Environment

A chimpanzee in an enclosure resting on a wooden climbing frame

27 March 2025

How we revealed the life story of PG Tips chimp – written in her bones

25 March 2025

Fossil face discovery highlights challenges faced by Europe’s earliest settlers

20 March 2025

What deer poo can tell us about the future of Britain’s woodlands

Two African elephants against a pink sky and setting sun

13 March 2025

New research shows bigger animals get more cancer, defying decades-old belief

A large building obscured by thick, orange-tinted smog

5 March 2025

Delhi: how weather patterns and faraway mountains made this the world’s most polluted megacity

A map of Europe showing Storm Éowyn making landfall on Ireland.

27 January 2025

Why meteorologists are comparing Storm Éowyn to a bomb

From left to right, vertical stripes change from dark blue to red, indicating an increase in global average temperatures. Text on the top right hand states 'Delayed Action: A 3deg C world' against very dark red/purple stripes. The middle reads 'our choices' and the bottom right states 'Rapid action and net-zero by 2050s: A 1.5deg C world' against lighter red stripes

14 January 2025

My new dark red climate stripe for 2024 shows it’s the hottest year yet

13 December 2024

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme – showcase winners 2024

22 November 2024

COP29: How fast is Earth warming?

18 November 2024

Cacti are surprisingly fragile – and five other intriguing facts about these spiky wonders

A hurricane viewed from space - the curvature of the Earth and parts of the ISS can be seen

18 October 2024

Will the Earth warm by 2°C or 5.5°C? Either way it’s bad, and trying to narrow it down may be a distraction

A shot of the moon Europa, an off-white hemisphere straked with rusty red patches.

8 October 2024

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will investigate whether an icy moon of Jupiter can support alien life

Infrared view of the flooding in South Sudan

19 September 2024

South Sudan floods: the first example of a mass population permanently displaced by climate change?

Greyscale photo of Royal Air Force airmen taking readings from thermometers inside a stevenson screen.

2 September 2024

Victorian technology for measuring the weather is still remarkably accurate – new research

A man pointing at a large screen displaying the text 'Limit Carbon Emissions to Avoid Dangerous Climate Change' and a graph.

29 August 2024

Inspiring action on climate change through engaging science

A road sign warning drivers of extreme heat between 4 and 9pm.

16 August 2024

Earth has just ended a 13-month streak of record heat – here’s what to expect next

12 July 2024

Representing the Effect of Eddy-Wind Interactions in Future Climate Models

9 July 2024

Average months now feel cold thanks to climate change

Puffin on a bank in the Shetland Islands

26 June 2024

Why we’re hunting through a century of data from Britain’s northernmost observatory

12 June 2024

Spirited Away play review: a wonderful artistic imagining of Studio Ghibli’s tale of environmental stewardship

Waves crashing against the rocks during a storm with a lighthouse in the distance.

29 April 2024

Why does it feel so cold in the UK right now – and when will it warm up?

cracked soil in the bottom of a river showing drought

22 April 2024

Feeling depleted? So is the planet. Here’s how to move from exhaustion to empowerment

Two kids in yellow waterproof cloaks and boots playing with handmade paper boat outdoors after the rain together.

16 April 2024

‘April showers’ – a rainfall scientist explains what they are and why they are becoming more intense

12 March 2024

Side-effects of expanding forests could limit their potential to tackle climate change – new study

13 December 2023

Our most read articles of 2023

5 December 2023

Energy demand flexibility research will be a gamechanger in the transition to net zero

5 December 2023

The Tea Bag Index: using tea bags to measure soil decomposition and help predict future changes in climate

28 November 2023

The Walker Institute – proud to be a My Climate Risk hub

27 November 2023

Boom in space tourism threatens to boost the amounts of space junk and climate emissions

13 November 2023

Modelling city structure for improved urban representations in weather and climate models

7 November 2023

Why Storm Ciarán’s winds were so strong

23 August 2023

Research reveals who’s been hit hardest by global warming in their lifetime – and the answer may surprise you

16 August 2023

Science shows the severe climate consequences of new fossil fuel extraction

14 August 2023

More severe wet and dry extremes as rapid warming of climate continues

A blurry golden picture of sunset in the city to represent hot temperatures

6 July 2023

June 2023 was the hottest in England since 1846 – here’s why it was so unusual

28 June 2023

Aviation turbulence soared by up to 55% as the world warmed – new research

Schematic overview on the central role of the Earth heat inventory and its linkage to anthropogenic emissions, the Earth energy imbalance, change in the Earth system, and implications for ecosystems and human systems.

19 June 2023

An inevitable climate breach?

8 June 2023

Understanding types of compost and soil carbon quality – and why this matters for climate change mitigation

The river flowing under Henllan Bridge in Wales. The water level is very high.

26 May 2023

Drought recedes in Britain after a wet spring – but much of Europe is parched

Colourful wildflowers including primroses growing the grass

22 May 2023

Five ways to protect and restore biodiversity in the UK

15 May 2023

How can gardeners stop the spread of invasive species?

28 April 2023

Owning houseplants can boost your mental health – here’s how to pick the right one

Category-4 Hurricane Ian approaching Florida’s west coast at peak intensity on 28th September, 2022.

14 April 2023

Upward global trends in the rapid intensification of tropical cyclones

28 March 2023

Why it’s time for new approaches to environmental and health issues in the EU

3D art rendering of the Tiktaalik, an extinct walking fish.

17 March 2023

How fish evolved to walk – and in one case, turned into humans

27 February 2023

Why the UK has only had one named storm so far this winter – an expert explains

8 February 2023

Five things you probably have wrong about rain

25 January 2023

Why forecasting snow is so difficult in the UK

18 January 2023

Shaping places: making communities an integral part of the planning process

21 December 2022

Our most talked about publications of 2022

A blue butterfly on a tree branch. The branch is in blossom.

14 December 2022

Securing action for biodiversity at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity – COP15

7 December 2022

Changing the way transatlantic flights are routed to reduce carbon emissions

22 November 2022

Africa has vast gas reserves – here’s how to stop them adding to climate change

9 November 2022

Protecting school children from air pollution using citizen science

A climate activist wearing a gas mask and holding a stop sign stands on top of a parked car in Trafalgar Square. Police Officers surround the vehicle.

4 November 2022

Public order bill: new law is designed to stop climate protests – but it could actually give activists a legal tool

An arial view photo taken during 2022 Pakistan floods

20 October 2022

Climate change: every bit of global warming is making floods and droughts worse

22 September 2022

Why the drought isn’t over even though it’s rained all week

8 September 2022

Using satellite technology to provide reliable rainfall information for African farmers

A globe showing clouds. NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Blue Marble imagery.

6 September 2022

Monitoring climate change from space

24 August 2022

Drought: heavy rain now might be a serious problem for the UK’s parched landscape

17 August 2022

Britain’s notoriously wet and cold climate is changing – you won’t like what replaces it

10 August 2022

Too hot to sleep? Nights are warming faster than days as Earth heats up

8 August 2022

Four things cool countries can learn from hot ones about dealing with heatwaves

1 August 2022

What is the World Climate Research Programme and why do we need it?

28 July 2022

‘Expect the unexpected’: Extreme weather is creating the perfect storm for risk contagion

25 July 2022

Heatwave Britain hits 40.3°C – here’s how scientists know when a temperature record has been broken

19 July 2022

Heatwave: why extreme weather forecasts have improved so much

15 July 2022

Hedgehog conservation: how to make a garden nest box appealing – new research

11 July 2022

What science says about the best ways to cool down

29 June 2022

Is Europe at risk from hurricanes?

24 May 2022

The multi-stable and multi-scale nature of our climate

20 May 2022

Beyond the Numbers: Reflections on REF 2021

2 May 2022

How Studio Ghibli films can help us rediscover the childlike wonder of our connection with nature

22 April 2022

How a new GCSE in natural history can help us towards a greener future

white text on a red background which reads

7 April 2022

Solutions to planetary health reside within us

1 April 2022

Getting to net zero will require inclusive landscape decisions

30 March 2022

Accessible research for all: what UKRI’s new Open Access policy means for us

25 March 2022

How a deluge of lockdown volunteers rescued UK’s hidden weather history

21 March 2022

Safeguarding ecosystems: From sustained yield to sustainable forestry

11 March 2022

Nigeria’s fuel crisis: smaller, more flexible refineries aren’t the full answer

23 February 2022

Breaking the ice: The power of networks

18 February 2022

Storm Eunice: how forecasters predicted super-strong winds days before it even formed

16 February 2022

Climate change from the global to the local: celebrating the team of unsung heroes behind our award-winning research

11 February 2022

CentAUR in 2021

9 February 2022

Plants are flowering a month earlier – here’s what it could mean for pollinating insects

2 February 2022

Mapping the Open Research landscape at the University of Reading

28 January 2022

Four surprising ways climate change is affecting people’s health in England and Wales

24 January 2022

Climate education – global change through local action

20 January 2022

Time-of-use tariffs: A way to reduce electricity bills?

7 January 2022

Antarctica’s ‘doomsday’ glacier: how its collapse could trigger global floods and swallow islands

5 January 2022

Moving Cocaine from the field to the streets: the cocaine supply chain in the Americas

24 December 2021

Our most popular papers of 2021

23 December 2021

The twelve months of Walker: 2021 highlights from the University’s Interdisciplinary Climate Research Centre

18 December 2021

Channel tragedy highlights unfair family reunion policies for transnational families

8 December 2021

Collaborating with Industry: A Knowledge Transfer Partnership could be the answer

1 December 2021

Working from home: can emissions really be reduced and what are the broader implications for cities?

24 November 2021

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme Showcase 2021

18 November 2021

Getting to the bottom of net zero carbon

17 November 2021

How will we get to carbon net zero as individuals and a society?

16 November 2021

Making informed decisions in the midst of the climate crisis

15 November 2021

Working together to change climate change

12 November 2021

If we don’t learn from past climate disasters, they will claim more lives in the future

4 November 2021

COP26: what would the world be like at 3°C of warming and how would it be different from 1.5°C?

3 November 2021

Marlene Kretschmer honoured by EuroGeosciences Union

22 September 2021

Research into action: learning from REF2021

15 September 2021

Climate change adaptation in East Africa: reflections on systemic change

4 August 2021

Brazil’s Atlantic Forest will change more in the next 50 years than at any time since the last ice age

21 July 2021

Extreme heat warning: what first-ever Met Office alert means

20 July 2021

Report from Europe’s flood zone: researcher calls out early warning system gridlock amid shocking loss of life

12 July 2021

The Perks of Open data

4 June 2021

One in three heat deaths since 1991 linked to climate change – here’s how else warming affects our health

28 May 2021

Severe storms from tropics reach Europe once every five years on average – new research

21 May 2021

Are you a climate change hypocrite? Here’s why you shouldn’t worry

12 May 2021

Science art helps climate change message hit home

16 April 2021

Antarctica’s ice shelves are trembling as global temperatures rise – what happens next is up to us

31 March 2021

Understanding vertical motion in clouds

15 March 2021

Sharp and Unsharp measurement in Quantum Mechanics

5 March 2021

When in doubt, kick it!

17 February 2021

Climate change is making extreme cold much less likely, despite the UK plummeting to -23°C

10 February 2021

Nature: how do you put a price on something that has infinite worth?

26 January 2021

Why a green electricity grid depends on weather forecasts improving

5 January 2021

Overshadowed by COVID: the deadly extreme weather of 2020

18 December 2020

Our most popular papers of 2020

16 December 2020

Partnerships for global development

8 December 2020

Why COVID-19 has left the UK especially vulnerable to flooding this winter

7 December 2020

How do we protect our soils?

24 November 2020

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme Showcase 2020

9 November 2020

Monsoon flooding in Bangladesh: how forecasting can help protect lives and livelihoods

1 October 2020

Biodiversity: where the world is making progress – and where it’s not

14 September 2020

Bolivia reverses years of progress with new draconian cocaine policy, supported by the EU

10 September 2020

Heatwaves are an invisible killer – and the UK is woefully unprepared

3 September 2020

Weathering the storm – masterclasses in Meteorology

26 August 2020

Cold war nuclear tests changed rainfall thousands of miles away

24 August 2020

Discovering evolution’s rules for sculpting the natural world

13 August 2020

Heatwaves often end with spectacular thunderstorms and lethal floods – but where and when they’ll strike is hard to predict

28 July 2020

Building on the positives – the Impact of housing design and placemaking during lockdown

24 July 2020

How much do clouds weigh?

16 July 2020

Why do we need to meet the #BeesNeeds?

9 July 2020

Renewable energy supply and demand during lockdown – and the best time to bake bread

6 July 2020

Hundreds of elephants are mysteriously dying in Botswana – Dr Vicky Boult explains what we know

1 July 2020

Enabling a just transition to England’s new agri-environment scheme

11 June 2020

Is racism and bigotry in our DNA?

8 June 2020

Advanced cyclone forecasting is leading to early action – and it’s saving thousands of lives

20 May 2020

COVID-19: addressing conspiracy theories

15 May 2020

As sea levels rise, are we ready to live behind giant walls?

14 May 2020

Rewilding: lessons from the medieval Baltic crusades

5 May 2020

Tiger King: why can’t we just release America’s captive tigers into the wild?

2 May 2020

How to discover the wildlife wonders of your own garden

2 April 2020

The butterfly effect

18 March 2020

Prizes for outstanding early career research

18 March 2020

Ask me anything about climate change!

27 February 2020

Housebuilding ban on floodplains isn’t enough – flood-prone communities should take back control

17 February 2020

Climate change means longer take-offs and fewer passengers per aeroplane – new study

28 January 2020

Daffodils and snowdrops are here – but what happens next?

23 January 2020

Climate crisis: we are not individuals fighting a faceless system – we are the system that needs to change

23 January 2020

The civil service doesn’t just need more scientists – it needs a decision-making revolution

22 January 2020

Think you’re an individual? Here are seven reasons why you’re not

21 January 2020

London just broke a 300-year-old weather record – but you probably didn’t even notice it

15 January 2020

REF is coming – grab every chance to promote your research

6 January 2020

Climate change: six positive news stories from 2019

20 December 2019

Our most popular papers of 2019

16 December 2019

Uncovering the full picture of the UK’s food poverty issue

10 December 2019

How to design a forest fit to heal the planet

9 December 2019

About drought

7 December 2019

Flash flooding is a serious threat in the UK – here’s how scientists are tackling its prediction

4 December 2019

Reading climate experts gather at COP25

14 November 2019

Why flooding is still so difficult to predict and prepare for

7 November 2019

Improving health, curbing climate change – a win-win situation

29 October 2019

Going entirely organic could mean food emissions up 70% in England and Wales

22 October 2019

To fight climate change, science must be mobilised like it was in World War II

17 October 2019

Climate change: turning up the heat on our health

27 September 2019

In pictures: stimulating senses at the Berkshire show

20 September 2019

#ShowYourStripes: how climate data became a cultural icon

5 September 2019

Why forecasting floods should be a global collaborative effort

7 August 2019

Poles apart: taking UK climate science to The Arctic

10 July 2019

Heatwave ‘completely obliterated’ the record for Europe’s hottest ever June

8 July 2019

The Bees’ Needs: saving Britain’s pollinators

3 July 2019

In pictures: researchers at work

25 June 2019

African farmers join in research to help secure their futures

12 June 2019

Britain is in the middle of a drought – so how come there’s flooding?

11 May 2019

Curious Kids: what makes the wind?

8 May 2019

Palm oil: an EU ban won’t save Asian rainforests, but here’s what might help

3 May 2019

Net Zero: how do we get there?

30 April 2019

Flood forecasting science informing relief efforts

9 April 2019

IMPREXive game highlights importance of forecasting in flood management

Flooding in Mozambique following Cyclone Idai, March 2019. Image credit: Denis Onyodi/Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

5 April 2019

Before Idai

19 March 2019

Prizes awarded to outstanding early career researchers

8 March 2019

British Science Week round-up

7 March 2019

‘Too many elephants’ in Africa? Here’s how peaceful coexistence with human communities can help

Reading research could shed light on how dinosaurs got so big.

22 February 2019

How did mammals (and maybe dinosaurs) get so big?

20 February 2019

Space Blitz: discovering the hidden impacts of WWII bombing raids

Climate change could melt the world's third largest store of ice in the Himalayas.

14 February 2019

1.5 degree limit won’t save the earth’s ‘third pole’

13 February 2019

Retreating glaciers: the science behind the story

7 February 2019

We revealed the value of Zambia’s wild yam. Why it matters

28 December 2018

Our most popular papers of 2018

4 December 2018

Smoother and safer flying

27 November 2018

Sydney’s orange sky reminds us how unpredictable dust storms can be

26 November 2018

Smooth ride: air turbulence research shortlisted for NERC Impact Award

22 November 2018

What’s the weather like in space?

1 November 2018

Tipping point: huge wildlife loss threatens the life support of our small planet

29 October 2018

Tigers confirmed as six subspecies, and that is a big deal for conservation

19 October 2018

Opening up new opportunities with Open Access

17 October 2018

From veterinary tools to video games – the MERL redevelopment two years on

11 October 2018

A river runs through it

8 October 2018

IPCC 1.5℃ report: here’s what the climate science says

8 October 2018

We want your views on public engagement with research

4 October 2018

Soil: our buried treasure

3 October 2018

New climate services networking group formed

27 September 2018

World War II bombing raids in London and Berlin struck the edge of space, our new study reveals

19 September 2018

Microplastics are getting into mosquitoes and contaminating new food chains

17 September 2018

Present your research in Parliament: apply for STEM for Britain 2019

16 September 2018

Fixing a hole

7 September 2018

A simple way to inform parliamentary debate – submit your research to POST now!

6 September 2018

Sharing the benefits of research

29 August 2018

How London Zoo’s big ‘weigh in’ could help conservation in the wild

24 August 2018

Why the weather forecast will always be a bit wrong

6 August 2018

How will the 2018 drought affect our wildlife?

26 July 2018

Three (and a half) reasons why it has been so hot and dry in the UK and Ireland

25 July 2018

Much more than mud

24 July 2018

The heatwave in numbers

11 July 2018

No major flood since 1947 doesn’t mean Caversham is safe from flooding

9 July 2018

When to water your plants during a heatwave

25 June 2018

In pictures: Open Farm Sunday

22 June 2018

Reading 2050: a vision for future urban living

14 June 2018

Life-changing research: shortlist announced for Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2018

11 June 2018

Global projects win funding among latest research awards

8 June 2018

Why clear skies over the Pacific are speeding up climate change

4 June 2018

When soil and swing collide: science at the Big Band Big Lunch

22 May 2018

Tracking the silent changes to the UK’s biodiversity

10 May 2018

There will be another Alfie Evans. Experts need to engage

8 May 2018

Hottest ever Early May Bank Holiday among records broken in Reading

2 May 2018

Broccoli, 19th century maths and polymers

1 May 2018

‘Engage openly’ during elections, academics urged

10 April 2018

How to discover a new ‘species’ of cloud – a sky spotter’s guide

4 April 2018

Earthworms Count: How Healthy is Your Soil?

22 March 2018

Have your say on Open Research: the future, or fool’s charter?

21 March 2018

Global warming, light switch molecules and malaria – early career researchers net prizes

15 March 2018

Reading research near you: British Science Week

15 March 2018

Can we really use El Niño to predict flooding? And five things I learnt writing a Nature paper.

8 March 2018

On International Women’s Day, female academics are among research funding winners

5 March 2018

The ‘Beast from the East’ and freakishly warm Arctic temperatures are no coincidence

2 March 2018

The big freeze in Reading

20 February 2018

Climate justice: a new civil rights movement?

9 February 2018

On high AALERT: can art help research into nature?

16 January 2018

Protecting our natural resources is just as important as cutting plastic waste.

21 December 2017

Bees, climate and food: the Reading research listed among world’s elite

18 December 2017

Safeguarding the world’s pollinators: International experts converge on Reading to inform UN policy

10 December 2017

Inspiring future scientists with fossil pollen time machines

27 November 2017

Bali volcanic eruption: Research to help reduce flight disruption caused by future ash clouds

23 November 2017

Self-assembly Inside Atmospheric Droplets?

15 November 2017

Before the flood

14 November 2017

How research is creating a sustainable built environment for tomorrow’s world

10 November 2017

Carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas: Reading science informing debate at COP23

9 November 2017

We’re Going on a Worm Hunt! Soil science at UnEarthed Edinburgh

2 November 2017

Can fairness create a green future?

18 October 2017

Red sky at noon? Meteorologists’ delight

9 October 2017

Stronger turbulence causes a stir

18 September 2017

What do we know about the fat in our food?

22 August 2017

Exploring the impact of drought on 2017 wheat crop

24 July 2017

To cut or not to cut – that is the question

19 July 2017

Reading tops rainfall charts: But how does downpour compare historically?

23 June 2017

A French foreign legion of climate scientists?

23 June 2017

The hottest heatwave since 1976? This is what the evidence says

7 June 2017

What can studying past climates tell us about climate changes happening today?

2 June 2017

The UoR science underpinning the Paris Agreement – as Trump announces US withdrawal

25 May 2017

Agriculture … would be very difficult, if not wholly impossible, without earthworms #gsw17

25 May 2017

We’re running out of one of the essentials for all life on earth #GSW17

28 April 2017

Talking about Open Research at the University of Reading

28 April 2017

Belmont Forum survey highlights importance of IEA role

25 April 2017

Research Engagement and Impact Awards 2017: Enter now!

30 March 2017

Saving lives and reducing damage with flood early warnings

29 March 2017

Prizewinning research: From bones to data – the evolution of dinosaur science

28 March 2017

Prizes awarded for outstanding research outputs

17 March 2017

Will the ‘little boy’ of the Pacific bring disaster? Improving El Niño flood forecasts

15 March 2017

Reading wins £3.3m in research grants in January

13 March 2017

Did climate change have a role in the West African floods of 2012?

9 March 2017

How Reading research helped the BBC uncover ‘The Secrets of Your Food’

9 March 2017

Weather forecasters face storm of criticism – so is it time for a new look?

28 February 2017

What reproducibility crisis? Open research may have the answers

6 February 2017

Reading secures £3.9m in research awards in December

3 February 2017

Celebrating the impact of environmental science at Reading

31 January 2017

‘Powering down’ of sun will shift aurora to the poles

25 January 2017

The politics of climate change may be stalling – but business is rising to the challenge

18 January 2017

Shocking! Could an electric charge make clouds rain?

16 January 2017

What is wrong with Donald Trump’s denial of climate change?

3 January 2013

Record-breaking year when drought became flood

21 June 2012

What have insects ever done for us?

19 June 2012

Man versus machine: what the Turing Test can tell use about communication

29 May 2012

Rio+20: Justice must be reinstated at the centre in the quest for new green global economy

15 May 2012

The right plants in the right places

27 March 2012

The cost of a flight

30 January 2012

What causes Queensland’s variable rainfall?