Universities are vital hubs of research and teaching on climate change. As large organisations, they also have significant emissions, which contribute to our climate crisis. Universities should therefore lead global action to limit climate change. How best can they do this? It’s Global Climate Change Week. This annual event aims to encourage universities – staff and […] … learn more→

We need to change our transportation system, and we need to do it quickly. Road transportation is a major consumer of fossil fuels, contributing 16 per cent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, which warm up the Earth’s atmosphere and cause changes to the climate. It also pollutes the air, threatening health and costing taxpayers billions of dollars annually. […] … learn more→

May 2020 was the driest on record in England and the second driest in Wales. Rainfall was about 17% of the average for May, and it was also the sunniest calendar month on record, with 266 hours of sunshine, surpassing the previous record of 265 hours in June 1957. This dry spell followed one of […] … learn more→

Universities are confronting the possibility of profound sector-wide transformation due to the continuing effects of COVID-19. It is prompting much needed debate about what such transformation should look like and what kind of system is in the public interest. This is now an urgent conversation. If universities want a say in what the future of higher education […] … learn more→

If we stopped oil, gas and coal extraction immediately – what would happen? What would we need to change about the way our economies and societies work in order to adjust to that resource no longer being available? Do alternatives already exist that mean it could be business as usual if we (governments and individuals) […] … learn more→

After weeks of pandemic lockdown and closures, families keen on camping holidays and getting outdoors are relieved that many of our parks are reopening. Canada’s national parks partially open June 1 for day use; camping will be closed until at least June 21 while authorities assess safety. In Alberta, provincial parks are open for day use, and camping is […] … learn more→

Wandering albatrosses have long been considered exceptional creatures. They can fly 8.5 million kilometres during their lifetimes – the equivalent of flying to the Moon and back more than ten times. Their three-and-a-half-metre wing span is the same length as a small car and they can weigh as much as 24 puffins. Their body shape means they […] … learn more→

Children and young people have been deeply impacted by the current bushfire crisis. Schools have been destroyed and thousands of houses have burnt down. Hazardous air pollution is causing major public health concerns and the devastating impacts on animals and wildlife is leading to emotional distress. Many children – like 11-year-old Finn who drove a boat with […] … learn more→

In cities we live more than half of the world’s population. This number will grow exponentially in the next thirty years. The urban population is expected to increase another 2.5 billion people by 2050. In the cities two thirds of the world energy produced is consumed. In addition, more than 70% of annual CO₂ emissions are generated worldwide. These mainly come from the consumption […] … learn more→

Disney’s Frozen has been a staple in my house since before it won an Academy Award for best animated feature in 2014. Before my girls could even talk, they were humming along to the famous “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” song. Frozen is about a fearless princess named Anna who journeys to find her sister, Elsa, whose […] … learn more→