Western Europe has highest global risk of a nuclear disaster, new study warns
Catastrophic nuclear accidents such as the core meltdowns in Chernobyl and Fukushima are more likely to happen than previously assumed, according to new research.
Posh neighbourhoods are damaging to bees, new research suggests
Poorer neighbourhoods are a bee paradise compared to richer suburban areas where the pressure to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ often means gardens have manicured lawns and rows of regimented bedding plants that usually
Study analyses environmental impact of unused medication
A new study suggests that dumping old or unneeded medications in the bin can may be the best way to reduce the environmental impact of the 200 million pounds of pharmaceuticals that go unused in the US each year.
Pioneering system could slash future costs of carbon capture & storage
Researchers have developed a system to produce pure carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels in power stations, which will make it easier and cheaper to tackle using carbon capture and storage technology.
Forest-sourced biofuel is bad for the environment, new study warns
A new study from the University of California, Davis, provides a deeper understanding of the complex global impacts of deforestation on greenhouse gas emissions.
Paint particles could be plan B to protecting the planet
Dispersing fine light-scattering particles into the upper atmosphere could help to combat climate change, suggests a former UK government advisor and chemical engineer.
Biodiversity loss is as damaging as climate change and pollution
Loss of biodiversity appears to affect ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution and other major forms of environmental stress, according to results of a new study by an international research team.
Seven-year shift as climate change moves mountain plants uphill
Global warming is causing mountain plants to migrate to higher altitudes in the space of just seven years, new research has revealed.
Rivers flowing into the sea offer vast potential as carbon-free energy source
A new genre of electric power-generating stations could supply electricity for more than a half billion people by tapping just one-tenth of the global potential of a little-known energy source that exists where rivers fl
Study finds Greenland's ice cover is sliding into the ocean
Like snow sliding off a roof on a sunny day, the Greenland Ice Sheet may be sliding faster into the ocean due to massive releases of meltwater from surface lakes, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Bo
Thawing permafrost study provides new clues to climate change
Thawing permafrost more than 50 million years ago may have led to extreme global warming events, according to new research.
Satellite study reveals a decade of huge ice loss in Antarctica
As the European Space Agency’s Envisat satellite marks ten years in orbit, it continues to observe the rapid retreat of one of Antarctica’s ice shelves due to climate warming.
Birds sing louder than 30 years ago to be heard over city din
Bird song is rising in volume after a new study found astonishing changes over the past 30 years.
Europe's SME shift to a green economy is gaining strength
More than a third of European SMEs now have at least one full or part-time green employee, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey on "SMEs, resource efficiency and green markets".
Global city sprawl to nearly double within 20 years, experts warn
Unless development patterns change, by 2030 humanity's urban footprint will occupy an additional 1.5 million square kilometres - comparable to the combined territories of France, Germany and Spain, say experts at a majo