What if schools could do more than teach sustainability? What if they could test it, measure it and experience it in real time? Across Europe, students and teachers have been turning classrooms into small-scale laboratories for environmental change. Over the past four years, schools and universities in Finland, Portugal, Romania and Spain trialled more
Ph. Stepanek Photography/Shutterstock Mara Fischer, University of Exeter and Ruth H. Thurstan, University of Exeter Diners may soon need to rethink a staple of the classic English fish supper. The Marine Conservation Society, an environmental charity in the UK, recently downgraded all UK cod stocks and removed them from its list of sustainable
Europe’s cities emit huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Two essential urban services – waste incineration and wastewater treatment – are among the biggest contributors to municipal CO2 emissions in the EU. These systems are vital for public health and urban life, yet they produce emissions that are difficult to eliminate entirely.
Farid Lamara, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) United Nations member states unanimously adopted the sustainable development agenda in 2015. It aims to ensure development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet them” (1987 Brundtland Report, “Our Common Future”). This agenda outlines 17 Sustainable Development
On a test track in southern Germany, engineers watch as an automated vehicle drives through simulated heavy rain. As the vehicle pushes through sheets of water and poor visibility, researchers are recreating one of the toughest sensing challenges for automated driving. “Bad weather is one of the situations the car will face, and
Italian architect and researcher Dr Chiara Mazzarella has long been captivated by the idea of finding better ways to use empty buildings. Across Europe, millions of homes and commercial buildings lie vacant, even as housing shortages and rising rents leave many people in precarious living situations. “We talk a lot about the circular
Europe’s appetite for electronics keeps growing, but so does the waste. From smartphones and laptops to medical sensors, more devices mean mounting piles of discarded hardware. According to Eurostat, around 5 million tonnes of electronic waste is collected for recycling in the EU each year. That is more than 11 kilograms per household, enough
What if tomorrow’s super-fast, super-connected digital world could be shaped by public values – right from the start? Dr Monique Calisti, an Italian engineer, entrepreneur and researcher, is a leading voice in the drive to keep people at the centre of digital transformation. “I have three teenage daughters and I feel a big
Laura Pereira, University of the Witwatersrand New research has found that the world has reached the first of many Earth system tipping points. These will cause catastrophic harm unless humanity takes urgent action. A tipping point is a moment in the Earth’s climate system where even small changes can lead to significant, often
In a factory in Waregem, north-west Belgium, a unique piece of machinery accessible only by fingerprint to trusted staff, is transforming old clothing and textiles with the utmost precision, away from prying eyes. Stretching 170 metres, the machine gently untwists woven and knitted fibres, preparing them for reuse. These fibres are at the