Flooding is known only for the ruin it brings to homes and livelihoods, but targeted flooding, to create or restore floodplain wetlands, is part of the solution to climate change. That's because the damp and low-oxygen conditions of wetlands make them very good at slowing the rate at which organic matter decomposes. This ensures the carbon contained in all the plants and animals that die in wetlands stays out of the atmosphere for a long time. Fl...

Human activity is to blame for COVID-19, say 22 international experts.But we can prevent future pandemics by better protecting Earth's natural resources.There are 1.7 million 'undiscovered' viruses in mammals and birds, 827,000 of which could infect humans.But it's not too late to change course and rebuild our defences.Experts say switching our efforts to prevention would reduce the threat. Here's the good news: we can prevent future pandemics. B...

Cement is vital in the construction industry, being the glue that holds concrete together.But cement production accounts for around 8% of global CO₂ emissions.Low-carbon alternatives are available and could help to revolutionize the way we build cities to mitigate against climate change. August 22 is Earth Overshoot Day, which marks the date when humanity's demand for ecological resources in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that ...

The Pacific Ocean is the deepest, largest ocean on Earth, covering about a third of the globe's surface. An ocean that vast may seem invincible. Yet across its reach – from Antarctica in the south to the Arctic in the north, and from Asia to Australia to the Americas – the Pacific Ocean's delicate ecology is under threat. In most cases, human activity is to blame. We have systematically pillaged the Pacific of fish. We have used it as a rubbish t...

Emissions from buildings and the construction industry are reducing the chance of reaching the Paris Agreement targets.In 2019, these emissions hit an all-time high.GlobalABC's new Buildings Climate Tracker also showed the annual rate of progress on decarbonising buildings is slowing down. Planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from buildings and construction are jeopardising global goals to keep devastating climate change at bay, a U.N.-backed ...

History took place in the United States yesterday. Two Democrats were announced the winners of the run-off elections for Georgia's two Senate seats, allowing the Democrats to take back control of the chamber from the Republicans. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were the first Democrats to win a Georgia Senate race in a quarter of a century. It also marked the first time since Herbert Hoover's loss in 1932 that a president lost a re-election campai...

The big idea Aquaculture, or fish farming, is the world's fastest-growing food production sector. But the key ingredients in commercial fish feed – fishmeal and fish oil – come from an unsustainable source: small fish, such as anchovies and herring, near the base of ocean food webs. My colleagues and I have developed a high-performing, fish-free aquaculture feed that replaces these traditional ingredients with several types of microalgae – abunda...

Like many inventions, the discovery of Teflon happened by accident. In 1938, chemists from Dupont (now Chemours) were studying refrigerant gases when, much to their surprise, one concoction solidified. Upon investigation, they found it was not only the slipperiest substance they'd ever seen – it was also noncorrosive and extremely stable and had a high melting point. In 1954 the revolutionary "nonstick" Teflon pan was introduced. Since then, an e...

Of the world's remaining forests, only 40% have high ecological integrity, according to data from a newly developed index.Ecological integrity is a measure of human impact, looking at factors from infrastructure to tree-cover loss.High-integrity forests are found mostly in Canada, Russia, the Amazon, Central Africa, and New Guinea; of the remaining high-integrity forests, only 27% are currently in nationally designated protected areas.Conserving ...

Ipsos surveyed adults in 29 countries on how they see higher education being delivered in five years' time.The majority think the split between online and in-person learning that's come about during the COVID-19 pandemic is here to stay.Respondents in China and Japan were most likely to see higher education being delivered mainly in person.Just over half of the adults surveyed believe in-person learning is worth its cost. In 2025, higher educatio...