Environment – The Deeping

Oct 7, 2026

Rising CO₂ is making African savanna grasses grow more – what this means for grazing, fire and carbon storage

Kimberley Simpson, University of Sheffield Plants use carbon dioxide (CO₂) in photosynthesis to make the carbohydrates they need to grow. As the CO₂ in the atmosphere rises, mainly because humans are burning fossil fuels, many plants can photosynthesise more or use water more efficiently. This is known as “CO₂ fertilisation”. Scientists have carried

Oct 6, 2026

Tackling the invisible pollution in homes, schools and workplaces

Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives indoors, according to official estimates. Yet while outdoor air pollution has become a familiar public concern, the air inside our homes, schools and workplaces has largely gone unnoticed. That is changing. Researchers across Europe are investigating what is really in indoor air, how it affects our

Sep 30, 2026

Nigeria faces the world’s highest projected death toll from super El Niño heat: what could save lives

Michael Greenstone, University of Chicago and Tamma Carleton, University of California, Berkeley Researchers at the University of Chicago’s Climate Impact Lab combined temperature forecasts with research on how heat affects death rates in more than 24,000 regions worldwide, and found that the super El Niño could cause an estimated 451,000 additional heat deaths

Sep 29, 2026

New climate models are zooming in on regional risks

From his office on the outskirts of the French city of Toulouse, Roland Séférian literally charts out the future of our planet. Working at the National Centre for Meteorological Research (CNRM), the climate scientist designs models that project future climate change. Among the best known are the models featured in reports by the

Jul 31, 2026

Sun, salt, sand: how Malta became a testing ground for solar power

With around 3 000 hours of sunshine a year, Malta is ideally placed to harness the sun’s energy. But its scorching summers, salty sea air and occasional Saharan dust storms also make it one of Europe’s toughest environments for solar panels. For Dr Brian Azzopardi, a renewable energy researcher from Malta, those challenging conditions present

Jul 31, 2026

‘I can’t work in the farce of climate change cruise tourism anymore’: why Antarctic guides quit their dream jobs

Zdenka Sokolickova, University of Groningen; Christy Hehir, University of Surrey, and Elizabeth Cooper, University of Groningen “You’d see massive glacier calvings, and you’d just want to cry. But all the guests would be cheering. And you’d be like … ‘can you not put two and two together?’” Those are the words of a

Jul 30, 2026

How do scientists know if climate change made a heat wave, extreme storm or wildfire worse?

Ph. People try to stay cool on the sweltering streets of Manhattan during a heat wave in July 2025. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Kevin T. Smiley, Louisiana State University ; Deepti Singh, Washington State University; Jennifer Marlon, Yale University, and Jim Hurrell, Colorado State University When a devastating heat wave, hurricane, flood or wildfire

Jul 29, 2026

Lessons from South Africa on how parks and community gardens can help cities adapt to climate change

Jan Hugo, University of Pretoria; Chrisna du Plessis, University of Pretoria, and Karina Landman Climate change is affecting cities more and more. This creates major challenges, but it also gives fast-growing cities, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the chance to adapt to global warming in new and better ways. Cities rely on roads, pipes

Jul 14, 2026

Climate shocks are hitting South Africa’s food businesses – study shows what they need to adapt

Adrino Mazenda, University of Pretoriaù Climate change discussions in southern Africa often focus on farming, where the effects of environmental shocks are most visible. The debate frequently centres on droughts, floods, declining crop productivity and heat stress affecting livestock systems. This is largely because agriculture is a sector that’s directly exposed to extreme

Jun 29, 2026

Teen scientists are tracking plastic pollution across Europe’s rivers

Along a small stream in Spain, groups of teenagers are at work. One hovers around a black tarpaulin covered in wet pieces of plastic. Another stands on a small bridge, fishing with a net. Others sort small pieces of plastic, cigarette butts and various other things they’ve recovered from the stream. What looks

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