The atmosphere’s growing thirst for water is making droughts more severe, even in places where rainfall has stayed the same. New research by Dr Solomon H. Gebrechorkos and Prof Simon Dadson et al in SoGE, published in Nature, finds that this “thirst” has made droughts 40% more severe across the globe.
News
Logged tropical forests are still valuable for biodiversity, study finds
A research team led by the University of Oxford, including Prof Yadvinder Malhi, has carried out the most comprehensive assessment to date of how logging and conversion to oil palm plantations affect tropical forest ecosystems. The results demonstrate that these have significantly different and cumulative environmental impacts - and that logged forests should not be immediately ‘written off’ for conversion to oil palm plantations. The findings have been published in Science.
IN THE MEDIA
Oxford-led project awarded £2 million to revolutionise clean hydropower energy
A new project led by Louise Slater, Professor of Hydroclimatology, aims to transform the optimisation of hydropower systems in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia to ensure sustainable and equitable energy access. The Smart Hydropower Solutions (SMART-HS) project has been awarded over £2 million through UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Ayrton Challenge Programme.
IN THE MEDIA
Associate Professorship in Physical Geography (Biodiversity and Climate Change) in association with St Anne’s College
The School of Geography and the Environment, in association with St Anne’s College, invites applications for a full-time Associate Professorship in Physical Geography, with a focus on biodiversity and climate change. The position is available from 1 September 2025, or at an earlier or later date by negotiation, and will be held in conjunction with a Tutorial Fellowship at St Anne’s College.
IN THE MEDIA
I wept and wept as I watched the Syrian regime fall. At last, I have a home again
There will be perilous days to come and the future is uncertain, but around the world we Syrians are celebrating - Dr Ammar Azzouz writes for The Guardian.
IN THE MEDIA
Climate change doubles frequency of concurrent drought and heatwave events in low-income regions
A study published in Communications Earth & Environment, led by Dr Boen Zhang, Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the School of Geography and the Environment, has revealed that human-induced climate change has significantly increased the frequency of compound drought and heatwave events in low-income regions. These simultaneous extreme weather phenomena, which amplify risks to ecosystems, agriculture, and human health, are occurring twice as often as they did in the late-20th century. Alarmingly, the acceleration of these events is disproportionately affecting low-income regions, underscoring the urgent need for equitable climate action.
NEWS
Syrians are torn between fear and hope as the frontlines rapidly shift
The lightning-fast capture, by Syrian rebels, of large swaths of northern Syria, including the war-torn country’s second-largest city, Aleppo, and the strategically important city of Hama further south, is a body blow for the regime of Bashar al-Assad - Dr Ammar Azzouz writes for The Conversation.
IN THE MEDIA
Dr Kevin Grecksch receives seed funding from The British Academy in partnership with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Dr Kevin Grecksch and Dr Stefan Knauß, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, have received seed funding from The British Academy in partnership with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to explore creative interventions for social and environmental crises.
IN THE MEDIA
Beans and peas best meat alternative, veggie burgers second, lab-grown meat worst, according to new ECI research
Beans and peas rank best as meat and milk replacement from nutritional, health, environmental, and cost perspectives, a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has found. They outperformed processed products like veggie burgers and plant milks, but also lab-grown meat which ranked worst.
IN THE MEDIA
Five easy ways to make your online shopping more sustainable this festive season
Throughout the holiday season, the urgent need for sustainable consumption is clear. Some 300,000 tonnes of clothing and 471 million small electrical everyday items end up in household waste in the UK in a year, with the number of unwanted items increasing significantly just after Black Friday. The current trend of overconsumption is fuelling climate change, nature loss and pollution. Felippa Amanta, DPhil student, explores how to shop more sustainably this festive season in an article for The Conversation.
IN THE MEDIA
COP29: Indigenous communities still being sold short as the world decides how to regulate carbon markets
Dr Stephen Lezak, Programme Manager for the Oxford Programme on the Sustainable Future of Capital-Intensive Industries at the Smith School, explores how indigenous communities still being sold short as the world decides how to regulate carbon markets in an article in The Conversation.
IN THE MEDIA
