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Amazon is making drone deliveries in the UK – here’s why nimbyism could hamper a wider rollout

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13 May 202623 June 2026

There is a new buzz around Darlington: the sound of delivery drones. This northern English town is now the only place outside the US where retail giant Amazon offers airborne...Read More >

Here’s what we know about the climate cost of white trails aircraft leave in the sky

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28 April 202628 April 2026

Contrails, short for condensation trails, are the white streaks often seen in the sky behind aircraft. The international cloud atlas, which classifies clouds, has a category just for them: cirrus...Read More >

Five warning signs that rivers are polluted – even when they look clean

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21 April 202628 April 2026

Credit: Harry Grout, Unsplash | CC BY 4.0 After months of relentlessly miserable weather for most of the UK, spring brings renewed enthusiasm for spending time outdoors hiking, wild swimming,...Read More >

Why language comprehension gaps are a safety risk in construction

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21 April 202628 April 2026

A recent pilot survey suggests there is a hidden safety risk on construction sites when untrained informal translators are relied on to convey essential instructions to non-English-speaking colleagues In...Read More >

Why we need a culture shift to address the nature crisis

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24 March 202623 June 2026

Professor Tom Oliver, applied ecologist and author of The Nature Delusion, argues that tackling ecological breakdown depends on rebuilding a deeper sense of connection between people, communities and the natural...Read More >

This waterlogged corner of England was once only habitable during summer. Climate change could make it so again

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3 March 202617 March 2026

Floods in 2014 on West Sedgemoor near Taunton | Mr Eugene Birchall, CC BY-SA 2.0 Standing on the hills looking out across flat green fields, linked by a network of...Read More >

You are covered in mites – and most of the time that’s completely normal

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18 February 202617 February 2026

The mites that live on your eyelashes are parasitic yet harmless You are not alone in your own skin. Millions of microscopic creatures live there too. Our skin is home...Read More >

Britain’s relentless rain shows climate predictions playing out as expected

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17 February 202617 February 2026

Large parts of the UK are experiencing relentless rainfall, with some places seeing rain for 41 consecutive days and counting. In Reading, in the south east of England, our university’s...Read More >

Why do disasters still happen, despite early warnings? Because systems are built to wait for certainty

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11 February 202611 February 2026

Consequences of the flooding in Vianden, Luxembourg, on July 18th, 2021. | Anthony Dehez/European Commission CC 4.0 After major disasters, public debate often treats them as unexpected or unprecedented. This...Read More >

How diverse voices are transforming the UN’s climate science

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11 February 202618 February 2026

An environmental expert from Nigeria, a climate policy consultant from Kenya, an oceanographer from Indonesia and an Indigenous social development specialist from the Philippines will are among dozens of experts...Read More >

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