carbon emissions. It is now the largest emitting sector in many developed countries. On 'transport day' at the COP26 climate summit, Dr Christian Brand provides seven reasons why global transport is particularly hard to decarbonise. Part of The Conversation's coverage on COP26.
- 10/11/21 10 November 2021 - read more + COP26: how unlocking nature's power can help the UK step up its fight against climate change World leaders have been gathering at COP26, the UN climate summit in Glasgow, against a backdrop of flooded homes, closed roads and cancelled trains across the UK caused by extreme weather. These conditions are a stark reminder that as well as dramatically reducing our carbon emissions, we must also begin adapting to a climate that is already irreversibly changing.
- 05/11/21 5 November 2021 - read more + COP26: a letter to school strikers from 'the physicist behind net zero' Professor Myles Allen, Professor of Geosystem Science and Director of Oxford Net Zero writes a letter to school strikers. Part of The Conversation's coverage on COP26.
- 03/11/21 3 November 2021 - read more + MSc student uncovers revolutionary approach to solar microgrids Sohara Mehroze Shachi is a 2021 Masters of Science (MSc) student at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford and Head of Solutions Mapping at UNDP's Accelerator Lab. She is also a freelance journalist, and in early 2021 Sohara was given the opportunity to travel to Bangladesh for a short documentary on ME SOLshare Ltd, a peer to peer solar energy company that is revolutionising energy systems in parts of rural India.
- 02/11/21 2 November 2021 - read more + Alexander Frederick Shenkin is the winner of the Oxford ClimateTech and Sustainability Challenge OUI and Oxford University's Innovation and Business Partnerships team announced Alexander Frederick Shenkin from the School of Geography and the Environment, as the winner of the Oxford ClimateTech and Sustainability Challenge for his pitch about a newly discovered climate service provided by forests.
- 02/11/21 2 November 2021 - read more + Oxford University infrastructure investment research recognised by UN Secretary General The importance of practical solutions to improve infrastructure decision-making have been recognised by the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, in a message to the Leaders of the Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI).
- 28/10/21 28 October 2021 - read more + ECI and Sustainable Law Programme research underpins landmark case against Brazilian president On Tuesday 12 October, the non-profit environmental litigation organisation AllRise accused Brazillian President Jair Bolsonaro of crimes against humanity in a submission to the Prosecution Office of the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
- 13/10/21 13 October 2021 - read more + Infrastructure centrally important to achieving the Paris Agreement and the SDGs Published ahead of COP26, this new report highlights the key role that infrastructure plays in delivering climate action and sustainable development. Developed through collaboration between UNOPS, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the University of Oxford, it finds that infrastructure is responsible for 79 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions, and accounts for 88 per cent of all adaptation costs.
- 11/10/21 11 October 2021 - read more + The natural world is critical to climate - Professor Yadvinder Malhi The living world is not a sideshow in the climate debate. Our climate benefits from a healthy and flourishing biosphere, just as ecosystems and the diversity of living organisms depend on climate.
- 04/10/21 4 October 2021 - read more + ECI Alumni Dinner 2021 The Environmental Change Institute (ECI) has been holding Alumni Dinners since 1996 without fail, so after the 2020 edition had to be cancelled due to COVID, it was high on the agenda to make this event happen in person again this year, not least to give the leaving cohort of ECM students a good send off at the end of a more than unusual MSc year.
- 07/09/21 7 September 2021 - read more + As nature climbs up the political agenda, how can researchers better engage with policy on biodiversity? Researchers from the University of Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment, Jasper Montana, Rosaria, Trisha Gopalakrishna and E. A. Welden, explore how academics can help inform policy on biodiversity following a series of three seminars and a workshop in early Summer 2021, which brought together academics from across the Oxford Biodiversity Network to share their experience working with policymakers.
- 09/08/21 9 August 2021 - read more + Earth will hit 1.5°C climate limit within 20 years, says IPCC report Scientists from across the world including ECI Associate Director Friederike Otto contributed to the IPCC's sixth assessment report, released today. The findings have been described as the starkest warning yet, with earth likely to hit the 'critical threshold' of 1.5 degrees warming within twenty years without decisive action. By 2100, in a worse case scenario, the earth would have warmed by 4.4 degrees and the consequences for life on earth would be devastating. In a best-case scenario, sustained action would see net zero achieved and warming limited to 1.4 degrees by 2100. Dr Otto was a leading author of the report.
- 03/08/21 3 August 2021 - read more + No evidence in claims climate change is fuelling East African migration, warns Oxford study No link currently exists proving climate change is driving migration out of East Africa, despite a widespread acceptance that human mobility is a key impact of climate change, according to research today from a multi-disciplinary Oxford University team, which maintains the factors driving migration are complex.
- 28/07/21 28 July 2021 - read more + National Food Strategy support for systems thinking welcomed by food researchers Researchers from a pioneering food systems teaching programme based at the University of Oxford welcomed a call for 'systems thinking' in the newly launched National Food Strategy, led by food business leader Henry Dimbleby.
- 26/07/21 26 July 2021 - read more + Building on our strengths - retrofit market needs an overhaul to meet climate targets Climate change targets won't be delivered unless the home improvements market is overhauled, according to a new report 'Building on our Strengths' published recently by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS).
- 20/07/21 20 July 2021 - read more + Epicentre of major Amazon droughts and fires saw 2.5 billion trees and vines killed A major drought and forest fires in the Amazon rainforest killed billions of trees and plants and turned one of the world's largest carbon sinks into one of its biggest polluters. Examining the Amazonian epicentre of the El Niño - Brazil's Lower Tapajós, an eastern Amazonia area around twice the size of Belgium - the research team, led by scientists from Lancaster University, the Environmental Change Insitute, University of Oxford, and The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation found the damage lasts for multiple years.
- 09/07/21 29 June 2021 - read more + Western North American extreme heat virtually impossible without human-caused climate change During the last days of June 2021, Pacific northwest areas of the U.S. and Canada experienced temperatures never previously observed, with records broken in many places by several degrees Celsius, finds a new World Weather Attribution study.
- 09/07/21 29 June 2021 - read more + Future generations will face crippling costs without action now on carbon debt The historic UN Paris Agreement aims to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C in the long run, but the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is still rising. If this trend continues, within just 10 years the world will exceed the total CO2 emissions that are consistent with limiting global warming to no more than 1.5°C. If the Paris climate goals are to be achieved, every tonne of CO2 emitted in excess of this 'carbon budget' will have to be removed at a later date, creating a rapidly increasing 'carbon debt.' Future generations can be spared the economic consequences of this carbon debt if policy action is taken now, according to plans set out by University of Oxford scientists and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.
- 29/06/21 29 June 2021 - read more + Poor use of science jeopardises climate lawsuits, finds Oxford research Newly-available scientific evidence, which could prove critical to the success of climate-related lawsuits, is often not produced in court, according to a new study published by the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme and Environmental Change Institute.
- 29/06/21 29 June 2021 - read more + New ECI report provides a roadmap towards Oxfordshire's zero-carbon future A new ECI report has challenged Oxfordshire's key decision makers to embrace a number of new recommendations, aimed at supporting the county's drive towards a zero-carbon future.
- 25/06/21 25 June 2021 - read more + Vance Tan wins Oxford SU Impact Award Vance Tan Zong Hao, a Bruneian doctoral student at the School of Geography and the Environment, was awarded the prestigious Impact Award from Oxford University Student Union (Oxford SU) on 20th June.
- 17/06/21 17 June 2021 - read more + Climate change increased the likelihood of damaging frosts in France Between 6 and 8 April 2021 an intense late frost episode damaged agricultural lands in France. Vineyards in particular were severely affected, with early assessments estimating losses of almost 2 billion euros. The cold wave hit France after the country experienced record high temperatures in March. A group of researchers including ECI's Dr Friederike Otto has quantified the role that human-caused climate change played in the event.
- 16/06/21 16 June 2021 - read more + Dr Pam Berry warns UK is unprepared for climate change Action to improve the UK's climate resilience is inadequate and fails to keep pace with global warming and associated risks, says an independent report from the Climate Change Committee co-authored by ECI researcher Dr Pam Berry.
- 16/06/21 16 June 2021 - read more + Dr Friederike Otto receives B.A.U.M. environmental and sustainability award The award has recognised scientists who conduct exceptional research in the field of climate, environment or sustainability since 1993.
- 14/06/21 14 June 2021 - read more + Obsessing over electric cars is impeding the race to net zero: More active travel is essential Dr Christian Brand, Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor at the Environmental Change Institute and Transport Studies Unit, offers his expert opinion on electric vehicles and net zero in an article for the University.
- 11/06/21 11 June 2021 - read more + G7: last chance to board the green pandemic recovery ship before it sails, say Oxford experts Climate pledges at this week's G7 meeting of the world's major economies in Cornwall represent positive action, according to top environmental researchers at the University of Oxford. But, in response to the summit agenda, the climate experts call for strong leadership from the leading economies and insist the world needs to stop using fossil fuels now - if global warming is to be tackled effectively.
- 01/06/21 1 June 2021 - read more + Dr Edward Oughton runner up in prestigious Lloyd's 2021 Science of Risk awards (Cyber category) Dr Edward Oughton was awarded Runner Up in Lloyd's 2021 Science of Risk awards (Cyber category). The prize was for Dr Oughton's research quantifying the vulnerability of electricity networks from cyberattacks. The prestigious Lloyd's Science of Risk prizes are awarded to esteemed academics and PhD students who, through their published scientific work, further the understanding of risk and insurance.
- 28/05/21 28 May 2021 - read more + How I have learned to get the most out of academic conferences Trisha Gopalakrishna, DPhil Candidate in the Ecosystems Lab Group, provides her top tips to getting the most out of the academic conference experience.
- 26/05/21 26 May 2021 - read more + Professor Myles Allen discusses Net Zero on BBC2 Myles Allen told BBC 2 listeners that it is irresponsible not to take the 'net' in 'net zero' seriously, because we need to stop climate change before the world stops using fossil fuels. He commented: 'Offsetting emissions with forestry or other nature based solutions can help, but we can 't keep turning rocks into trees forever. So anyone using fossil fuels today has a duty to make sure that some of the money being spent on them is invested in safe and permanent alternatives to dumping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.' Skip to 12:35 to hear the interview.
- 13/05/21 13 May 2021 - read more + Natural climate change solutions highly effective long term - Oxford research Nature-based solutions (NbS) can contribute to the fight against climate change up to the end of our century, according to new Oxford research in the leading scientific journal Nature. The analysis suggests that, to limit global temperature rise, we must slash emissions and increase NbS investment to protect, manage and restore ecosystems and land for the future.
- 11/05/21 11 May 2021 - read more + Biodiversity and art: Artist-in-residence Loveday Pride working with the Land use and governance team As part of the ABC Network science-artist collaboration, Loveday Pride has joined forces with the Land use governance team. Loveday is a Fine Art student at the Ruskin School in Oxford, and while she is primarily a painter, her work embraces many media. Her main muse is The Pug, whose round body and squidgy face takes on multitudinous forms, from fairy tale peas to Rococo icons.
- 29/04/21 29 April 2021 - read more + Two MSc students awarded the OUP Prize for International Environmental Law Two MSc students have been awarded the Oxford University Press (OUP) Prize for International Environmental Law. The prize is awarded to the Environmental Change and Management MSc student who receives the top mark in the International Environmental Law elective.
- 23/04/21 23 April 2021 - read more + Five ECI faculty in top climate scientists list Professor Myles Allen, Professor Jim Hall, Professor Yadvinder Malhi, Dr Michael Obersteiner and Dr Friederike Otto are listed in the 2021 "Reuters Hot List" of top climate scientists, which includes seven University of Oxford scientists in total. There are also five ECI alumni on the list: Malte Meinhausen, James Ford James Watson, Lea Berrang-Ford and Paula Harrison. The list tells the stories of the scientists who are having the greatest influence on the climate change debate through data on funding, citations and publications. The rankings themselves are based on a combination of research output, citations, and press coverage. "Of course these indicators are not the only way nor the best to measure the impact of our science and suffer from many biases that are prevalent in scientific publishing but this ranking shows that at ECI we work at the forefront of climate change research and so I am delighted that is being heard," said Dr Otto.
- 22/04/21 22 April 2021 - read more + Predicting infrastructure demand using satellite imagery and machine learning To improve investment in network infrastructure and reduce the 'digital divide'; a machine learning method that uses publicly available satellite imagery to predict cell phone adoption and spending on mobile services was developed and applied in Malawi and Ethiopia.
- 15/04/21 15 April 2021 - read more + Tracking the economic impacts of COVID-19 one ship at a time COVID-19 saw global maritime trade collapse by as much as 10% in the first eight months of 2020 - leading to losses of up to $412 billion, reveals recently published ECI research, which used sophisticated algorithms and tracking data to follow 100,000 vessels.
- 13/04/21 13 April 2021 - read more + Sky and BBC climate shows feature ECI and SSEE research and expertise On 7 April, Sky News launched the The Daily Climate Show, a new prime time programme dedicated to covering the global climate crisis. Front and centre of the programme is the Oxford University Global Warming Index, which reveals how the Earth's temperature is steadily rising in fractions of a degree. The Index is based on research by Dr Karsten Haustein, Dr Friederike Otto and Professor Myles Allen and maintained by the ECI at globalwarmingindex.org.
- 30/03/21 30 March 2021 - read more + Managing resources sustainably is key to cutting UK greenhouse gases A new report from WRAP and CREDS finds that through using resources sustainably, extending the useful life of products and preventing waste, the UK could cut CO2e emissions by 100 million tonnes in ten years.
- 29/03/21 29 March 2021 - read more + Cycling is ten times more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities Christian Brand, Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor, explains how active travel can contribute to tackling the climate emergency earlier than electric vehicles while also providing affordable, reliable, clean, healthy and congestion-busting transportation in his newly authored article for The Conversation.
- 23/03/21 23 March 2021 - read more + Net Zero pledges go global, now action needs to follow words - Oxford-ECIU report Net zero targets now cover two thirds of the global economy, according to a report today from Oxford Net Zero and the ECIU (Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit) - even though it was only a decade ago that Oxford climate scientists first showed the need to reach net zero emissions. However, despite the rapid progress, the study reveals that only 20% of these targets currently meet quality tests. The report was co-authored by Dr Steve Smith at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.
- 23/03/21 23 March 2021 - read more + Oxford's ambitious Environmental Sustainability Strategy is approved Oxford University approves its Environmental Sustainability Strategy aiming for net zero carbon and biodiversity net gain by 2035. Includes comment by Prof Myles Allen, Professor of Geosystem Science at SoGE and leader of climate research programme Oxford Net Zero.
- 17/03/21 17 March 2021 - read more + Finding inspiration in your back garden - and from the past Yadvinder Malhi, Professor of Ecosystems Science, authors a new blog explaining how he found solace and refuge in local nature over this year of pandemic and lockdown. Read in full on the University's Science Blog.
- 17/03/21 17 March 2021 - read more + To what extent does climate change affect food insecurity? What we found in Lesotho Large-scale droughts can have cascading impacts on food security. They can reduce yield, increase food prices, trigger changes in consumption and lead to unstable supply. Dr Fredi Otto and Jasper Verschuur explore the situation in Lesotho in The Conversation.
- 11/03/21 11 March 2021 - read more + Virtual pollination trade uncovers our dependence on the biodiversity of developing countries An interesting new paper explores the concept of Virtual Pollination Flow - the proportion of exported products that result from pollinator action - and how societies around the world depend on each other for food security.
- 04/03/21 4 March 2021 - read more + How Green Is The New U.K. Budget? Climate Experts Deliver Their Verdict Article in Forbes includes expert reaction from Laurence Wainwright, departmental lecturer and a course director at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, and John Rhys, visiting senior research fellow at the Environmental Change Institute.
- 15/02/21 15 February 2021 - read more + Audrey Constance Wagner, Claudia Comberti Scholar 2020/21, MSc Environmental Change and Management Audrey Constance Wagner is the 2020/21 Claudia Comberti Scholar studying the MSc in Environmental Change and Management at the Environmental Change Institute.
- 12/02/21 12 February 2021 - read more + Why avoiding climate change 'maladaptation' is vital A new study concludes that many adaptation projects can make people more, rather than less, vulnerable to climate change. Lisa Schipper argues that while adaptation is needed more than ever, it requires better planning, targeting the people who are most in need.
- 11/02/21 11 February 2021 - read more + Could the Cumbria coal mine start a net-zero-compliant fossil fuel industry? While the proposed Woodhouse Colliery in Cumbria appears to be inconsistent with the UK government's 2050 net-zero target, Myles Allen and Nathalie Seddon ask if it could be a flagship project for carbon capture and storage.
- 04/02/21 4 February 2021 - read more + Severe flood threat caused by climate change - landmark Oxford study For the first time, researchers have proved human-caused global warming is directly responsible for creating a 'critical threat' of a devastating outburst flood - putting a city of some 120,000 people in the path of potential floodwaters, according to new research from the University of Oxford and the University of Washington, published on 4 Feb in Nature Geoscience.
- 01/02/21 1 February 2021 - read more + Getting the message right on nature-based solutions to climate change Nature-based solutions can play a key role in helping to tackle the climate and nature crises, while delivering other benefits for people, according to a new paper today from the Nature-based Solutions Initiative (NbSI) at the University of Oxford - but it is vital to get the message right about how to deliver successful NbS and avoid potential pitfalls.
- 29/01/21 29 January 2021 - read more + Universities consider carbon offsetting in move to net-zero Reducing emissions must be the priority for UK universities but carbon offsetting can also play an important role in the transition to net-zero, according to a group of academic experts from the COP26 Universities Network.
- 31/12/20 22 January 2021 - read more + Why projects to adapt to climate change backfire Many internationally-funded projects aimed at combating the impacts of climate change can make things worse - by reinforcing, redistributing or creating new sources of vulnerability in developing countries, according to a review led by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and the University of Oxford. Dr Lisa Schipper, Environmental Social Scientist at the ECI, is one of the lead authors of the review.
- 19/12/20 19 January 2021 - read more + Storytelling can be a powerful tool for science ECI scientists Josh Ettinger, Lisa Schipper and Fredi Otto have written a response to a recent Nature commentary arguing against storytelling in science communication. Used appropriately, storytelling humanizes the research process and makes science more accessible to diverse audiences, the authors say. Read the full rebuttal in Nature magazine.
- 12/01/21 12 January 2021 - read more + BBC Radio 4: Rewilding in Siberia Can removing trees and reintroducing musk ox and other grazing animals protect the permafrost from thawing and releasing carbon? Marc Macias-Fauria joins Tom Heap, Nikita Zimov and Tamsin Edwards to discuss rewilding in Pleistocene Park as part of BBC Radio Four's series, '39 Ways to Save the Planet'.
- 31/12/20 31 December 2020 - read more + Natalie Chung named one of the most impactful young sustainability leaders in Asia Pacific Natalie Sum Yue Chung, MPhil student in Environmental Change and Management, is included in Eco-Business's 2020 inaugural list of emerging youth sustainability changemakers. Natalie is a passionate youth climate advocate committed to environmental education and policy advisory in Asia, and the Director and co-founder of V'air Hong Kong.
- 28/12/20 28 December 2020 - read more + BBC News: The Climate Question Not only has this year been one of the hottest on record, but there has also been a catalogue of record breaking extreme weather events. This BBC World Service interview with Friederike Otto picks apart how climate change is impacting weather systems and the lives of millions of people around the world.
- 27/12/20 27 December 2020 - read more + Cracks in UK food system revealed in new mapping report A new report led by ECI's Food Systems Research group reveals the huge value of the agri-food sector to the UK economy as well as the multiple challenges it faces. The report maps and quantifies the UK food system, aiming to act as a quantified foundation for further analyses of the UK food system.
- 21/12/20 21 December 2020 - read more + Legal does not equal sustainable: Reflections on proposed UK law addressing deforestation The UK government is developing a new law that prohibits imports of 7 commodities originating from illegally deforested land, including beef, leather, cocoa, palm oil, pulp and paper, timber, rubber and soya. While the stated aim of the policy is to promote sustainability, its current focus on legality overlooks how legal systems can themselves be drivers of both environmental and social harm, writes Constance McDermott, leader of ECI's new Ecosystems Governance Group.
- 18/12/20 18 December 2020 - read more + COVID slowdown makes action on gas-guzzlers even more important Phasing out the most polluting vehicles now could save 97million tonnes CO2 by 2050, new research published by the UK Energy Research Centre finds. Co-Directed by Christian Brand the Centre looked at the impacts of COVID-19 on the energy system, and the role that energy policy could play in the UK's economic recovery. Discover their recommendations.
- 16/12/20 16 December 2020 - read more + Right topics, wrong emphasis: the Carney Taskforce on carbon offsetting misses the mark Eli Mitchell-Larson, DPhil candidate at the Environmental Change Institute, and a co-author of the Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting, argues that the Taskforce for Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets almost entirely misses a key question: can we build a voluntary market with offsets that really deliver for the climate? [Originally published by Business Green on 10 December 2020]
- 16/12/20 16 December 2020 - read more + Yadvinder Malhi to be next president of the BES Yadvinder Malhi, Professor of Ecosystems Science, has been voted President-Elect of the British Ecological Society following an online ballot of more than 1000 members. A British Asian, Yadvinder will become the first non-white president of the Society in its more than hundred-year history. Read more about Yadvinder's work and priorities for the BES moving forward. [Image: Yadvinder Malhi in Wytham Woods (c) Debbie Rowe]
- 14/12/20 14 December 2020 - read more + ECI supports Youth-led Mock COP26 Reuters: In place of the delayed COP26 UN climate summit youth representatives from 142 countries met virtually to consider potential climate solutions. ECI's involvement as an official partner was led by DPhil student Bill Finnegan, with special thanks to Bernard Soubry, James Dixon, Saher Hasnain, Fredi Otto, Lisa Schipper and Cecile Girardin who created explainer videos for the delegates. [Videos here: bit.ly/38mqSDA]
- 12/12/20 12 December 2020 - read more + The next generation of food system leaders: IFSTAL teaching programme launches The Interdisciplinary Food Systems Teaching and Learning programme (IFSTAL) gives students the skills to bring about change in the food system and tackle serious problems including malnutrition, food insecurity and environmental damage. More than 180 participants from around the world attended the online launch of the IFSTAL programme for 2020/21. Registration for the programme is free for current students.
- 09/12/20 09 December 2020 - read more + Oxford contributes to UK's Sixth Carbon Budget Today the UK's Committee on Climate Change released its Sixth Carbon Budget: The UK's path to Net Zero. The report includes substantive contributions from Cameron Hepburn, Chair of the CCC's Policy Advisory Group Ben Caldecott, member of the CCC's Finance Advisory Group, and the CREDS UK team, led by Nick Eyre. [Covered extensively by UK media]
- 07/12/20 07 December 2020 - read more + Students push for university climate change divestments The Financial Times explores the fossil fuel divestment movement, highlighting the University of Oxford's approach which couples divestment with engagement activities to curb the use of dirty energy. Kaya Axelsson, policy engagement fellow with Oxford Net Zero, explains the model, which includes the requirement for all businesses within Oxford's portfolio to have a credible net-zero carbon strategy.
- 06/12/20 06 December 2020 - read more + Oxford's new chief scientific adviser lays out city's path to zero carbon The impacts of climate change are already being felt in Oxford, particularly with increased flooding, writes Nick Eyre in the Oxford Mail. He proposes a way forward, highlighting the importance of energy efficiency and clean energy. Carbon dioxide emissions have to be reduced, starting now and eventually to zero. Oxford can be a leader in this space by 'thinking globally, acting locally'.
- 05/12/20 05 December 2020 - read more + Oxford's first Youth Climate Summit discussed city's role in climate change Young climate activists joined councillors, MPs and scientific advisors - including Myles Allen and Nick Eyre, both professors at the Environmental Change Institute - to debate topics including buildings, renewable energy and climate injustice.
- 01/12/20 01 December 2020 - read more + Wytham Woods featured on Countryfile Yadvinder Malhi joins Judi Dench, HRH The Prince of Wales and some 6M viewers in an episode of BBC's Countryfile. The show launches 'Plant Britain', a two-year challenge to get us all planting to help combat climate change and at the same time, boost wellbeing and wildlife. It features Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire, where viewers discover exactly how trees capture carbon.
- 28/11/20 28 November 2020 - read more + Oxford convenes Race to Net Zero Dialogues Oxford Net Zero, the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, the Said Business School and partners including the Resilient 40 joined forces to host four events as part of Race to Zero campaign, led by the UN's High-Level Climate Champions. The dialogues enabled youth to set the agenda on three key topics - energy, transport and food - and enter into dialogue with industry leaders including Nestlé, Daimler and Shell.
- 25/11/20 25 November 2020 - read more + Norway hikes cash for rainforests, seeking corporate help to slow losses Norway is doubling the price it guarantees developing nations to keep their tropical forests standing and combat climate change, writes the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Constance McDermott, leader of the ECI's Ecosystems Governance Group, comments on the challenges faced by the initiative, including the need to ensure indigenous peoples' rights to land. [Image: Ecuador - A Shaman from the Siona Community (c) Angela Meier on Adobe Stock]
- 20/11/20 20 November 2020 - read more + Heatwaves caused record deaths as Britain struggled with coronavirus Heatwaves caused a record 2,556 excess deaths in Britain this summer as the country was struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new government estimate. Increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves are among the deadliest impacts of climate change, writes Reuters. Extensive media coverage includes comment and research from Friederike Otto on climate change attribution.
- 19/11/20 19 November 2020 - read more + Times letters: Boris Johnson's green industrial revolution 'There is one important difference between the prime minister's ten-point plan and that released last week by the all-party parliamentary group on net zero,' writes Myles Allen. 'The PM doesn't say who is going to pay for carbon capture in the long term. The solution the APPG proposed is simple: a carbon takeback obligation.' [Also covered by BBC, Guardian and others]
- 19/11/20 19 November 2020 - read more + Woman's Hour Power List: Our Planet Brenda Boardman, energy researcher and ECI Emeritus Fellow, is one of the 30 women featured in the BBC's 2020 Power List. The list celebrates inspiring women whose work is making a significant positive contribution to the environment and the sustainability of our planet. Brenda's research includes bringing energy efficiency labelling to UK appliances.
- 18/11/20 11 November 2020 - read more + Philanthropy Report highlights Food Climate Research Network The role of philanthropy in helping to accelerate the vital work taking place at Oxford has been recognised in this year's University Philanthropy report. The report features work from Dr Tara Garnett, ECI researcher and leader of the Food Climate Research Network. Since 2005, the network has empowered decision makers to take effective action on food system sustainability. Read pages 16-17 to find out more.
- 17/11/20 17 November 2020 - read more + 'Oxford Net Zero' launches to tackle global carbon emissions The initiative, launched this week, draws on the university's world-leading expertise in climate science and policy, addressing the critical issue of how to reach global 'net zero' - limiting greenhouse gases - in time to halt global warming. The new programme, backed by a 2.2 million pound investment from Oxford's Strategic Research Fund, includes leading researchers from across the university.
- 10/11/20 10 November 2020 - read more + 30 Under 30: Environmental Leaders Sam Loni, MSc student in the School of Geography and the Environment, was recently selected by The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) for its fifth class of 30 leaders under the age of 30. Sam combines research and advocacy to support educators in preparing students for the challenges of the 21st century and empowering them to shape sustainable communities. He is studying for an MSc in Environmental Change and Management and an MBA at the Said Business School.
- 04/11/20 4 November 2020 - read more + Lena Fuldauer awarded 1st prize in the Allianz Climate Risk Research Award Congratulations to Lena Fuldauer (ITRC Researcher and current DPhil student) who has won 1st prize in the Allianz Climate Risk Research Awards.
- 31/10/20 31 October 2020 - read more + UK ash trees losing fight against deadly fungus CGTN Europe News speaks with Cecilia Dahlsjo, researcher in ECI's ecosystems group. Deep inside Oxford's Wytham Woods, she oversees experiments to investigate the impact of ash dieback on the woodland ecosystem. [Image credit: Andrew Bailey www.baileymg.com]
- 28/10/20 28 October 2020 - read more + Professor Nick Eyre appointed Oxford City Council scientific adviser Nick Eyre, professor of energy and climate policy at the Environmental Change Institute, has been appointed as Oxford City Council's first scientific adviser. He will support the Council and the city, as it continues to tackle the climate emergency and moves towards net-zero.
- 22/10/20 22 October 2020 - read more + Net Zero All-Party Parliamentary Group A team from across the School of Geography and the Environment, including co-authors Byron Fay and Kate Cullen (alumna, MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management) from the Oxford Net Zero initiative, has contributed to the APPG Decarbonisation Report, 'Putting Net Zero at the heart of future UK Policy'. The report is backed by MPs and Peers from across the political spectrum and makes the case for urgent Government action to secure a low carbon future for the UK.
- 14/10/20 14 October 2020 - read more + Filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, currently under construction, has strained relations between Nile countries. New research, published in Nature Communications by a team including ECI's Kevin Wheeler, finds near-term concerns about the impact of dam on water availability for Egypt and Sudan are unlikely to materialise, but drought preparedness is essential and will require careful coordination. [Also covered by the Telegraph and Washington Post]
- 10/10/20 10 October 2020 - read more + Yadvinder Malhi Awarded CBE in Queen's Birthday Honour Yadvinder Malhi, Professor of Ecosystem Sciences at the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, has been awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, announced on 10th October 2020, for services to Ecosystem Science.
- 10/10/20 10 October 2020 - read more + TED: Fossil fuel companies know how to stop global warming. Why don't they? The fossil fuel industry knows how to stop global warming, but they're waiting for someone else to pay, says climate science scholar Myles Allen. Instead of a total ban on carbon-emitting fuels, Allen puts forth a bold plan for oil and gas companies to progressively decarbonize themselves and sequester CO2 deep in the earth, with the aim of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and creating a carbon dioxide disposal industry that works for everyone. This talk was presented at an official TED conference.
- 09/10/20 09 October 2020 - read more + People, not carbon emissions, should be at the heart of the west's climate action In focusing on targets, activists from rich countries risk putting metrics above the lives of vulnerable people, says Aruna Chandrasekhar. Read in full via The Guardian.
- 02/10/20 02 October 2020 - read more + Amazon study shows big conservation gains possible for imperilled freshwater ecosystems A new study, published in Science magazine by an international team in the Brazilian Amazon, shows that redesigned conservation projects could deliver big gains for critical freshwater ecosystems - raising hopes for the futures of thousands of species. 'In a time when the Amazon is under increasing pressure from human activities, this paper provides effective solutions for biodiversity preservation,' explains co-author Erika Berenguer.
- 29/09/20 29 September 2020 - read more + Oxford launches new principles for credible carbon offsetting Researchers from across the University of Oxford, led by Ben Caldecott and Eli Mitchell-Larson, have launched new carbon offsetting principles to ensure the 'net' in net zero is credible. The guidelines provide a key resource for the design and delivery of rigorous voluntary net zero commitments by government, cities and companies around the world.
- 25/09/20 25 September 2020 - read more + Wildfires, hurricanes and vanishing sea ice: the climate crisis is here Scientists warn extreme, weather-related events around the world show the economic and social costs of a warming planet, writes the Financial Times. With comment from Friederike Otto, associate director of the ECI: 'Where we really see the clearest and biggest sign of climate change is in extreme temperatures.'
- 22/09/20 22 September 2020 - read more + Meet Professor Michael Obersteiner, Director of the ECI From September 2020 Michael Obersteiner will become Director of the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford. Prof Obersteiner will assume 80% of the Directorship, working closely with Dr Friederike Otto, who will now step into the role of Associate Director, with oversight of ECI's communications and strategic research direction. Read on to learn about Michael's new role, research interests and hobbies - including plans to paraglide over the Farmoor reservoir.
- 18/09/20 18 September 2020 - read more + Trash talk: 'no time to waste' Alexis McGivern, Environmental Change and Management MPhil at the ECI, studies trash. More specifically, the environmental justice implications of waste management interventions. In this article for the Oxford Science Blog, Alexis highlights some of her recent research, published in the journal Science, exploring the worrying gap between global commitments and current levels of plastic pollution.
- 15/09/20 15 September 2020 - read more + Why Working From Home Makes More Sense Than Ever: Lessons From The Lockdown Philipp Grünewald, ECI's deputy director of energy research, contributes to this article from Forbes. His research has found that during the UK's COVID-19 lockdown, more people working from home reduced the large peaks in electricity usage seen in the evenings, pre-lockdown. Read on to find out why this change is good news from the energy perspective.
- 12/09/20 12 September 2020 - read more + Bending the curve of biodiversity loss A new report, published in Nature, identifies two key areas for action to stop global biodiversity loss and 'bend the curve' towards recovery by 2050 or earlier - without jeopardising the achievement of other Sustainable Development Goals. The study calls for bold conservation and restoration efforts, alongside a transformation of the global food system. It forms a core part of WWF's Living Planet Report 2020, and authors include Michael Obersteiner, Director of the ECI.
- 11/09/20 11 September 2020 - read more + Nature-based solutions can help fight climate change, biodiversity loss A new report from Oxford's Nature-based Solutions Initiative and collaborators including the Environmental Change Institute has found that nature-based solutions are key to reducing climate change impacts such flooding, soil erosion and loss of food production. The report is the first systematic review of the evidence for using nature-based interventions from around the world and investigates nearly 400 scientific studies.
- 10/09/20 10 September 2020 - read more + ECI contributes to WWF's Living Planet Report 2020 Global wildlife populations have plummeted more than two-thirds in less than 50 years, according to a new report from WWF. The Living Planet update comes alongside a study co-authored by more than 40 NGOs and academic institutions, including ECI's new Director Michael Obersteiner, that lays out ways of arresting and reversing nature loss by 2050.
- 09/09/20 09 September 2020 - read more + Greenhouse gases hit new record despite lockdowns, UN says A new report shows concentrations of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere hit a record high this year, despite an economic slowdown amid the coronavirus pandemic. As CO2 levels increase, so too does global temperature. Friederike Otto comments that society is not yet ready or able to adapt to the weather extremes made more likely and intense by climate change.
- 25/08/20 25 August 2020 - read more + Climate change after COVID-19: Harder to defeat politically, easier to tackle economically A column in VoxEU draws on a new research paper, 'Five Lessons from COVID-19 for Advancing Climate Change Mitigation' from a team including Franziska Funke, Linus Mattauch and Brian O'Callaghan at the ECI and Smith School. It argues that the current pandemic is an opportunity to understand where the real challenges lie for progression on climate action - in garnering political will and public support.
- 19/08/20 19 August 2020 - read more + Why you should go animal-free: 18 arguments for eating meat debunked Damian Carrington at the Guardian investigates the compelling environmental and health evidence for a plant-based diet. Featuring research and comment from across the University of Oxford, including from ECI researchers Joseph Poore and Tara Garnett.
- 14/08/20 14 August 2020 - read more + 5 economists redefining... everything. Oh yes, and they're women. Forbes investigates five female economists revolutionising their fields by questioning the meaning of everything from value and debt to growth and GDP. The story features Kate Raworth, Senior Research Associate and lecturer at the ECI, and author of 'Doughnut Economics'. Her work challenges traditional measures of growth and GDP, and focuses on sustainable development within planetary boundaries.
- 11/08/20 11 August 2020 - read more + The Economist: Siberia's heatwave would not have happened without climate change This year's Arctic heatwave has had far-reaching consequences, writes the Economist, from shrinking sea ice, to wildfires, to a massive oil spill. Friederike Otto, co-lead of the World Weather Attribution initiative, discusses the game-changing impact of climate change on this extreme weather.
- 08/08/20 08 August 2020 - read more + Pandemic leaves Amazon more vulnerable than ever Channel News Asia reports on the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, who have seen their lands ravaged by illegal deforestation, industrial farming, mining, oil exploration and unlawful occupation. Now, the coronavirus pandemic and forest fire season amplify these challenges and pose further threats. With comment from Erika Berenguer, ecosystems researcher at the ECI, on deforestation in the Amazon.
- 05/08/20 05 August 2020 - read more + New report puts England's Economic Heartland in pole position for transport decarbonisation by 2050 A new study by the University of Oxford and University of Southampton provides an evidence base for the England's Economic Heartland (EEH) Draft Transport Strategy. It maps the EEH road and rail transport network and uses advanced modelling to demonstrate a variety of 'pathways' EEH could take to achieve a net zero carbon transport system by 2050.
- 03/08/20 03 August 2020 - read more + How Climate Science Moved Online Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the April 2020 meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was held online for this first time. Lisa Schipper, social scientist at the ECI and coordinating author of an IPCC report chapter about climate resilient development options, spoke to NPR about the challenges associated with working from home, particularly for female researchers.
- 02/08/20 02 August 2020 - read more + Scientists and environmental groups 'alarmed' by huge rise in Amazon wildfires New data from Brazil's space research agency INPE has revealed that there were 28 percent more fires in the Amazon rainforest this July compared with the same time last year. Commenting on this study for NBC news, ecosystems researcher Erika Berenguer said that since July is just the start of the usual burning season, the rest of the season is likely to very intense. [Extensive coverage elsewhere]
- 30/07/20 30 July 2020 - read more + Financial Times: Rise in coastal flooding poses threat to global economy Jim Hall comments on a new study that finds coastal flooding is set to rise by about 50 per cent over the next 80 years and could threaten assets worth 20 per cent of global GDP. He cautions that the thorny questions of what standard coastal communities will need to be protected in future, and whether that is affordable, are not yet addressed.
- 28/07/20 28 July 2020 - read more + Five questions about Ethiopia's controversial Nile dam The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Africa's biggest hydropower project - has fuelled tensions with downstream nations for nearly a decade. Ethiopia's neighbours, including Egypt and Sudan, worry the dam will restrict vital water supplies. This article from AP includes comment from Dr Kevin Wheeler, who studies the dam and supports development in the region. [Extensive coverage elsewhere]
- 27/07/20 27 July 2020 - read more + Dr Raghav Pant Highly Commended in the 2020 Vice-Chancellor Innovation Awards Congratulations to Dr Raghav Pant (Senior Research Associate, Environmental Change Institute) who has been Highly Commended in the Early Career category of the Vice-Chancellor Innovation Awards 2020 for his work on 'New modelling tools to help governments and decisions makers minimise the risks from infrastructure failures'
- 22/07/20 22 July 2020 - read more + We still don't know if warmer weather slows down the spread of COVID-19 In a new analysis, a team of researchers from Oxford's Smith School, Environmental Change Institute, Institute for New Economic Thinking and Martin School highlight key limitations of available data, concluding that it is currently impossible to know whether more people contract COVID-19 in hot or cold weather. [Extensive media coverage including the Daily Mail, the Telegraph, and the Independent]
- 16/07/20 16 July 2020 - read more + That Siberian Heat Wave? Yes, Climate Change Was a Big Factor 2020's record-breaking 38 degree heatwave in Siberia would have been all but impossible without human influence on climate change, reports the New York Times. Dr Friederike Otto and the World Weather Attribution team found that global warming made this year's long hot spell 600 times more likely. [Extensive media coverage included BBC, CNN, Guardian, Economist, FT, Washington Post, Daily Mail, Metro UK, USA Today]
- 15/07/20 15 July 2020 - read more + Reducing the carbon footprint of academic travel post COVID-19 Prior to the global pandemic, researchers identified an uncomfortable truth: the very meetings and events meant to support the fight against climate change were themselves causing vast greenhouse gas emissions through international air travel. Building on learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of Oxford researchers have identified new measures, published this week in the journal Nature, that may reduce the carbon footprint of conference travel by up to 90%.
- 08/07/20 08 July 2020 - read more + A view on climate change from the treetops of Western Africa The tropical forest canopy is one of the Earth's underexplored frontiers. To understand how these unique environments respond to climate change a team from the Ecosystems Lab at the University of Oxford and partner institutes in Ghana gathered evidence from the treetops, finding drier forests are at greater risk. This University of Oxford science blog post explores what it's like to do research and fieldwork in this unique part of the world.
- 03/07/20 03 July 2020 - read more + Dry tropical forests may be more at risk than wet rainforests Dry tropical forests are more vulnerable to the impacts of global warming than had been thought, according to new research from ECI's Ecosystems group, with wildlife and plants at severe risk of harm from human impacts. A new study, published in Nature Communications, found that areas with a drier climate have seen greater loss of biodiversity from global warming, the Guardian reports.
- 01/07/20 01 July 2020 - read more + Pioneering food systems teaching programme steps into the virtual sphere In response to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, the Interdisciplinary Food Systems Teaching and Learning (IFSTAL) programme held its first online summer school to resounding success at the end of June 2020. IFSTAL is coordinated by the Food Systems Transformation Group within the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford.
- 12/06/20 12 June 2020 - read more + Accounting for the impacts of our food As society grapples with the urgency and complexity of transforming the global food system, it is crucial to understand the true costs of the food we eat. A new report, Valuing the Impact of Food, provides a pathway towards costing the true impact of getting food on our plates, include diet-related disease, poverty and use of natural resources. Led by Steven Lord, the report is part of the Food System Impact Valuation Initiative (FoodSIVI).
- 28/05/20 28 May 2020 - read more + Social Sciences Division awards over £210,000 to projects addressing social, economic, cultural, and environmental impacts of COVID-19 The Division's Urgent Response Fund has awarded over £210,000 to 18 projects across the University, including projects led by Prof Cameron Hepburn and Dr Phil Grünewald, to support immediate impact and engagement work relating to the economic, social, cultural and environmental dimensions of the global COVID-19 crisis.
- 25/05/20 25 May 2020 - read more + Rethinking water for SDG 6 The world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation by 2030. Writing in Nature Sustainability, Edoardo Borgomeo, honorary research associate at the ECI, urges a rapid change of the economics, engineering and management frameworks that guided water policy and investments in the past in order to address the water challenges of our time.
- 20/05/20 20 May 2020 - read more + Guardian: UK infrastructure 'under threat from climate breakdown' Energy networks, water utilities, communications, transport and other essential services are all at risk due to flooding, heatwaves and other climate change impacts in the UK. A new report from the National Infrastructure Commission features work from ECI's Raghav Pant, Tom Russell, Conrad Zorn, Edward Oughton and Jim Hall, and urges the government to explore plans for resilient infrastructure. [Report: bit.ly/2ZMUebF]
- 20/05/20 20 May 2020 - read more + 'Dust bowl' heatwaves now more than twice as likely due to climate change Record-breaking temperatures across the US Great Plains during the Dust Bowl 1930s were caused by long-lasting and intense heatwaves. New research finds that the US is now at least 2.5 times more likely to experience a Dust Bowl-level heatwave than it was in the 1930s. Coverage included the Guardian, Forbes and the Daily Mail.
- 19/05/20 19 May 2020 - read more + PM's Council for Science and Technology Jim Hall, Professor of Climate and Environmental Risks, has been appointed to the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology. The CST advises 10 Downing Street on science and technology policy issues across government.
- 18/05/20 18 May 2020 - read more + Electric bikes could help people return to work The BBC covers a new report from CREDS UK, led by Nick Eyre, exploring how electric bikes can help people get to work safely, and in an environmentally and economically sustainable way, during coronavirus.
- 15/05/20 15 May 2020 - read more + Oxford's 'JoyMeter' app captures impact of lockdown on energy consumption A team of researchers at the ECI have released a survey app dedicated to gathering data on UK households' energy usage during the COVID-19 crisis. The project is led by Philip Grunwald, the Deputy Director of Energy research at the ECI.
- 11/05/20 11 May 2020 - read more + Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon surges as criminals exploit the COVID-19 pandemic and destroy record amounts of endangered rainforest Deforestation of the Amazon has soared in recent months as South America battles the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Last month, an area almost four times the size of Paris was destroyed as 156 square miles of rainforest wilderness was razed, reports the Daily Mail, with comment from Erika Berenguer, researcher in the ECI Ecosystems group.
- 10/05/20 10 May 2020 - read more + More than a blame game Assessing how climate change affects extreme weather can improve climate science itself. This article in The conversation from Fredi Otto, acting director of the ECI, explains rapid attribution science and how it helps us to see, understand and better predict the impacts of global warming.
- 07/05/20 07 May 2020 - read more + Environmental activism goes digital in lockdown... but could it change the movement for good? April 22 marked the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, and a few days later a global school strike was being organised by Fridays for Future. But after months of careful planning, both events were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic - so they went online instead. In this article for The Conversation, William Finnegan looks at the future of environmental activism.
- 02/05/20 02 May 2020 - read more + Halve the farmland, save nature, feed the world Scientists have demonstrated that humans could restore roughly half the planet as a natural home for all wildlife, while at the same time feeding a growing population and limiting climate change. The new Nature Sustainability paper is from Michael Obersteiner, incoming director at the ECI.
- 28/04/20 28 Apr 2020 - read more + Insects... the little things that run the world Insects, those creepy crawlies with six legs that some people love and others hate, are the little things that run the world. In a new blog post, Cecilia Dahlsjö looks at why insects are so key for the planet. The post introduces a special issue of Biotropica on the future of tropical invertebrate research.
- 27/04/20 27 Apr 2020 - read more + Meteorologists say 2020 on course to be hottest year since records began Although the global lockdown due to coronavirus has lowered emissions, scientists including Doctor Karsten Haustein say that longer-term changes are needed, but that the pandemic could be a catalyst for more sustainable means of living.
- 22/04/20 22 Apr 2020 - read more + Food policy innovation in the COVID-19 crisis Saher Hasnain, postdoctoral researcher and coordinator for the Foresight4Food Initiative, writes the first post in a series of reflection pieces and commentaries on food policy innovation in the COVID-19 crisis.
- 15/04/20 15 Apr 2020 - read more + Mapped: How climate change affects extreme weather around the world A new map from Carbon Brief collates the numerous studies that look at the potential link between climate change and extreme weather such as floods, heatwaves, droughts and storms. For the first time, the map includes the rapid attribution studies carried out by Friederike Otto and the World Weather Attribution team.
- 09/04/20 09 Apr 2020 - read more + Amsterdam to embrace 'doughnut' model to mend post-coronavirus economy The 'doughnut' economic model developed by Kate Raworth, researcher and advisory board member at the Environmental Change Institute, has been adopted by Amsterdam as the guiding policy to rebuild and mend the economy post-coronavirus.
- 08/04/20 08 April 2020 - read more + ECI partners with the United Nations on sustainable infrastructure Billions of dollars are being invested in infrastructure, and more is now being planned to help recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Launching a new joint initiative led by Jim Hall, UN leaders highlight how important it is that this infrastructure contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals.
- 07/04/20 07 April 2020 - read more + Homeschooling during coronavirus: five ways to teach children about climate change As schools have closed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, many families are finding themselves thrust into homeschooling. William Finnegan, PhD candidate in the Environmental Change Institute's Energy program, offers lessons from the emerging field of climate change education on how to teach learners of all ages.
- 06/04/20 06 April 2020 - read more + Coronavirus may slow long-term climate action There has been a short-term reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as a consequence of measures aimed at limiting the spread of Covid-19. However, after recovery from the current crisis we will still be facing the same policy challenges for meeting our climate targets, and there is real danger that climate action might be delayed, explains Dr Linus Mattauch to Argus media.
- 05/04/20 05 April 2020 - read more + The world will recover from coronavirus - but unless we learn from the pandemic, it won't recover from climate change ECI researchers Kaya Axelsson and Eli Mitchell-Larson provide a perspective on climate change and Covid-19 in the Independent. "Mitigating the effects of the coronavirus pandemic should unequivocally be our top priority right now. But as we emerge from the pandemic, we have the opportunity to begin preparing in earnest for a larger threat: climate change."
- 04/04/20 04 April 2020 - read more + Finalist for the Guardian University Awards 2020 The University of Oxford's #TruePlanet campaign, which featured researchers from across the School of Geography and the Environment, has been selected as a finalist in the Guardian's annual awards. The campaign, which highlighted Oxford's global research on climate, energy, food, water, waste and biodiversity, is shortlisted in the category of marketing and communications.
- 14/03/20 14 Mar 2020 - read more + Five tough questions to ask about reaching net zero climate targets Anyone setting a net zero target - and the citizens, activists, consumers, and investors holding them to account - should be considering these 5 key challenges, explain physical and social scientists Myles Allen, Thomas Hale, Tim Kruger, Stephen Smith and Kaya Axelsson in the Independent.
- 13/05/20 13 March 2020 - read more + Can rationing carbon help fight climate change? Dr Tina Fawcett, senior researcher in ECI's Energy Group, comments on personal carbon allowances including potential issues around equitability for poorer households in this article from recently launched 'BBC Future Planet', a new initiative dedicated to the environment.
- 11/05/20 11 March 2020 - read more + Brazil's Amazonian Battle Dr Erika Berenguer discusses the impact of deforestation on the Amazon rainforest and global carbon emissions in episode 3 of "Politics of Climate Change", an investigative documentary from Channel News Asia. [Watch from minute 9:00]
- 09/03/20 09 March 2020 - read more + Climate change: What is the future of our food? Dr Monika Zurek and Dr Jim Woodhill, from the Food Systems Group at ECI, join the University of Oxford Futuremakers podcast to discuss the the future of food: from global warming and the impact of diet on carbon footprint, to lab-grown meat and new technologies that may make our food supply more adaptable and robust. #TruePlanet
- 05/05/20 05 March 2020 - read more + Climate change made Australia's fire season 30% more likely The new rapid attribution study was co-authored by Australian scientists as well as Dr Friederike Otto and World Weather Attribution. They concluded the results were highly conservative, and that weather conditions that make fires more likely will continue to worsen. Extensive coverage included Nature News, BBC, New Scientist.
- 04/05/20 04 March 2020 - read more + Climate change and flooding on BBC Radio 4 In the wake of storms and flooding across the UK, Jim Hall, Professor of Climate and Environmental Risk, discusses potential policies for UK coastal communities that are under threat due to climate change. [Listen from 20:50]
- 29/02/20 29 Feb 2020 - read more + Cultivating a connected food system in Davos Dr Monika Zurek from the ECI's Food System Transformation Group was invited to present her work as an 'Idea Giver' at the World Economic Forum 2020 (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. Dr Zurek's work explores food and nutrition security outcomes, options for change and potential trade-offs.
- 27/02/20 27 Feb 2020 - read more + When will the Amazon hit a tipping point? Scientists say climate change, deforestation and fires could cause the world's largest rainforest to dry out and change to savannah. Erika Berenguer comments on the impact of fire on the Amazon ecosystem in this news article from Nature.
- 26/02/20 26 Feb 2020 - read more + MIT Tech Review 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2020 Climate change attribution, a growing area of research that allows scientists to understand climate change's role in extreme weather, has been named one of Tech Review's top breakthroughs of 2020. This research is led by World Weather Attribution, based in the Environmental Change Institute and led by acting director Dr Fredi Otto.
- 24/02/20 24 Feb 2020 - read more + Going vegan with BBC Good Food This in-depth article explores how a vegan diet can be better for the environment and investigates the impact of 'Veganuary'. Featuring research from Joseph Poore and comment from Helen Beecham of the Food Climate Research Network (FCRN).
- 21/02/20 21 Feb 2020 - read more + World-class energy research to drive a net zero future As a step towards achieving the UK's net-zero target, funding announced this week will enable engineers, social scientists and natural scientists to conduct vital research on global energy challenges and their implications for the UK. The fourth phase of the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) will receive £22 million and Dr Christian Brand will co-lead its 'Energy for Mobility' research theme.
- 19/02/20 19 Feb 2020 - read more + Prof Myles Allen's scientific life profiled on BBC Radio 4 On 'The Life Scientific' Myles Allen tells Jim Al-Khalili how our ability to predict climate change has evolved from the early days, when scientists had to rely on the combined computing power of hundreds of thousands of personal computers. He sheds light on how the IPCC works and explains why, he believes, fossil fuel industries must be forced to clean up the carbon dioxide that they emit - a plausible solution, he says, to the "deeply solvable problem" of human-induced climate change.
- 09/02/20 09 Feb 2020 - read more + Climate Assembly UK Nick Eyre joined the UK's first nationwide citizens' assembly on climate change to provide expert information on heat and energy use in the home. Five other members of the Oxford-led Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDs) also provided advice. Climate Assembly UK brings together over 100 members from all walks of life and of all shades of opinion to discuss how the UK should achieve net zero.
- 07/02/20 07 Feb 2020 - read more + Home Truths Report UK homes are under threat from climate change, including increases in the frequency and severity of extreme weather like heat waves, flooding and storms. A new report from the Climate Coalition and the Priestley International Centre for Climate Change features a chapter from Friederike Otto describing the impact that climate change is already having on UK weather and homes.
- 06/02/20 06 Feb 2020 - read more + Save the giants, save the planet Habitat loss, hunting, logging and climate change have put many of the world's largest and most charismatic species at risk. But a new study from Yadvinder Malhi and the University of Arizona has found that protecting megafauna such as elephants, rhinos and whales - and large trees like sequoias - has a disproportionate positive impact on the health of the planet and resilience to climate change.
- 05/02/20 05 Feb 2020 - read more + Could your idea tip the climate change balance? The world isn't moving fast enough to stop global warming. But what if a small change could trigger outsized impacts? Submit your 'runaway solution' to global warming for a chance to win 1000 euros and pitch your winning idea to a team at the University of Oxford.
- 31/01/20 31 Jan 2020 - read more + Spotlight on Research: mapping the hidden values of Bicester's green spaces Take a look at the first feature in our new series in which we speak to researchers about their current projects. ECI ecosystems researcher Alison Smith explains her work to create a toolkit to help Bicester's urban planners map 'green infrastructure' and deliver their vision of a garden town and healthy new town.
- 31/01/20 31 Jan 2020 - read more + Nature launches new food journal Volume 1 Issue 1 of the new Nature Food journal features two articles from ECI. John Ingram discusses why nutrition security is more than food security, and the wider Interdisciplinary Food Systems Teaching And Learning (IFSTAL) team highlight their unique approach to equip graduate professionals with the skills, tools and capabilities to better understand and manage food-system complexity.
- 31/01/20 31 Jan 2020 - read more + Beyond 1 trillion trees: understanding the values and limits of nature-based solutions Done wrong, tree-planting could hurt people and the environment. A new paper provides much-needed clarity on the potential and challenges of this and other 'nature-based solutions'. It features as part of a thematic issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society focused on the interaction between ecosystems and climate change - with cover image from Dr Cecile Girardin.
- 29/01/20 29 January 2020 - read more + New visions for the future of small-scale farming Small scale farming is directly connected to the livelihoods of 40% of the world's population. A new report from ECI's Food Systems Transformation Programme explores the future of small-scale farms in our changing global food systems. It finds that current measures such as subsidies and price support schemes are often ineffective, and fail to tackle the deeper and longer-term structural challenges of transforming small-scale agriculture.
- 28/01/20 28 Jan 2020 - read more + Rewilding the Arctic could stop permafrost thaw and reduce climate change risks A new paper from the School of Geography and the Environment, and the Environmental Change Institute, suggests that wide-scale introduction of large herbivores to the Arctic tundra could be an economically viable way of restoring the 'mammoth steppe' grassland ecosystem and mitigating global warming.
- 31/12/19 31 December 2019 - read more + Best of Today Kate Raworth, Senior Research Associate at ECI and creator of Doughnut Economics, joined BBC Radio 4 Today for a special programme guest-edited by climate activist Greta Thunberg. The feature also included Greta's first discussion with Sir David Attenborough.
- 21/12/19 21 December 2019 - read more + The UN climate talks ended in deadlock. Is this really the best the world can manage? Opinion piece in the Guardian on the disappointing outcome of COP25 from journalist Aruna Chandrasekhar, currently on the MSc in Environmental Change Management. "But dysfunctional as they are, COPs are perhaps the only international legal forum that are partly open to observers to witness geopolitics and global call-out culture first-hand. And it's those witnesses - all of us - who must apply the pressure," writes Aruna.
- 20/12/19 20 December 2019 - read more + Nature's 10 Ecologist Sandra Díaz, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and visiting Professor at ECI Oxford, has been named as one of Nature's ten people who mattered in science in 2019. "We cannot live a fulfilling life, a life as we know it, without nature," Diaz says. "And if economies continue to run in such a destructive way, a new economic model is needed for nature and people."
- 16/12/19 16 December 2019 - read more + Changing risks of simultaneous global breadbasket failure What does climate change mean for our global food system? New research from Franziska Gaupp, Simon Dadson and Jim Hall finds that climate shocks increase the risk that multiple global breadbaskets fail at the same time. Coverage of this and related University of Oxford research in the Washington Post explains, "Extreme weather patterns are raising the risk of a global food crisis, and climate change will make this worse." The research is published in Nature Climate Change.
- 11/12/19 11 December 2019 - read more + Icebound - the climate change secrets of 19th Century ships' logbooks 'Old Weather' is a group of citizen-scientists that includes Joan Arthur, Office Coordinator at ECI. They have transcribed millions of observations from long-forgotten logbooks of ships, many from the great era of Arctic exploration. As the polar regions grow ever warmer, the volunteers have amassed a rich repository of climate data in a 21st century rescue mission. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Andrew Marshall investigates in a special report for Reuters.
- 10/12/19 10 December 2019 - read more + Solving climate change... nature or technology? The University of Oxford's Futuremakers #TruePlanet podcast has had over 100,000 listens and is the top-ranked nature podcast globally. Join Helen Gavin, Jim Hall and Nathalie Seddon as they debate technology-led and nature-based climate change solutions.
- 08/12/19 08 December 2019 - read more + Global heating plus inequality is a recipe for chaos - just look at Chile Dr Maisa Rojas is scientific coordinator for the COP25 climate summit, director of Chile's Centre for Climate and Resilience Research, and a visiting professor at the Environmental Change Institute. In this op-ed for the Guardian she explores the social unrest that forced COP25 to move from Santiago to Madrid and the impacts of climate change on inequality. She reminds us: only if social demands are met will ambitious and rapid climate action be feasible.
- 04/12/19 04 December 2019 - read more + Climate change - who should we sue? To date, there have been climate change legal cases in at least 28 countries. From Greta Thunberg leading a group of young people in filing a lawsuit against five countries at the UN, to the Hague Court of Appeals upholding a historic ruling against the Dutch government, increasing numbers of people are taking legal action together to demand governments do more. Fredi Otto and Myles Allen joined the University of Oxford's #TruePlanet podcast to discuss what this rise in litigious climate action means for society as we race to meet climate targets.
- 03/12/19 03 December 2019 - read more + Don't hate, mitigate Dr Friederike Otto, Acting Director of the ECI, talks to Quartz about the need for climate change solutions that marry mitigation (reducing fossil fuel emissions for the long term) and adaptation (actions that protect existing communities and infrastructure now). "One way to reimagine how to tackle climate change is to put people at the heart", she explains. "It's then easier to come up with win-win solutions."
- 02/12/19 02 December 2019 - read more + Key countries need to turn up political momentum at COP25 The UN Climate Summit, also known as COP 25, will take place in Madrid from Dec 2 to 13 2019. Dr Lisa Schipper is attending the summit, and was interviewed live on CNA (Breaking News Asia and Singapore) to share her views on the summit, the need for a just transition, and crucial agenda items including Article 6 (carbon markets) and ongoing negotiations on loss and damage.
- 30/11/19 30 November 2019 - read more + Brazilian government claim that Amazon fires this summer were 'normal' disproved by scientists New research from Dr Erika Berenguer and colleagues showed that the August fires in the Amazon rainforest were linked to a sharp increase in deforestation."Our paper clearly shows that without tackling deforestation, we will continue to see the largest rainforest in the world being turned to ashes," explained Erika. Extensive coverage included O Globo, the largest newspaper in Brazil, BBC World and Newsweek.
- 22/11/19 22 November 2019 - read more + New research identifies sustainable infrastructure choices for Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge Arc The Oxford University-led Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC) has developed globally unique methods for simulating future population, housing growth and demand for infrastructure services. They have deployed these methods in new research to inform the Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge Arc - one of the UK's largest housing and transport projects. The report provides a preliminary analysis of key questions across travel time, carbon footprint, water usage, housing developments, pollution and environmental impact.
- 13/11/19 13 November 2019 - read more + Only 1 in 10 of the world's largest energy companies have made plans to get to net-zero emissions Just 13 out of the largest 132 coal, electricity, and oil and gas companies have made commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, according to research published today by the Grantham Research Institute (LSE), the Oxford Martin School, and the Transition Pathway Initiative. Authors Rupert Stuart-Smith and Cameron Hepburn are also affiliated with the Smith School and ECI.
- 07/11/19 07 November 2019 - read more + Financial Times: Clear labels and innovation turn white goods green Innovation in the design and efficiency of fridges, kettles, washing machines and other appliances is one of the positive environmental stories of recent decades, but there is still room to improve. Researchers from the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment and the Environmental Change Institute feature in the Financial Times Special Report on Energy Efficiency.
- 31/10/19 31 October 2019 - read more + Carbon emissions from loss of intact tropical forest a 'ticking time bomb' When undisturbed tropical forests are lost the long-term impact on carbon emissions is dramatically higher than earlier estimates suggest, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances. Co-authors include Dr Alexandra Morel and Professor Yadvinder Malhi from the ECI. There is an urgent need to safeguard tropical forests because they play an indispensable role in stabilizing the climate, the authors told Mongabay.
- 29/10/19 29 October 2019 - read more + Oxford #TruePlanet podcast features researchers from across the School of Geography and the Environment Climate change may be the issue that comes to define our time - but it's a hugely complex problem. The University of Oxford's Futuremakers podcast is the 'fly on the wall' to the debates between academics and leading experts from around the world on what, and how, climate action should be taken. Join researchers from across the School of Geography as they explore the existential threats from climate change, and how we can help to prevent them.
- 28/10/19 28 October 2019 - read more + nina.draws.scientists x ECI Instagram illustrator Nina Chhita draws trailblazing scientists (that happen to be women). A new collaboration with the University of Oxford #TruePlanet campaign highlights research from the ECI including: 🌍How to feed the world whilst mitigating climate change 🌍Opportunities for households to become more energy efficient 🌍The impact of climate change on health 🌍How humans are influencing extreme weather. Pictured: Dr Saher Hasnain (Foresight4Food), Dr Tara Garnett (Food Climate Research Network)
- 20/10/19 20 October 2019 - read more + Pioneering food systems teaching programme reaches fifth year University of Oxford students from a wide range of disciplines attended the launch of the Interdisciplinary Food Systems Teaching and Learning (IFSTAL) programme as it entered its fifth year. The programme aims to help address the systemic failings in food systems which have resulted in about one billion people being hungry, two billion lacking sufficient nutrients and over two billion overweight or obese - all while also causing significant environmental degradation. With over 1,400 students engaged to date, IFSTAL's alumni network is already having an influence as former students take on roles in the global food system.
- 18/10/19 18 Oct 2019 - read more + SoGE climate research well represented at the first African Climate Risks Conference Dr Ellen Dyer, Dr Callum Munday, Dr Rachel James, Dr Richard Jones, Dr Katrina Charles and Professor Richard Washington, all from the School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE), presented results from five large NERC and DFID funded current research projects (REACH, UMFULA, IMPALA, FRACTAL and LaunchPad) in 20 papers at the first African Climate Risks Conference in early October.
- 27/09/19 27 September 2019 - read more + Storm Imelda twice as likely, ten to fifteen percent stronger, due to climate change Just as for Hurricane Harvey, the extreme rainfall and flooding caused by Tropical Storm Imelda was made more likely and intense due to global warming concludes a rapid analysis from international science partnership World Weather Attribution. Dr Friederike Otto, acting director of ECI, is one of WWA's lead scientists.
- 26/09/19 26 Sep 2019 - read more + Oxford evidence used in Government report recommending more ambitious clean growth policies In addition to bringing forward the proposed ban on sales of new conventional cars and vans to 2035 at the latest, the report suggests that the ban should explicitly cover hybrid EV as well as internal combustion engine vehicles. The ECI's and TSU's Christian Brand led the detailed analysis, cited as evidence for this recommendation.
- 23/09/19 23 September 2019 - read more + Landmark science report informs United Nations Climate Action Summit 2019 There are large and growing gaps between agreed targets to halt global warming and the actions being taken to implement them, reveals a new report synthesising the latest science from leading climate organisations. Dr Lisa Schipper, Environmental Social Science Research Fellow at ECI, contributed to the United in Science report as a member of the UN Climate Action Summit science advisory group.
- 20/09/19 20 September 2019 - read more + Global Climate Strike 2019 On 20th September climate and energy scientists from the School of Geography and Environment attended the youth-led climate strike in Oxford, answering questions and sharing the latest research on net zero, mitigation, clean energy, reducing demand, attribution and more. Around 10,000 people attended the strike in Oxford, joining an estimated 4 million people worldwide.
- 19/09/19 19 September 2019 - read more + Making maths relevant to the climate strikes One of the key demands of the UK's school climate-strike movement is that more attention is paid to climate change in the curriculum. To help address this, ECI researchers have worked with students to write new GCSE and A-level maths practice questions that help to integrate climate change into the school curriculum. Teachers are invited to use this resource and all feedback is welcome.
- 17/09/19 17 September 2019 - read more + ECI to provide expert advice to the UK's first citizens assembly on climate change In September 2019 Oxford will be the first UK city to hold a citizens assembly on climate change, following a unanimous declaration of a climate emergency by the City Council. Myles Allen and Nick Eyre of the ECI will join the assembly to provide expert advice on climate science and clean energy. Citizens' assemblies on climate and ecological justice are a key demand of the Extinction Rebellion movement.
- 12/09/19 12 September 2019 - read more + Highlights: The net-zero climate change conference in Oxford Didn't get a chance to attend the "Achieving Net Zero" conference in Oxford? Read this comprehensive summary from Carbon Brief, or watch the complete livestream on the Environmental Change Institute YouTube channel. Over 160 science and policy researchers, energy experts, members of government, activists and industry representatives attended the conference, with over 400 viewers tuning in online.
- 09/09/19 09 September 2019 - read more + Oxford climate change conference ramps up efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions Community leaders join academics from the University of Oxford and around the world at the Achieving Net Zero conference, 9-11 September, to discuss opportunities, challenges and pathways for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming. The conference is hosted by the Environmental Change Institute and Oxford Martin School and sponsored by the University of Oxford and the Victoria University of Wellington.
- 30/08/19 30 August 2019 - read more + #PrayforAmazonas "The Amazon rainforest is not the lungs of the world. But there are many reasons it must still be protected." Al Jazeera interviews ECI ecosystems scientist Dr Erika Berenguer, who has worked in the Amazon for the past twelve years. Extensive coverage elsewhere includes BBC News World, BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio 4 and New Scientist.
- 27/08/19 27 August 2019 - read more + Amazon rainforest fires: top ten questions answered Swathes of the Amazon rainforest are burning at a record rate, with many of the fires believed to be started deliberately. Professor Yadvinder Malhi, ecosystems scientist and Director of the Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests, spoke to the BBC to help answer readers' questions about this complex issue. Extensive coverage elsewhere includes the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, National Geographic, BBC Mundo and Der Politiken.
- 20/08/19 20 August 2019 - read more + How governments can transform food systems under climate change Food systems have a key role to play in mitigating climate change and are at the same time highly vulnerable to its impacts. Dr Monika Zurek has contributed to a new working paper outlining policy options to deliver sustainable, equitable global systems capable of meeting food and nutrition needs while mitigating global warming.
- 16/08/19 16 August 2019 - read more + Risk to the British railway network from flooding and erosion at bridges Scour (localised erosion by water) can cause substantial damage to bridges, leading to transport disruption and safety risks. A new probabilistic analysis with partners including JBA Trust, Lancaster University and ITRC-Mistral shows the risk of bridge scour equates to an average of 8.2 million passenger journeys being "lost" annually.
- 13/08/19 13 August 2019 - read more + Estimating global exposure and risk of transport networks to natural disasters Adding resilience to transport planning could reduce worldwide damages by up to 60% and save billions of dollars, finds new research on the impact of natural hazard events on global road and rail infrastructure. The study, published in Nature Communications, was led by Dr Elco Koks of the ECI and the UK Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC-Mistral).
- 5/08/19 5 August 2019 - read more + How much warmer is your city? ECI climate scientists have contributed to a new data visualisation and interactive tool from the BBC. Find out how the temperature in 1,000 major cities has changed and how much it could increase by in the coming years.
- 4/08/19 4 August 2019 - read more + Pathways to sustainable land-use and food systems It is possible to achieve sustainable land-use and food systems, concludes a new report from the Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-Use and Energy (FABLE) Consortium. Countries must address three pillars for action: efficient and resilient agriculture systems, conservation and restoration of biodiversity, and food security and healthy diets.
- 3/08/19 3 August 2019 - read more + The future of carbon pricing: Consultation response A standalone carbon trading scheme for UK domestic emissions would be the worst post-Brexit outcome and a huge missed opportunity, concludes a joint submission to the UK Government on the future of carbon pricing from the Environmental Change Institute (Oxford), the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (Oxford) and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change (LSE).
- 02/08/19 2 August 2019 - read more + European heatwave made up to 100 times more likely due to climate change Record-breaking July 2019 heatwave would have been extremely unlikely without human-induced climate change in many parts of continental Europe, shows a near real-time analysis from World Weather Attribution and partners including Oxford's Environmental Change Institute.
- 01/08/19 1 August 2019 - read more + Professor Gillian Rose is the new Head of the School of Geography and the Environment Professor Gillian Rose is the third female Head of School, since the department's establishment by Halford John Mackinder in 1899. Gillian joined the School as Professor of Human Geography in 2017, moving from The Open University. She is a Professorial Fellow at St John's College, and has been elected a Fellow of the British Academy and Academy of Social Sciences.
- 19/07/19 19 July 2019 - read more + A message from climate scientist Myles Allen on #FridaysforFuture Myles says 'thank you' to strikers, explains why it's not too late to solve climate change and introduces the 'Achieving Net Zero' international conference and public talk happening in Oxford in September 2019. Watch the full video on YouTube.
- 15/07/19 15 July 2019 - read more + How the Amazon fights climate change "Trees take in carbon dioxide, locking huge amounts of carbon in the forest and keeping it out of the atmosphere," Erika Berenguer tells the BBC. To understand this process, she has been monitoring the same patch of rainforest for ten years. But now, deforestation threatens this unique ecosystem.
- 08/07/19 08 July 2019 - read more + Electric cars don't reduce congestion but bicycles can, argues first CREDs report New report from the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions recommends that the UK government shift policy focus from energy supply to demand, to meet net-zero targets and achieve co-benefits for society.
- 04/07/19 04 July 2019 - read more + Climate change made European heatwave at least five times likelier Near real-time analysis from Dr Fredi Otto, Acting Director of the ECI, shows human-induced climate change made record-breaking June 2019 heatwave five to 100 times more likely. Coverage included BBC, The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Mail, New Scientist and Scientific American.
- 26/06/19 26 June 2019 - read more + Long term study reveals public health benefits from air pollution reductions Policies to improve air quality in the UK over the past 40 years have led to significant reductions in air pollution and associated mortality rates, a new study led by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and involving Dr Clare Heaviside, senior research fellow at the ECI, has found.
- 24/06/19 24 June 2019 - read more + Disrupting the UK energy system: impacts and policy implications of getting to net-zero A new report outlines changes needed across four key areas of the economy to reach future carbon targets. Input from Dr Gavin Killip and Dr Christian Brand give an in-depth analysis of the construction and transport sectors, respectively.
- 18/06/2019 18 June 2019 - read more + Scientists discover, climb and describe the world's tallest tropical tree The tree was first spotted by researchers from the University of Nottingham, using an airborne Light Detection and Ranging Survey (LiDAR). ECI researchers and SEARRP partners then trekked out to Menara in August 2018 to conduct high-resolution 3D scans and drone flights, which have produced remarkable 3D visualisations of this amazing tree.
- 07/06/19 07 June 2019 - read more + Futures Thinking for Change: The Foresight4Food Initiative The ECI Food Systems Group is excited to launch an opportunity to join a collaborative platform focused on informing the food systems foresight agenda. Foresight4Food is a new initiative supporting enhanced foresight and scenario analysis for global food systems. Having successfully obtained seed funding (from the Open Society Foundations) to catalyse the Initiative, we are keen to share our progress and engage with the community.
- 03/06/19 3 June 2019 - read more + DPhil student working with the Government of St Lucia As part of a collaboration between the University of Oxford and the UN Office for Project Services, Lena Fuldauer (2018) is working with the government of St Lucia in order to implement cross-ministerial infrastructure systems planning. Read more about her work, spatially modelling the island's climate change hazards and impacts, in St Edmund Hall's research profile.
- 03/06/19 3 June 2019 - read more + Solar energy on island states Rhodes Scholar Kiron Neale discusses his doctoral research on solar energy, which has concluded in a book offer by Routledge. His book, on 'Mainstreaming Solar Energy in Small Tropical Islands: Cultural and Policy Implications', is due in 2020.
- 29/05/19 29 May 2019 - read more + Ruksana Rimi wins Commonwealth Scholarship Commission Best Journal Article Prize Ruksana was awarded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the Taylor and Francis Group for her article 'Risks of pre-monsoon extreme rainfall events of Bangladesh: is anthropogenic climate change playing a role?', published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society in December 2018.
- 29/05/19 29 May 2019 - read more + New research project seeks citizen scientists to explore Wild Gabon online Charles Emogor, an MSc student at the Environmental Change Institute has begun research to assess the population dynamics of large mammal communities in the forest-savannah mosaic of Gabon's Lopé National Park and to understand the interactions these animals have with the landscape.
- 24/05/19 24 May 2019 - read more + Global temperature change attributable to external factors, confirms new study In a new study, published in the Journal of Climate, researchers at the Environmental Change Institute have confirmed that slow-acting ocean cycles do not explain the long-term changes in global temperature over the last century. 'We can now say with confidence that human factors like greenhouse gas emissions and particulate pollution, along with year-to-year changes brought on by natural phenomenon like volcanic eruptions or the El Niño, are sufficient to explain virtually all of the long-term changes in temperature,' says study lead author Dr Karsten Haustein.
- 21/05/19 21 May 2019 - read more + Dr Michael Obersteiner joins leadership of ECI Dr Michael Obersteiner has been appointed director of ECI and joins the institute from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), where he is currently the Director of the Ecosystems Services and Management (ESM) Program. His phased start in the post will begin in October 2019.
- 20/05/19 20 May 2019 - read more + Ecosystems researchers support garden design for human well-being and biodiversity at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 Dr Pam Berry and Alison Smith have advised celebrated designers in their creation of 'The Savills and David Harber Garden' for this year's RHS Chelsea Flower show. The design seeks to create a beautiful, sustainable woodland clearing in a city garden and reflects the importance of keeping green spaces and nature in urban areas.
- 08/05/19 8 May 2019 - read more + Dr Pam Berry appointed by Defra Dr Pam Berry is one of six senior academic Fellows who will lead a new Systems Research Programme at Defra, looking at some of the UK's most pressing environmental issues to inform and shape future policy decisions. The Programme will focus on five key areas; Rural Land Use (which Pam will head), Food, Air Quality, Marine, and Resources and Waste.
- 29/04/2019 29 April 2019 - read more + Growing Greener project launches free online course for sustainable business champions The Growing Greener project is proud to partner with OpenLearn to launch a new course on 'Promoting sustainability in business: a values-based toolkit'. Co-written by Sam Hampton (ECI) and Richard Blundel (Open University Business School), the course helps anyone who wants to bring about change within Small- or Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
- 26/04/19 26 April 2019 - read more + Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable Prof Rob Whittaker, Dr Erika Berenguer and Dr Tara Garnett are amongst over 600 signatories to an open letter published in Science urging the EU to put human rights and the environment at the forefront of current trade negotiations with Brazil.
- 18/04/19 18 April 2019 - read more + Why protesters should be wary of '12 years to climate breakdown' rhetoric Prof Myles Allen, the relevant lead author of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, explains in an article in the Conversation why protesters should be wary of misleading '12 years to climate breakdown' rhetoric.
- 08/04/2019 8 April 2019 - read more + Reflective roofs can reduce overheating in cities and save lives during heatwaves A new modelling study from the University of Oxford and collaborators has estimated how changing the reflectivity of roofs can help keep cities cooler during heatwaves and reduce heat-rated mortality rates. "Climate change and increasing urbanisation mean that future populations are likely to be at increased risk of overheating in cities," Dr Clare Heaviside comments, "although building and city scale interventions have the potential to reduce this."
- 04/04/2019 4 April 2019 - read more + ECI scientists to evaluate world's first low carbon Energy Superhub A £41m mobility, power and heat Energy Superhub will be built in Oxford, making it a model for cities around the world to cut carbon and improve air quality. Tina Fawcett and Sam Hampton are among the Oxford scientists who will assess the impacts of the project and advise on how they can be replicated, both across the country and abroad.
- 04/02/19 2 April 2019 - read more + Infrastructure needed to achieve 72% of Sustainable Development Goal targets A new ECI analysis published in Nature Sustainability has found that the majority of the UN's SDGs - global targets relating to poverty, health, the environment, peace and justice - will rely on infrastructure systems. Whilst the SDG deadline of 2030 may seem a long way off, massive global infrastructure investments have the potential to lock-in patterns of unsustainable development for years to come.
- 27/03/19 27 March 2019 - read more + Emmanuel Abalo wins Oxford University Press Law Prize MSc student Emmanuel Abalo has been awarded the Oxford University Press (OUP) Prize for International Environmental Law. This prize, generously sponsored by OUP, is awarded to the Envrionmental Change and Management MSc student who receives the top mark in the International Environmental Law elective.
- 27/03/19 27 March 2019 - read more + Myles Allen named as one of the world's 100 most influential people in climate policy Drawing on hundreds of nominations from experts and leading organisations, Apolitical's 'Climate 100' list celebrates politicians, civil servants, academics and activists who are the driving force behind climate policy change.
- 25/03/2019 25 March 2019 - read more + Climate Change, Education and Action: Questions and Answers On Friday 15 March, the second Youth Strike for Climate took part in Oxford City Centre, as part of a global movement of children, young people and their supporters. Researchers from across Oxford University staffed an information stall offering to answer questions about climate science and responses to climate change. We made a record of the questions asked on the day, and here are some of the answers we came up with.
- 22/03/2019 22 March 2019 - read more + Achieving Net Zero emissions - call for abstracts Following on from the ECI's International Conference on '1.5 Degrees: Meeting the Challenges of the Paris Agreement', comes a two-day Oxford conference 'Achieving Net Zero' in September 2019. Questions include 'What do we mean by Net Zero?' and 'How much can we reduce emissions?' and will explore innovative ideas for reducing and recapturing emissions, as well as consider the governance, regulation, and reality - the opportunities and challenges - of delivering Net Zero globally.
- 18/03/2019 18 March 2019 - read more + Adapting to climate change: the need for acceptance Environmental Social Science Research Fellow Dr Lisa Schipper reflects on the reality that life will change dramatically for many, as climate change increasingly impacts on lives. This has powerful implications for the path of development and human wellbeing she writes in an article for GlobalDev.blog, saying that it is time for "true acceptance of what is happening".
- 15/03/2019 15 March 2019 - read more + "I'm a climate scientist, ask me anything!" On Friday 15 March Oxford schoolchildren, students and their supporters are taking part in the international #schoolstrikeforclimate day, gathering in Bonn Square 11am - 2pm. Researchers from the School of Geography and the Environment will be at the event, running a climate change science information table.
- 13/03/2019 13 March 2019 - read more + A climate scientist's view on the 'Green New Deal' resolution Professor Myles Allen presents climate science from the IPCC report and puts forwards his own ideas as to how the United States of America might tackle climate change by incrementally reducing its fossil fuel emissions.
- 12/03/2019 12 March 2019 - read more + ECM Graduate Max Thabiso Edkins in Ethiopian plane tragedy The department was very saddened to learn that alumnus Max Thabiso Edkins was one of the 157 victims who lost their lives in the Ethiopian plane tragedy on 10th March. Thirty-five-year-old Max was a graduate of the MSc course in Environmental Change and Management from 2007/08 and a member of Oriel College.
- 05/05/2019 5 March 2019 - read more + Feeding humanity and mitigating climate change The twin challenges of feeding humanity and mitigating climate change are daunting separately and together, particularly where most greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. How do societies begin to discuss such difficult matters, trade-offs or co-benefits? And can ordinary citizens become more involved, especially young people? Read how ECI, ICCCAD and Oxfam's 'zero hunger zero emissions' project in Bangladesh explored these difficult questions.
- 26/02/2019 26 February 2019 - read more + Policy pathways to a resilient UK food system ECI food systems researchers have launched a new policy brief, exploring the need for a wide range of actors in the food system to improve their resilience from possible short and long term shocks. The UK imports around half of its food and supply can by affected by a wide-range of environmental, biological, economic, social and geopolitical factors.
- 25/02/2019 25 February 2019 - read more + Reducing wealth inequality through wealth taxes without compromising economic growth Wealth, when untaxed, generates a more unequal income distribution across society - the rich get richer and the poor stay poor. ECI economist Linus Mattauch explores ideas for reducing wealth inequality through taxation and reinvestment.
- 20/02/2019 20 February 2019 - read more + How understanding values creates better conversations on climate change The average small and medium enterprise (SME) could save up to 25% on energy use through relatively simple, low cost measures. However, many don't. Sam Hampton, ECI researcher on the Growing Greener project, blogs about how low carbon advisers can tailor their language to effectively communicate low carbon practices to the full range of SMEs.
- 01/02/2019 1 February 2019 - read more + Mapping the atmosphere: Methane from East African swamps At the end of January the ECI's Dr Michelle Cain joined an ambitious 35-person piece of fieldwork in Uganda and Zambia. The research, part of the NERC-funded MOYA (Methane Observations and Yearly Assessments) and ZWAMPS (Zambian Swamps) projects, used the FAAM aircraft to gather 3-dimentional observations of methane concentrations in the atmosphere.
- 30/01/2019 30 January 2019 - read more + Raising awareness of Botswana's hidden heritage Dr Sallie Burrough and Professor David Thomas together with Dr Sarah Mohulatshipi from the University of Botswana spent two weeks talking to community leaders, school children and local guides in the Makadikgadi region of Botswana. Through community meetings, school talks and open lectures they directly reached over 1000 members of the public, telling the remarkable story of Kalahari megalakes and the stone age people of the Makgadikgadi salt pans.
- 18/01/2019 18 January 2019 - read more + ECM alumnus Sujay Natson receives Gold Medal in Climate Law and Governance Essay Competition Congratulations to our alumnus Sujay Natson (MSc in Environmental Change and Management 2017-18) who was awarded a gold medal in a global essay competition at the Climate Law and Governance Day at COP24. Sujay wrote the winning essay for his ECM elective module 'International Environmental Law'.
- 10/01/2019 10 January 2019 - read more + Friederike Otto is Scientific American's one to watch in 2019 ECI Acting director Dr Friederike Otto tops the list of key climate scientists and projects to watch this year. Otto and her collaborators are making attribution studies faster and easier to conduct, they write. "Eventually, their work could help establish rapid attribution services that provide quick assessments of extreme weather events and their links to climate change, similar to the way weather services provide forecasts."
- 09/01/2019 9 January 2019 - read more + SoGE's most cited papers of 2018 Academics and researchers at the School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE) published over 450 journal articles in 2018 but which papers got the world talking last year? Joseph Poore, Professor Yadvinder Malhi and Dr Janey Messina are among some of the most cited researchers.
- 08/01/2019 8 January 2019 - read more + Blog: Animal agriculture takes centre stage at COP24 Recent ECI MSc graduate Jessica Zionts (ECM, 2017-18) writes about her experiences at COP24, organising the ECI's side event and exploring how new climate models are changing the debate around livestock emissions.
- 30/09/2018 30 September 2018 - read more + Global warming has already raised the risk of more severe droughts in Cape Town The ECI's Friederike Otto writes with Mark New and Piotr Wolski about their recent research, observing how climate change has affected the risk of droughts in the South Western Cape region of South Africa.
- 19/12/18 19 December 2018 - read more + COP24: How can we achieve net zero in energy, industry and agriculture? ECI and Oxford Martin School experts took to the stage at COP24 last week, hosting a side event during the conference in Katowice, Poland, to address key issues around greenhouse gas metrics and set out what 'net zero' emissions will mean for energy, industry and agriculture.
- 17/12/18 17 December 2018 - read more + COP24: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Katowice The Carbon Brief provide a thorough analysis of the outcomes agreed at UN climate talks in Katowice, including comment from Michelle Cain on what she describes as 'backwards steps' in reporting emissions.
- 12/12/18 12 December 2018 - read more + COP24: UN talks have an opportunity to align rules with their long-term temperature goal Leading thinkers on climate change, including those from Oxford, today warned the UNFCCC that measurement rules in current draft texts at COP 24 could make it impossible to assess mitigation measures against a long-term temperature goal.
- 12/12/18 12 December 2018 - read more + How the finance industry can save the world A news article by the World Economic Forum, which cites our research, explores the way that the finance industry can be redefined to have a more positive impact on the world.
- 11/12/18 11 December 2018 - read more + COP 24: High profile heroes and barriers to net zero In a blog post for the Oxford Martin School, Michelle Cain outlines key outcomes emerging from the first week of COP24 in Katowice, Poland.
- 10/12/18 10 December 2018 - read more + Solastalgia in the anthropocene Every year our MSc programme prepare some sort of exposition on the theme of Global Change and the Biosphere in the Anthropocene. The winning entry this year tells the story of environmental change and loss as experienced in each of the student's home regions.
- 05/12/18 05 December 2018 - read more + German news site ARD engages Harald Kuntsmann in documentary about climate change In a German documentary for ARD news, Harald Kuntsmann is interviewed about the disappearance of the last glaciers at Mount Zugspitze and the 2018 extreme drought with record breaking minimal water levels in the river Rhine.
- 04/12/18 04 December 2018 - read more + Corporate boycotts of palm oil could be a positive driver of change for the fate of our forests. In a Medium blog post for Oxford University, DPhil Aoife Bennett discusses how decisions by businesses to boycott palm oil may lead to better protection for our forests than the ineffective and often unclear certification processes designed to protect them.
- 02/12/18 02 December 2018 - read more + Energy Sufficiency: evolving the energy conversation In this new blog post for the UK Energy Research Centre Tina Fawcett introduces the concept of 'energy sufficiency' and the idea that people's basic energy needs can met equitably and within ecological limits.
- 01/12/18 01 December 2018 - read more + Dhaka Tribune run a special climate supplement on our Zero Hunger Zero Emissions project In this 10 article special in the Dhaka Tribune, the series of articles written by Oxfam's John Magrath stress the importance of planning and scenario building to address the Sustainable Development Goals.
- 20/11/18 20 November 2018 - read more + Second Comberti Scholar to follow Claudia Comberti's passion for preserving ecosystems whilst meeting needs of local communities Robyn Haggis has been awarded the second Claudia Comberti Scholarship towards her studies on our MSc programme in Environmental Change and Management. She hopes to fulfill her ambition to work towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
- 12/11/18 12 November 2018 - read more + Getting home insulation right The latest blog post from our CREDS programme explains how, done well, home insulation can offer many benefits. It helps people achieve comfort at lower cost, lowers energy use and carbon emissions. However, done badly, it can have very negative effects.
- 07/11/18 07 November 2018 - read more + ECI partners with Oxford arts and sustainability organisations to release pioneering environmental research music video Tandem Collective, Upcycled Sounds and Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute have partnered with The Bookshop Band and Eilidh Nicoll, to create a song and animation responding to research from Kate Raworth and Professor Yadvinder Malhi. The project was funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
- 26/10/18 26 October 2018 - read more + Current approach to protecting England's coastal communities from flooding and erosion not fit for purpose as the climate changes A new report by the Committee on Climate Change's Adaptation Committee, led by Prof Jim Hall, investigates the long-term challenges of managing England's coastline against the backdrop of a changing climate. It concludes that the current approach to coastal management in England is unsustainable in the face of climate change.
- 23/10/18 23 October 2018 - read more + Carbon emissions from Amazonian forest fires up to 4 times worse than feared New research suggests carbon losses caused by El Niño forest fires of 2015 and 2016 could be up to four times greater than thought, according to a study of 6.5 million hectares of forest in Brazilian Amazonia.
- 22/10/18 22 Oct 2018 - read more + New Oxford-UNOPS report stresses infrastructure as key to unlocking Sustainable Development Goals A new report, published today by the ECI-led Infrastructure Transition Research Consortium (ITRC) and UNOPS, has found that efficient infrastructure policy and disciplined investment decisions are vital for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- 21/10/18 21 October 2018 - read more + Hitting 1.5°C: The Stark Climate Choices for Governments Professor Myles Allen talks to Chatham House about the crucial differences between a 1.5°C and 2°C warmer world and the resilience of the Paris agreement.
- 16/10/18 16 Oct 2018 - read more + Energy demand can help meet the 1.5°C challenge while also delivering human wellbeing and ecosystem benefits In a new blog post for CREDS, Dr Tina Fawcett writes a response to last week's IPCC special report on 1.5C. She explores the role of energy demand in meeting the challenges ahead.
- 15/10/18 15 Oct 2018 - read more + We label fridges to show their environmental impact - why not food? Doctoral student Joseph Poore believes that mandatory environmental labels would change how we produce and consume in three far-reaching ways. Read more in his article for the Guardian.
- 07/10/18 07 Oct 2018 - read more + Early career award for Oxford Martin Fellow Richard Millar ECI physicist Dr Richard Millar, of the Oxford Martin Net Zero Carbon Investment Initiative, has been named as one of Elsevier and the US-UK Fulbright Commission's six UK Early Career Researcher Award winners for 2018.
- 25/09/18 25 Sep 2018 - read more + Less is more as domestic energy consumption falls In an article by the Financial Times, Dr Brenda Boardman explains how energy regulations curbed the UK's domestic energy use in recent years through efficiency standards applied to many new appliances.
- 24/09/18 24 Sep 2018 - read more + Dr Chris West, 1951 - 2018 It is with great sadness that the ECI has learned of the death of our former colleague and Director of the UK Climate Impacts Programme, Dr Chris West.
- 21/09/18 21 Sep 2018 - read more + How must energy pricing evolve in a low-carbon future? ECI Research Associate John Rhys discusses redefining how we take our electricity supplies, the complexities of allocating fixed costs, and the need to recognise environmental costs through carbon pricing.
- 01/08/18 01 Aug 2018 - read more + IFSTAL goes to the Global South! This summer IFSTAL's reach continued to grow through the first non-UK based intensive course on food systems taking place at the University of Ghana.
- 10/09/18 10 Sep 2018 - read more + ECI to seek new Director after Professor Jim Hall steps down After more than seven years as Director of the Environmental Change Institute, Professor Jim Hall has stepped down from his leadership position this September.
- 03/09/18 03 Sep 2018 - read more + Power showers could be restricted and households forced to install water meters, under drought plans Speaking at a briefing in London about water resilience, Professor Jim Hall said the government may need to introduce restrictions on appliances such as showers, washing machines and dishwashers to limit their water use.
- 20/08/18 20 Aug 2018 - read more + Prime Minister responds to leading academics and their plea to challenge President Trump on his lack of action on climate change The plea, written in July by over 130 eminent UK scientists, urged the Prime Minister to challenge President Trump in advance of his visit to the UK. Christian Brand, Nick Eyre, Jim Hall and Yadvinder Malhi were among the signatories on the letter to which the Prime Minister responded with a strong message asserting the UK's commitment to managing the risks posed by climate change.
- 30/07/18 30 July 2018 - read more + Carbon dividend from polluters to households could win over the public Political acceptability is the biggest challenge for the introduction of ambitious carbon pricing schemes aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions. But new research suggests that using the revenue to pay a dividend to households could make carbon pricing a success.
- 27/07/18 27 July 2018 - read more + Climate change more than doubled the likelihood of the European heatwave, according to new research The unprecedented temperatures seen over Summer 2018 are a sign of things to come - and climate change more than doubled the likelihood of the European heatwave, according to new research by the ECI and World Weather Attribution network (WWA).
- 25/07/18 25 July 2018 - read more + The tropics at tipping point, new research warns Global biodiversity is at tipping point and on the verge of collapse, according to a major research collaboration. The team caution that urgent, concerted action is needed to reverse species loss in the tropics and prevent an environmental catastrophe.
- 16/07/18 16 July 2018 - read more + Climate change tripled likelihood of drought that pushed Cape Town water crisis to 'Day Zero' brink, say scientists New research from the World Weather Attribution project suggests that man-made climate and its effect on rainfall made the drought 3 times more likely.
- 10/07/18 10 July 2018 - read more + The UK's first National Infrastructure Assessment is backed by ECI analysis A long-term view of the UK's infrastructure needs and priorities has been developed - for the first time - and published today by the National Infrastructure Commission.
- 09/07/18 09 July 2018 - read more + Are investors ducking the hard questions on climate change? Professor Myles Allen argues that we need to be asking fossil fuel companies what their plans are for achieving net zero emissions in a new blog post for the Oxford Climate Society.
- 03/07/18 03 July 2018 - read more + Oxford Bishop calls for wider adoption of Oxford Martin Principles for Climate-Conscious Investment As the Church of England debate fossil fuel divestment this week, The Bishop of Oxford draws on the latest research by ECI and SSEE, calling for greater consideration of the Oxford Martin Principles for Climate-Conscious Investment.
- 20/06/18 20 June 2018 - read more + ECI scientists awarded the 2018 Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Water Management and Protection Prize Professor Jim Hall and Dr Edoardo Borgomeo have been awarded the 2018 Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Water Management and Protection Prize for their work on decision making under uncertainty.
- 18/06/18 18 June 2018 - read more + Intact forests 'indispensable' in the fight against climate change This week, a major international conference will explore the latest research into 'intact' forests - large forested areas that remain mostly unharmed by human activity. Co-organiser Dr Alexandra Morel explains why these threatened landscapes are so important to the future of the planet.
- 12/06/18 12 June 2018 - read more + Rising CO2 may increase dangerous weather extremes, whatever happens to global temperatures New research from the University of Oxford and collaborators at several other institutions provides compelling evidence that meeting the global warming target of 1.5C may not be enough to limit the damage caused by extreme weather.
- 11/06/18 11 June 2018 - read more + A new way to assess 'global warming potential' of short-lived pollutants Dr Michelle Cain writes a guest post for the Carbon Brief to address whether treating all greenhouse gasses as CO2 equivalent is the best measure for stocktaking countries emissions reduction targets under the Paris Agreement. She suggests a modified metric as an better way of linking emissions to warming.
- 06/06/18 06 June 2018 - read more + Air pollution from cars and vans costs society £6billion per year A new Oxford University collaboration involving ECI/TSU's Dr Christian Brand has shed light on the damaging health consequences of Britain's car addiction - revealing that it is likely costing our NHS and society in general more than £6 billion per year.
- 05/06/2018 5 June 2018 - read more + Kicking the car(bon) habit better for air pollution than electric cars Changing our lifestyles and the way we travel could have as big, if not more of an impact on carbon dioxide transport emissions, as electric vehicles and the transport technology revolution, according to new Oxford University research led by Dr Christian Brand.
- 05/06/18 05 June 2018 - read more + Will London run out of water? In a news post for the Conversation, Edoardo Borgomeo considers the water scarcity challenges facing the capital, drawing on research undertaken by the Environmental Change Institute-led MaRIUS (Managing the Risks, Impacts and Uncertainties of Droughts and Water Scarcity) project.
- 04/06/18 04 June 2018 - read more + An improved emission metric shows new path to "innovative, world leading" climate change policy A new paper outlines a better way to think about how methane and other gases contribute to greenhouse gas emissions budgets. This is an important step towards evaluating the warming from methane emissions when developing strategies to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
- 01/06/18 01 June 2018 - read more + New estimates of the environmental cost of food Research published in the journal Science highlights the environmental impacts of thousands of food producers and their products, demonstrating the need for new technology to monitor agriculture, and the need for environmental labels on food products.
- 31/05/18 31 May 2018 - read more + Four graduate students to explore innovative solutions to Sustainable Development Goals at the UNLEASH Innovation Lab Four graduate students will represent the Environmental Change Institute at the 2018 UNLEASH global innovation lab held this week in Singapore, to explore new and innovative solutions to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- 30/05/18 30 May 2018 - read more + Why blowing the 1.5C global warming goal will leave poor tropical nations sweating most of all Almost all of us are going to be worse off as climate change takes hold, whether through heatwaves, changing rainfall patterns, sea level rise, or damage to ecosystems. But it's the world's poorest people who will suffer the biggest disruptions to their local climate, Dr Luke Harrington explains in the Conversation.
- 09/05/18 09 May 2018 - read more + Remembering Claudia Comberti Today marks the one-year anniversary since we lost our friend and colleague Claudia Comberti to a tragic cycling accident. A heartwarming tribute in the Oxford Mail reminds us of her inspiring research and the call for safer cycling on our roads through The Claudia Charter, launched in her name.
- 08/05/18 08 May 2018 - read more + Professor Yadvinder Malhi receives highest honours from the Royal Geographical Society Professor Yadvinder Malhi has been awarded one of the Royal Geographical Society's Patron's Medal for his world leading studies on the impact of climate change on tropical ecosystems. The Royal Medal is approved by Her Majesty the Queen, and among the highest honours of its kind in the world.
- 04/05/18 04 May 2018 - read more + Recent extremes 'not unusual, but climate change makes them seem so' In a news article in the Independent newspaper Dr Friederike Otto explains that the recent weather extremes experienced in the UK are not unusual. She cites the increasingly early arrival of spring as one explanation for changing our expectations for warm weather compared to the past.
- 03/05/18 03 May 2018 - read more + Doctoral student Lisa Thalheimer selected to be Global Youth Climate Network Climate Ambassador Lisa has been selected to the Global Youth Climate Network - part of the World Bank Youth to Youth Community of young professionals dedicated to engaging, inspiring and empowering young people in global development.
- 25/04/18 25 April 2018 - read more + Clear signs of global warming will hit poorer countries first Reported in Nature News, a New climate-inequality tool developed by Dr Luke Harrington and colleagues quantifies how quickly the weather will veer beyond normal in different regions.
- 23/04/18 123 April 2018 - read more + Agriculture is destabilizing the Earth system, according to recent study Agriculture's impact on the Earth's systems is pushing the planet to - and in some cases beyond - its limits. In a new research paper, researchers explore how agriculture is transgressing nine planetary boundaries.
- 18/04/18 18 April 2018 - read more + Are we ready to reap the environmental benefits from the viral boom in shared urban transport schemes? The growth of innovative urban transport schemes offers many opportunities for improving the sustainability of our cities. In a new policy brief by the GREEN-WIN project, the environmental benefits of such schemes are highlighted.
- 11/04/18 11 April 2018 - read more + Climate change in a San Francisco courtroom Professor Myles Allen writes about his latest assignment - to explain the history and science of climate change to a judge in a San Francisco court - in a case brought by American cities against the oil companies.
- 09/04/18 09 April 2018 - read more + ECI experts selected as authors in all three Working Groups of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Reports Three senior academics from the ECI have been selected as authors in the upcoming Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The reports will assimilate current knowledge relating to climate change and exist as a basis to guide policymakers and global climate negotiations.
- 08/04/18 08 April 2018 - read more + Understanding demand-side solutions to climate change New research in Nature Climate Change calls for greater attention to be given climate solutions that address demand for energy, including changes in behaviour and lifestyle.
- 02/04/18 2 April 2018 - read more + The Paris Agreement goals are still achievable, but require immediate action from the international community Ahead of the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C by the IPCC, a Themed Issue on this topic has been commissioned by the Royal Society, entitled "The Paris Agreement: Understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels".
- 28/03/18 28 March 2018 - read more + The environmental case for keeping the clocks on summer time - all the time Dr Philipp Grunewald makes the case for keeping the UK's clocks on British Summer Time all year round off the back of the energy savings that would be made. Read his idea in full in the Conversation.
- 26/03/18 26 March 2018 - read more + ECI to lead new £19 million research centre on energy demand A major new UK research centre on Energy Demand has been announced by the EPSRC and ESRC today, to develop and deliver internationally leading research, focusing on energy demand from a systemic, socio-technical perspective.
- 26/03/18 26 March 2018 - read more + Landmark assessment reports present global understanding on the links between human well-being and nature In response to the widespread loss of global biodiversity and the subsequent threats to human well-being, five landmark assessment reports have been published to describe the most up to date state of knowledge about biodiversity, ecosystems and nature's contributions to people.
- 22/03/18 22 March 2018 - read more + "In a San Francisco courtroom, climate science gets its day on the docket" American cities are taking oil companies to court, arguing that they should pay for climate-related problem. Professor Myles Allen appears before the judge to explain the history and science of climate change. Read more in this report by Science Magazine
- 14/03/18 14 March 2018 - read more + New research examines the influence of land use change on global warming A new paper co-authored by ECI's Daniel Mitchell shows how changes in landuse, such as the expansion of the bioenergy industry, are having considerable influence on projections of temperature extremes
- 14/03/18 14 March 2018 - read more + Governing natural resources for effectiveness, equity and sustainability In a new policy brief by the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation programme, Dr Constance McDermott and colleagues suggest key messages for improving the effectiveness, equity and sustainability surrounding the governance of natural resources such as fisheries, forests and grazing land.
- 14/03/18 14 March 2018 - read more + Promoting sustainability and wellbeing in Ghana's cocoa forests More than half the population in Ghana depend on income from cocoa production, but it is at increasing risk from forest degradation and climate change. This new video presents the work of the ECOLIMITS project to identify new eco-friendly farming methods for cocoa production.
- 14/03/18 14 March 2018 - read more + Panel debate: The true cost of food: can we afford it and how do we change it? On 27th March, the ECI's Food Systems Group are hosting an expert panel will discuss what is the true cost of our food once its external impacts on nature, society and individual health are taken into account? Can we afford to continue to pay these hidden costs? Can costing these externalities bring about change in the way giant food companies operate and our own food choices?
- 12/03/18 12 March 2018 - read more + Climate computer modeling needs to be greener ECI's deputy director Dr Friederike Otto outlines the steps she has taken to reduce carbon emissions in her personal life but calls for more to be done to cut carbon at research organisational level in this article for DW news
- 06/03/18 06 March 2018 - read more + Showcasing projects building resilience to El Niño - lessons from the field An event at London's Royal Society, organised by the ECI and ICCS, will showcase fourteen UK Government projects which aim to help build resilience to future extreme climate events such as El Niño
- 23/02/18 23 February 2018 - read more + Oxford to host major international conference on 'Intact Forests in the 21st Century' this June We have opened a call for abstracts and registration to attend a major meeting on 18-20th June at Oxford University. The Conference will examine the extent, condition, threats and policy actions for preserving and restoring of the world's intact forests.
- 22/02/18 22 February 2018 - read more + From peaks to plains: troubled waters along Nepal's Gandaki River In Autumn 2017, we sent a team with the Himalayas to Ocean (H2O) project to follow the Gandaki River from the Himalayas, to the floodplains of Nepal. Along the way, they collected stories of those living at the forefront of climate change. Read about their journey and the novel ways they seek to raise awareness about climate change.
- 21/02/18 21 February 2018 - read more + What do doughnuts have to do with climate change? Kate Raworth's pioneering idea of doughnut economics reconceptualises traditional economic principles and offers new opportunities to create a world which is more equitable and sustainable. In this article, Varsity Magazine explore doughnut economics and the benefits that modern alternatives to neoliberalist economics may offer to the world.
- 21/02/18 21 February 2018 - read more + New climate projections for the UK will improve our understanding of how droughts may change in the future The new dataset by the MaRIUS project has been formed using computing resources from model simulations gathered across hundreds of volunteer's computers around the world. The outputs offer new insights into the risk of possible strong droughts in future climates and will enable us to learn how these droughts could be managed through a risk-based modelling approach.
- 13/02/18 13 February 2018 - read more + Amazon rainforests that were once fire-proof have become flammable Carbon emissions from the Brazilian Amazon are increasingly dominated by forest fires during extreme droughts rather than by emissions from fires directly associated with the deforestation process, according to a study in Nature Communications. The authors suggest that recurrent 21st century droughts may undermine achievements in reducing emissions from deforestation in this region.
- 09/02/2018 9 February 2018 - read more + Possible impacts of China's "Silk Road" SoGE research is cited by the New Statesman, in an article that explores the potential environmental impacts of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Both Dr Troy Sternberg's paper, and a WWF-HSBC report that ECI-researchers contributed to, impress the need for urgent environmental impact assessment and monitoring.
- 06/02/18 06 February 2018 - read more + Good climate policy can contribute to a growing economy more than previously thought, says new research A new study published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management sheds new light on the potential opportunities arising from climate protection policies as a driver for investment.
- 05/02/18 05 February 2018 - read more + The role of science, academia and environmentalism at the World Economic Forum in Davos As an invited scientist with the European Research Council, Professor Yadvinder Malhi attended the 2018 World Economic Forum meeting in Davos to present his work on climate change, tropical forest conservation and tipping points. Read about his first-hand experiences at the elite, invitation-only event.
- 31/01/18 31 January 2018 - read more + Synthesis paper reveals strengths and weaknesses of corporate environmental pledges The environmental pledges to halt deforestation made by industry can often fall short of meaningful impact. A new paper in Nature Climate Change, co-authored by ECI's Constance McDermott examines why some promises make more of a difference than others and offers policy options for making zero-deforestation initiatives more effective.
- 30/01/18 30 January 2018 - read more + ECI provides recommendations on greening the Belt and Road A new WWF report launched at Davos last week proposes a framework of guiding principles and actions to ensure that China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) delivers sustainable and resilient infrastructure investment.
- 29/01/18 29 January 2018 - read more + Energy efficiency: the missing piece in the Energy Cost Review jigsaw Professor Nick Eyre reflects on the lack of energy efficiency policy in the UK Government's Energy Efficiency Review, published in 2017. In a blog post for the Association for the Conservation of Energy, he suggests that 'the review is highly skewed towards considering supply side issues and away from demand'.
- 23/01/18 23 January 2018 - read more + Giant curtain erected in Peru in bid to reveal secrets of the cloud forest The Guardian newspaper follows former ECI researcher Dr Dan Metcalfe into the the Peruvian cloud forests to report on the impact that rising clouds will have on the jungle ecosystems below as a direct consequence of climate change.
- 16/01/18 16 January 2018 - read more + European Cities Could Avoid up to 10,000 Premature Deaths by Expanding Cycling Networks The new paper, co-authored by European scientists including SoGE's Dr Christian Brand, has found that expanding designated cycling networks in cities could provide considerable health and economic benefits.
- 16/01/18 16 January 2018 - read more + SoGE student prize-winners 2017 ECM MPhil student Jory Fleming (Worcester, 2017) and Undergraduate Honour School Finalists 2017, Rachel Hough (Hertford, 2014), Ben Nother (Mansfield, 2014), Caragh Bennet (Jesus, 2014) have been recognised for their excellence in data storytelling and dissertation-writing.
- 09/01/18 09 January 2018 - read more + New principles to guide corporate investment towards climate goals Research published this week in Nature Climate Change and authored by ECI's Richard Millar and SSEE's Cameron Hepburn proposes a new set of principles for helping investors and companies to address the moral challenges of climate change. The investment community is recognised as pivotal to the success of transitioning to a net zero carbon economy.
- 08/01/18 08 January 2018 - read more + Researchers can now blame warming for individual disasters In a new article published in EE News, Professor Myles Allen recounts the scientific journey into attributing single weather events to climate change. The science has emerged over the last 15 years, from being an impossible idea into a reality, and is now one of the most rapidly expanding subfields of climate science.
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