Following devastating floods in 2020, five successive failed rainy seasons caused drought which exposed millions of people to acute food shortages in East Africa. The field project, MASIKA, is the first of its kind and aims to understand the atmospheric processes operating at the start the rainy season.
News
How is eco-stress affecting students?
MSc student, Raphaella Mascia, examines the unique challenges faced by students in Environment and Conservation, and the issues related to mental health, eco-stress, anxiety and grief.
Climate change: multi-country media analysis shows scepticism of the basic science is dying out
For some time now, researchers have suggested that the balance of arguments propagated by climate sceptics or denialists has shifted from denying or undermining climate science to challenging policy solutions designed to reduce emissions - Dr James Painter, Senior Teaching Associate at SoGE, writes for The Conversation.
Junze Shi wins Economic Geography Research Group Undergraduate Dissertation Prize
The Royal Geographical Society with IBG's Economic Geography Research Group has named Junze Shi as the winner of their 2022 undergraduate dissertation prize. Junze recently graduated from the BA in Geography course at the University of Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE).
Why Finland is the happiest country in the world - an expert explains
Finland has been the happiest country on earth for the past six years, according to the World Happiness Survey. Prof Danny Dorling explores just why Finns are happier than others in a recent article for The Conversation.
Geography at Oxford retains top spot in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023
The School of Geography and the Environment has been ranked first once again by the QS World University Rankings by Subject, a position SoGE has held for over a decade. The 2023 league table released on 22 March evaluates over 1,500 institutions across 54 different subjects.
Climate change is accelerating - and the UK government is 'strikingly unprepared'
Prof Sam Fankhauser writes for The Conversation, "The latest progress report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) concerns the UK's preparedness for climate change, rather than progress toward net zero emissions, but it makes similar conclusions. The committee is scathing and has said that the country is 'strikingly unprepared'."
At a crossroads: 'Geography needs more people like us'
Undergraduate student Eleanor Luxton interviews Dr Ariell Ahearn, a lecturer in Human Geography, on being working-class in academia, and why Mongolia is such a special place for her.
New Living on a Changing Planet podcast series launched to unite climate change and mental health
Living on a Changing Planet is a new podcast series exploring people's emotional responses to climate change. Produced by Carter Powis (SoGE doctoral researcher and climate scientist), and Patrick Kennedy-Williams (a clinical psychologist), together they tackle the topic that's been missing from the climate conversation: whether you're an energy worker who's facing the loss of your job and ability to provide for your family, a youth activist afraid of what the future holds, or a nature-lover grieving the rapid ongoing destruction of our biosphere - how do you learn to live with it?
How to talk to your family and friends about the new IPCC report - five tips from climate change communication research
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report is a sobering read, which some describe as a "final warning" from scientists. It's important that people who already know about climate change and treat it seriously take proactive steps to speak with others about IPCC reports and climate change more generally. In an article for The Conversation, Josh Ettinger, doctoral candidate at SoGE, examines how to promote successful climate discussions among diverse groups of people.
Those seeds clinging to your hiking socks may be from invasive plants - here's how to avoid spreading them to new locations
Megan Dolman, recent graduate of the MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management, explores the simple things that everyone can do before, during and after going outdoors to avoid picking up and inadvertently spreading invasive plants in an article for The Conversation.