"As long as countries do not put the right energy policies in place, the economic rebound will see emissions significantly increase in 2021. We will make the job of reaching net zero harder." For the past year, climate campaigners and experts have urged heads of state around the world to "build back better" in the wake of the economic devastation wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic. But rather than pursuing a just and sustainable recovery, coun...

The world is struggling to tackling climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened the sovereign debt crisis.Old-style 'debt-for-nature swaps' were designed to relieve debts for low-income countries while safeguarding nature.Attention is now turning to new financial instruments like 'nature performance bonds' which could help countries achieve ambitious climate targets. As the world continues to struggle with COVID-19, it is faced wit...

Plastic pollution is a growing global concern. Large pieces of plastic have been found almost everywhere on Earth, from the most visited beaches to remote, uninhabited islands. Because wildlife are regularly exposed to plastic pollution, we often ask what effects plastics have on the animals. Over time, macroplastics (plastic debris larger than five millimetres in size) break up into tiny particles called microplastics (smaller than five millimet...

Humans are leaving a heavy footprint on the Earth, but when did we become the main driver of change in the planet's ecosystems? Many scientists point to the 1950s, when all kinds of socioeconomic trends began accelerating. Since then, the world population has tripled. Fertiliser and water use expanded as more food was grown than ever before. The construction of motorways sped up to accommodate rising car ownership while international flights took...

A century ago Virginia's coastal lagoons were a natural paradise. Fishing boats bobbed on the waves as geese flocked overhead. Beneath the surface, miles of seagrass gently swayed in the surf, making the seabed look like a vast underwater prairie. More than 70 species of seagrasses grow in shallow waters around the world, on every continent except Antarctica. In Virginia, beds of eelgrass (Zostera marina) provided habitat for bay scallops and foo...

The coronavirus pandemic has further hit efforts to safeguard the ocean.Leaders from 14 countries have decided upon a new action agenda, with changes in 5 key areas, to support the sustainability of the ocean.They've committed to sustainably managing 100% of ocean areas within their national waters by 2025. 2020 was supposed to be a super year for the ocean. A packed calendar of international events should have presented opportunities to assess p...

In 1992, 1,700 scientists warned that human beings and the natural world were "on a collision course". Seventeen years later, scientists described planetary boundaries within which humans and other life could have a "safe space to operate". These are environmental thresholds, such as the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and changes in land use. Crossing such boundaries was considered a risk that would cause environmental changes so prof...

The world watched with a sense of dread in 2018 as Cape Town, South Africa, counted down the days until the city would run out of water. The region's surface reservoirs were going dry amid its worst drought on record, and the public countdown was a plea for help. By drastically cutting their water use, Cape Town residents and farmers were able to push back "Day Zero" until the rain came, but the close call showed just how precarious water securit...

The whole world is currently obsessed with the COVID-19 pandemic. The media is providing saturation coverage, governments are taking drastic actions, and people are hoarding food, toilet paper, and masks. This reaction is understandable and it is a major threat that needs to be managed decisively and competently. However, we are simultaneously neglecting a much larger and more dangerous threat, something which could ultimately result in humanity'...

26 tons. That's how much CO2 I apparently produce in a given year according to a popular carbon footprint calculator. Compare that to the world average of 4 tons and it looks like I'm singlehandedly bringing about the end of the planet. If everyone lived like me, we would need nearly eight Earths to survive. I go through an annual allotment of carbon in about six weeks. And you know what? I don't care! But John. How can you call yourself a sustai...